It’s an interesting time for the Manchester region with the waning of the Northern Powerhouse but with opportunities waxing as a cradle of devolved government. The University of Manchester is a big beast in its region, and nationally amongst universities.
As the co-chair of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science & Technology, Nancy Rothwell has had significant high-level access alongside her institutional role. She’s an accomplished academic and well respected – also far more visible in public than the majority of university leaders with appearances on popular programmes such as Desert Island Discs. If Rothwell were to turn more attention to sector politics and policy, it’s likely that she’d rise up this list quickly.