The Master of Gonville and Caius College has announced that he will be stepping down from the post at the end of the next academic year.

Sir Christopher Hum is the first non-Caian to be elected to be Master since the 17th century, and is the 41st Master of the College.

Sir Christopher announced to the Fellows and students of the College that he will step down at the end of September 2012, adding: “By then I shall have been in office for almost seven years, and I believe that will be a good time to move on.”

On hearing the news, Joe Robertson, a first year undergraduate at Caius College, said: "He was an excellent figurehead for the College and I really enjoyed all his talks in the Master's Lodge. He was a sweet guy but what I'll miss the most is his incredible eyebrows!"

Although he was not an undergraduate at Caius itself, Sir Christopher is by no means a stranger to Cambridge life. As a Foundation Scholar at Pembroke College, he achieved First Class Honours in the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos. He was also made an Honorary Fellow of Pembroke in 2004.

Of his time as Master, he remarked: “I shall look back with much happiness and satisfaction on my period of association with Caius College and with the University. Both have made me very welcome, and I can’t think of a more lively environment in which to live and work.”

Sir Christopher became Caius’ Master in 2006, after nearly 40 years with the Diplomatic Service, culminating in nearly four years as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China.

On his appointment, while aware that the Master has no executive authority, he felt he brought to the role “some understanding of academic endeavour and a great respect for it”, with a priority to maintain the highest possible academic standards and to help the College increase its access schemes, to “tap into the broadest possible pool of talent.”