Robert Burgess, vice-chancellor of Leicester University, has taken over the chair of the Higher Education Academy. He succeeds Leslie Wagner, who has retired at the end of his three-year term of office.
Professor Burgess said: "I take over the chair as its mission becomes increasingly important to higher education, staff and students within the sector."
He added: "The student experience is increasingly coming under the spotlight through league tables and the National Student Survey, and universities need strategies that maximise the opportunities and benefits available for students at all stages of the learning process."