Rate My Professor Wendy Thomson

Professor Wendy Thomson CBE is Vice-Chancellor of the University of London. Born in Montreal, Canada, in 1953, she earned a Bachelor of Social Work and a Master of Social Work from McGill University. She later obtained a PhD in social administration from the University of Bristol in 1989. Thomson held senior roles in Canadian and UK government and local government, including as Chief Executive of the London Borough of Newham, Director of Best Value Inspections at the Audit Commission, and UK Prime Minister’s Chief Advisor on Public Service Reform. In 2005 she received the CBE for her contributions to public service reform and was appointed Professor of Social Policy at McGill University, where she also served as Director of the School of Social Work and as a founding member of the Centre for Research on Children and Families. From 2014 to 2018 she was Managing Director of Norfolk County Council. She became Vice-Chancellor of the University of London in July 2019 and was reappointed to lead the institution until 2028. In spring 2024 she was conferred as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. Thomson is recognised as an international expert in public service governance and reform and has contributed to London’s civic agenda during her tenure. She has delivered public lectures, including the first commencement lecture at Makerere University, and participated in high-profile delegations and university governance activities.