Deputy Principal and Vice-Principal (International Strategy and External Relations)

Responsibilities of the Deputy Principal and Vice-Principal (International Strategy and External Relations):

• deputises for the Principal and Vice-Chancellor within and outwith the University as required
• oversight of the University space and asset management strategy
• development of the University's international teaching and research strategy
• relations with government ministers, policy makers and higher education sector bodies
• line management responsibility for the Admissions Unit, Academic Registry, Careers Unit, Development Office, and the Global Office
• Chairs the University’s Admissions, International, and Space and Asset Management Committees, and is a member of Academic Senate and the University Court

Brad MacKay is Professor of Strategy in the University of St Andrews Business School. From 1 May 2023 until 1 September 2024, he served as the founding Dean of the Business School, providing academic and strategic leadership across teaching, research and external engagement.

Professor MacKay plays an active leadership role in the UK higher education (HE) sector. He is currently Chair of the Board for the Scottish Council on Global Affairs (SCGA), he sits on several international advisory boards in HE globally, and he is formerly Co-Lead for the Universities UK International (UUKi) Pro-Vice-Chancellor Network, Vice-Convenor of the Universities Scotland International Committee, and Chair of Connected Scotland, where he contributed to national and international policy, collaboration and engagement agendas across HE in Scotland and the UK.

Prior to joining the University of St Andrews, Professor MacKay held a Chair in Strategic Management at the University of Edinburgh Business School, where he undertook several senior leadership roles. These included Director of Engagement on the Executive Team (2014 to 2016), Head of the Strategy and International Business Group (2011 to 2014), and Director of the MBA Programmes (2009 to 2011).

He also held an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Senior Fellowship in the Future of the UK and Scotland programme from 2013 to 2014, where he was an authoritative voice on the implications of independence for business in the lead up to both the Scottish independence referendum in 2014 and the Brexit referendum in 2016. His work has been published in leading academic journals and covered in the world’s press.

Professor MacKay was educated in Canada and the UK. He holds a BA in International Development Studies from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada, and both an MLitt (with Distinction) in Management, Economics and Politics, and a PhD in Strategy from St Andrews.

He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).