Hugely influential in Scotland as leader of one of the ancient universities, and a member of the Scottish Funding Council, Anton Muscatelli is a shrewd operator and widely respected inside and outside the sector. He has experience with Westminster too, having been a special adviser on monetary policy to the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee and was recently a member of the influential Stern Review of the REF.
Widely liked among vice chancellors, Muscatelli was a strong advocate for Remain and has been a public commentator on the constitutional settlement for Scotland within the UK. He will have to use his political nous to navigate Brexit, renewed calls for Scottish independence and the policies of the SNP government in Holyrood which seem to keep universities perennially high up the political and policy agenda.