Four figures have declared their candidacy for the role of Cambridge University Chancellor ahead of elections in Easter term.

So far, business owner and activist Gina Miller, Queens’ College president Mohamed El-Erian, former BP chief executive Lord Browne, and Cambridge Astrophysicist Wyn Evans have declared that they will be running for the position.

The Chancellor is the Head of the University but does not exercise executive authority. However, they do have the authority to call and chair Congregations of the Regent House in addition to deciding on certain contested and unresolved matters on appeal.

Miller, the only female candidate announced so far, is hoping to break new ground by becoming the first woman Chancellor in Cambridge’s 800-year history. “Representation matters,” Miller told Varsity, explaining that she wishes to promote a culture where everyone can voice their opinions and concerns.

She continued: “Championing inclusion and social mobility would be a key focus for me, drawing on my personal experiences and lifelong work promoting diversity, equity, fairness and justice”.

Miller also explained that she would want to serve as a “critical friend” to the University by offering independent insights and working closely with the Vice-Chancellor and leadership team. She concluded that she would like to inspire “greater public trust in Cambridge” and aims to bridge the gap between the University and society with “accessible communication and principled advocacy”.

Reflecting on her previous work, Miller told Varsity that she is a “proven changemaker,” stating: “I have a formidable track record for holding governments and corporations to account, defending democracy through the courts, and leading campaigns for transparency, cultural change and justice,” she said.

Miller has previously successfully challenged the UK government on two constitutional accounts. The first case, which was initiated and won by Miller, forced the British government to give Parliament a vote on Article 50. Article 50 is part of the European Union’s (EU) Lisbon Treaty which cites the steps for a country seeking to leave the EU.

Mohamed El-Erian, the current president of Queens’ College, Cambridge, is also running for the position.

In an interview with Varsity, El-Erian stated that his primary objectives include supporting academic excellence, strengthening the University’s finances, and to support academic freedom and free speech.

The protection of freedom of speech is of high importance to El-Erian’s campaign, claiming that he wanted to intensify “the commitment in the face of significant headwinds coming from outside Cambridge”.

El-Erian, who read Economics at Cambridge University as an undergraduate, said that he would also be seeking to “boost philanthropic support for the University and reduce [its] current vulnerability to external shock”.

He claimed that taking philanthropic donations would not put the University at risk of relying on the fossil fuels industry, claiming that: “We have vast opportunities that are outside […] extractive industries. This is particularly the case in the US, where the tradition of philanthropy is very well established, and Cambridge has less recognition, both in absolute terms and relative to Oxford”.

This comes after the University recently accepted a £20 million donation from the oil magnate Majid Jafar to support the building of a children’s hospital, prompting accusations of “sidelining ethics” from senior academics.

El-Erian has been backed for the position by more than 230 supporters including former prime minister Gordon Brown, former BBC newsreader Emily Maitlis, and actor Stephen Fry.

Maitlis stated that in addition to El-Erian’s “academic brilliance,” he also has “a real understanding of the human soul”.

“Whether with students, colleagues, or the wider public I have admired his genuine curiosity for the welfare of others,” she continued.

Stephen Fry has also praised the candidate’s “high sense of the pastoral, academic and administrative roles”.

Lord Browne, the former CEO of BP, who announced his candidacy last week, emphasised his relationship with Cambridge as a University and a city, stating that “Cambridge is not only my university, but also my home”.

Browne listed a plethora of reasons for why he is running for Chancellor, the main being to safeguard the University’s reputation and core values, to help it build a vision for the future, to offer strategic counsel, and to represent and fundraise for the University.

Speaking more on his vision for the future, Browne expressed concerns over “intellectual freedom” being “threatened,” adding that it should be “preserved for the future”. Browne also stated that EDI Laws are being threatened by “people saying [it] is getting in the way of merit”.

“I don’t think it’s getting in the way of merit. If anything, it’s opening up the aperture for more merit,” he said.

Browne also claims that the University has to engage with key issues such as “climate change, energy, and artificial intelligence.” He explained that Cambridge, “where all these things are studied, researched, and taught at a high level, is exactly the place where these things can be developed for the future”.

Earlier this year (26/02) Browne’s former company BP announced it will cut its renewable energy investments by more than £3.9bn and instead pivot to increasing oil and gas production by around 20% to about £7.9bn a year. This company explained pressure from investors unhappy with its profits as the primary reason for the change.

Browne was the CEO of BP between 1995-2007, but claims he was the “first person running an oil and gas company” to say that these companies are “part of a problem called climate change, and we should be part of the solution”.

He has since been vocal on the renewable energy transition and founded the private equity fund Beyond Net Zero. Browne stated the importance of being able to see “both sides of the equation”.

“We can’t turn off [fossil fuels] immediately, but we have to move to eventually replace them,” he said.

The third candidate running for the position of Chancellor is Cambridge Astrophysicist Wyn Evans.

In his campaign manifesto, Evans has pledged to review how jobs are created and retained at the University and to review various aspects of University management, including transparency and performance.

Evans told Varsity that he wants to move the University away from being an “administrative oligarchy” and “return the University to what it once was,” namely a “self-governing community of scholars”.

In order to implement this change, Evans promises to conduct a “thorough review of job creation and retention trends,” adding that the University needs to create new academic positions for young researchers, if it is to “maintain its international standard”.

Among Evans’ plans is the introduction of Cambridge’s own version of Edinburgh University’s ‘Chancellor’s Fellowship’.

Another issue which Evans hopes to address is the “increasing casualisation” of staff which he believes is worsened by the number of staff on fixed-term contracts. He alleges that many staff members, who make a “very significant contribution to teaching and research,” face “poor” pay, conditions, and promotion prospects. This is something Evans is seeking to “reverse”.

When asked whether he is concerned about coming up against well-renowned names in the elections, Evans replied: “I’m sure the University will have found a candidate who is very distinguished and very famous, but they won’t necessarily know what the problems of Cambridge University are at the moment.”

The Chancellor is the University’s formal and ceremonial head. The current Chancellor is David Sainsbury, formerly known as Lord Sainsbury of Turville.

Sainsbury was elected the Chancellor of the University by the Senate in October 2011, and was ceremonially installed as Chancellor in the Senate-House in March 2012.

The elected candidate will partake in public-facing activities, fundraising, and in providing advice to senior members of the University.

However, the Chancellor does not exercise executive authority and is typically seen as a symbolic position. When asked about the Chancellor’s purpose Miller agreed that the role is “traditionally ceremonial,” but added that “it can and should be much more”. “Symbolism, when wielded with authenticity and courage, is not superficial,” she said.

She continued: “A Chancellor should use their profile, connections and networks to support strategic fundraising for scholarships, access initiatives, and frontier research addressing the world’s greatest challenge.”

Browne stated that he believed that non-executive roles are about “advice and counsel” as opposed to “running an organisation”, adding: “you are very often actually quite invisible in what you do”. At the same time he acknowledges the importance of “building relationships”, and the capacity to fundraise, as Chancellor.

He added that although he spent the first half of his career in “very senior executive positions,” the last 20 years in “non-executive positions” has prepared him for the role of Chancellor.

El-Erian seemed to disagree with the ceremonial nature of the role. “I’m not running for the prestige and I’m not running for the ceremonial aspects,” said El-Erian, adding that if elected, he would be “an engaged, inclusive Chancellor”.

This year marks the first time in the history of the University’s Chancellorship elections that voting can be conducted online. All candidates appeared happy with the change claiming that the online vote makes the process more democratic.

The deadline to register for online voting is 2 May 2025.