Doug Chalmers elected as the next Master of Emmanuel
Doug Chalmers has been elected as the next Master of Emmanuel College. He will take up the role in October 2021.
Doug Chalmers, currently the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff, will succeed the present Master of Emmanuel, Dame Fiona Reynolds, who has been in the post since 2012. Doug will take up the appointment on 1 October 2021.
In his role as Director of Operations for the Ministry of Defence, Doug provides advice to Ministers on the range of defence operations while integrating with partners across government, along with allies, to deliver the UK’s national security objectives. Most recently this has seen Doug orchestrate the defence response to the COVID pandemic in support of the Department of Health and Social Care.
Doug says: ‘It is a privilege and honour to be elected to lead Emmanuel College. I have been struck by the College’s academic reputation coupled with your genuinely open, supportive and forward-looking approach. Helen and I are excited to be joining such a wonderful and vibrant community.
Having spent time advancing diversity, equality and inclusion in defence, I share Emmanuel’s values of tolerance, respect, sociability and inclusivity. They provide very firm foundations for the future and I am committed to doing all that I can to build on Dame Fiona’s work and advance these values collaboratively with Fellows and students.’
In January 2021 Fiona Reynolds became the Chair of the National Audit Office (NAO) and will continue in this role when she leaves the Mastership in September. She says, ‘Emmanuel is a wonderful College, and I have loved my 8 years here. I’m delighted to welcome Doug to his new role.’