Colin Riordan

British academic (born 1959)

Colin Riordan

CBE FLSW

Professor Riordan in 2019

Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University
In office
September 2012 – August 2023
Preceded by| Sir David Grant
Succeeded by| Wendy Larner
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Essex
In office
October 2007 – 2012
Preceded by| Sir Ivor Crewe
Succeeded by| Anthony Forster
Personal details
Born|  (1959-07-27) 27 July 1959 (age 66)
Paderborn, Germany
Nationality| British
Alma mater| University of Manchester

Colin Bryan Riordan CBE FLSW (born 27 July 1959) is a British academic who was formerly President and Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University from September 2012 to August 2023.[1]

## Education

[edit]

Riordan obtained his PhD from the University of Manchester in 1986.[2]

## Career

[edit]

Riordan taught English as a foreign language at Julius-Maximilians-Universitat Wurzburg in Germany (1982–84). He was Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer in German at Swansea University from 1986 to 1998.

He became Professor of German at Newcastle University in 1998, later being appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor and Provost of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in August 2005.[3]

In October 2007, he took up the post of Vice-Chancellor at the University of Essex.[4] On 1 September 2012, he became Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University.[5]

In 2013, he was elected a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.[6]

In 2015, under his purview as Vice-Chancellor, Riordan announced that Cardiff University would launch five new flagship research centres, each focusing on a world issue. These include resolving chronic diseases; the scarcity of water; the prevention of crime; studying big data; and creating smarter energy systems.[7]

Riordan was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to higher education.[8]

## Research and publications

[edit]

He has published on post-war German literature and culture,[9] including editing books on the writers Jurek Becker, Uwe Johnson and Peter Schneider.[10]

## Personal life

[edit]

In November 2017, shortly after missing Bisexual Visibility Day, Riordan came out as bisexual in a monthly email to staff.[11] The BBC quoted him as saying, "Only a few vice chancellors have spoken out about being gay or lesbian and none about being bi, as far as I'm aware."[12] He has two daughters from a former marriage.[13]

## Memberships

[edit]

* Vice-president and board member of Universities UK[14]
* Board member of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education[15]
* Trustee, the Edge Foundation[16]
* Member of UK NARIC Advisory Council[17]
* Member of UCAS board of trustees[18]
* Board member of the Equality Challenge Unit[19]
* Chair, Universities UK International (UUKi)[20]
* Member of the International Education Council sponsored by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills[21]
* Chair of the International Policy Network of Universities UK[14]

In 2013 he became chair of Higher Education Wales, the body which represents the interests of Higher Education Institutions in Wales.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "News Centre - New Vice-Chancellor for Cardiff University". Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
2. ^ "NewsLink - Press Office - Newcastle University". Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
3. ^ "NewsLink - Press Office - Newcastle University". Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
4. ^ "Wyvern : People : March 2007". Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
5. ^ "News Centre - New Vice-Chancellor for Cardiff University". Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
6. ^ Wales, The Learned Society of. "Colin Riordan". The Learned Society of Wales. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
7. ^ "Cardiff University research centres to tackle major world issues". BBC News. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
8. ^ "No. 63918". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2022. p. N10.
9. ^ "Newcastle University ePrints".
10. ^ Williams, Rhys W.; Parker, Stephen; Peitsch, Helmut; Riordan, Colin (1992). German Writers and the Cold War 1945-61. Manchester University Press. ISBN 9780719026621.
11. ^ "Cardiff Uni boss: 'Why I told colleagues I'm bisexual'". BBC. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
12. ^ "Cardiff Uni boss: 'Why I told colleagues I'm bisexual'". BBC. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
13. ^ "£288k-a-year university boss bravely comes out as bisexual in email to all staff to help those feeling 'invisible'". Mirror Online. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
14. ^ a b "UK Board". Universities UK. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
15. ^ "Board". Leadership Foundation for Higher Education. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019.
16. ^ "Edge". Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
17. ^ "NARIC - UK NARIC Advisory Council". Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
18. ^ "Board of Trustees". 6 October 2014.
19. ^ "Board members — Equality Challenge Unit (ECU)". Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
20. ^ "International Education Council".
21. ^ "International Education Council".

Academic offices

Preceded by

Sir Ivor Crewe

|  Vice-Chancellor of the University of Essex
2007-2012  | Succeeded by

Anthony Forster

Preceded by

David Grant

|  Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University
2012-2023  | Succeeded by

Wendy Larner

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Czech Republic
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Latvia
* Israel
* Belgium

Other|

* IdRef
* Yale LUX