Will's grandfather was a miner who worked in the Staffordshire coal field and Will was the first of his extended family to have the opportunity to attend University. He gained his degree from the University of Warwick, also studied at Georgetown University in Washington DC and gained professional qualifications through the University of Teeside.
Before moving into Higher Education, Will pursued a commercial career in ICI, Zeneca and AstraZeneca, working in a number of businesses and functions in both the UK and USA. This culminated in him establishing a Business Services organisation providing HR, Finance, Purchasing, Communications, SHE, Facilities Management and Site Services to all AstraZeneca's UK sites. From 2001-2007, he also acted as Site Manager at AstraZeneca's largest R&D site globally, Alderley Park in Cheshire.
Will moved into Higher Education in 2007, as the Chief Operating Officer at Loughborough University, subsequently moving to the University of Manchester as Registrar, Secretary and Chief Operating Officer in 2011. In this position he led all of the Professional Services for the University and acted as Secretary to the Board of Governors and the Senate. He retired from his executive career in 2018.
In his subsequent portfolio career, Will is a Non-Executive Director of the Universities Superannuation Scheme Limited, one of the UK's largest pension funds, where he also chairs the Remuneration Committee. He acts as a Chair and Trustee Director of some North-West based charities and continues to provide independent advice to a number of organisations associated with Higher Education.
Will holds a number of honorary positions and is a professionally accredited pension fund trustee through the Pensions Management Institute and is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Will lives in Cheshire.