A Finance director with over two decades of experience in higher education has been appointed to Keele University’s senior leadership team.

Pascale Vermassen has joined Keele as its new Chief Financial Officer, and said she was "delighted" to be joining the University. Ms Vermassen joins Keele from Staffordshire University, where she is currently the Director of Financial Reporting and Planning.

She also previously worked at the University of Nottingham where she was Head of Commercial Finance, working with university executives to grow and enhance the University's finances, as well as working closely with overseas campuses in Malaysia and China.

A graduate of Ghent University in Belgium, she is also a qualified Chartered Certified accountant and worked for a number of commercial companies in different industries before joining the higher education sector.

Ms Vermassen said: "I am delighted to have the opportunity to join Keele University and look forward to working with the Senior Leadership team whilst also providing leadership and support to the Finance team. I genuinely look forward to contributing to the University's ambitions whilst staying true to its mission."

Professor Trevor McMillan OBE, Vice-Chancellor at Keele University, added: "Ms Vermassen's decades of experience in both the higher education and commercial sectors make her the perfect person to help Keele realise its ambitions, and I am delighted to welcome her to the University as our new Chief Financial Officer."