Director of Careers and Employability Dr Nalayini Thambar has been appointed as Director of the University’s Getting in Shape programme to provide senior leadership and direction for its activities across the institution.

Working in close partnership with academic and professional service colleagues, Getting in Shape: investing in our future  is a five-year programme to improve University processes, reduce complexity and generate further investment for our teaching, research, staff and students.

The programme started work in October 2019 and has already generated more than £3 million in savings from central printing, purchasing and service contracts to reinvest in teaching and research. Work is also underway to improve the University’s travel booking systems to make them cheaper, easier to use and better able to support environmental commitments.

From next month, Getting in Shape will support teams in faculties, schools and professional service areas to identify their priorities for improving contracts, services and processes across the institution.

Professor Sam Kingman, UEB sponsor for the programme said “I am very pleased that Nalayini is joining the team, the programme has made good progress and is poised to accelerate its benefits to all parts of the University. I look forward to working with Nalayini to make the University of Nottingham an even better place to work and learn.”

Nalayini said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to the continuing success of the University of Nottingham in this role. Following the successful development of the University’s Careers and Employability activity and outcomes, I look forward to working with the Getting in Shape team and colleagues across the institution to reduce unnecessary complexity, realise the benefits of collaborative working and optimise our skills, expertise, experience, time and resources to support our collective ambitions. “

She will continue to provide overall leadership for the careers and employability agenda at the University, while the Careers and Employability Service management team continue to sustain the development and delivery of sector-leading services for our students and graduates.

Nalayini is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a qualified careers adviser, whose career has encompassed teaching, professional practice, project management and leadership across all areas of student employability.

Prior to joining the University of Nottingham, she was Assistant Director at the University of Leeds Careers Centre, responsible for business engagement and established and led a graduate retention project across the 10 universities in Yorkshire.

Following significant expansion of Nottingham’s UK Careers and Employability Service in 2013, Nalayini established the delivery of expert services to students within Faculties and Schools, and the development of non-clinical placement activity across the UK campus.

As Director of Quality for the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS), Nalayini has introduced the first ever sector-owned professional standards and quality assurance process for careers and employability activity across UK higher education.