Professor Dave Petley – Leading with ambition, kindness… and a little self-doubt

From Nottingham Business School Business Leaders · 46:26

Show by Nottingham Trent University

Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ PodcastEpisode 87Professor Dave Petley – Leading with ambition, kindness… and a little self-doubtWhat can studying landslides and earthquakes teach you about running a university?Quite a lot, according to Professor Dave Petley.The Vice-Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University is an international expert on natural disasters, whose research has taken him around the world investigating their devastating impact on communities.That experience has shaped his approach to leadership – helping him make difficult decisions under pressure and bring people together.Almost a year after arriving at NTU, he tells Episode 87 of the Nottingham Business School's Business Leaders’ Podcast about his ambitions to strengthen research, deepen local connections and raise the university's profile.But the man leading a university community of more than 40,000 students and staff also admits to something unexpected – he still suffers from imposter syndrome.“I so admire people who can walk into a room full of people they don't know and be completely relaxed,” he says.“That's something I always have to work at.”Professor Petley talks to NBS Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi about leadership under pressure – and why even successful leaders sometimes doubt themselves.PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS from Professor Dave Petley03.32 Why NTU's culture has impressed its new Vice-Chancellor.05.38 “Imposter syndrome has been… a part of my life.”06.48 Forty years in universities – from aeronautical engineering to landslides.11.33 NTU’s new five-year strategy built on “evolution, not revolution”.17.56 Why NTU's Mansfield campus represents higher education at its best. “It’s wonderful!”22.30 Academic freedom – defending the right of academics to criticise their own university. “It’s embedded in law…”27.14 The Landslide Blog: Why the Vice-Chancellor starts every day by making himself “think like an academic”. “I write very early in the morning... it frames everything else I do.”31.00 What international disasters and humanitarian crises can teach us about organisational leadership.37.31 Leadership philosophy – “Always have a core value about being kind.”39.51 The most important leadership advice Professor Petley has ever received: “Surround yourself… with brilliant people. Then give them permission to be brilliant.”42.08 Strengthening research, widening opportunity and building regional partnerships – Professor Petley’s ambitions for NTU.45.12 “NTU, for reasons I really admire, has been modest and has hidden its light under a bushel… this is such a fantastic institution that we’ve got to be a bit bolder and brassier.”INTRODUCTION to Professor Dave Petley• Professor Dave Petley became Vice-Chancellor and President of Nottingham Trent University in October 2025, succeeding Professor Edward Peck.• He began studying aeronautical engineering at the University of Manchester in the 1980s, before switching to geography at King's College London. He subsequently completed a PhD in Earth Science at University College London.• Professor Petley’s academic career began at the University of Sunderland. He later spent five years as a senior lecturer in Engineering Geology at the University of Portsmouth.• He moved to Durham University in 2000, where he established the Institute for Hazard, Risk and Resilience and became the inaugural Wilson Professor of Hazard and Risk.• In 2012, he became Dean of Research at Durham, where he also held the position of Dean of Global Engagement.• Professor Petley joined the University of East Anglia as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise.• Two years later he moved to the University of Sheffield as Vice-President for Research and Innovation, becoming Vice-President for Innovation in 2020.• He became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hull in September 2022, where he led developments in research, student experience and civic engagement.• Last year (2025) he was appointed to lead NTU, arriving in October to begin developing a new five-year university strategy.• During his career, Professor Petley’s scientific research has taken him around the world – including to the Himalayas, the Andes and New Zealand – studying landslides and working with communities affected by natural disasters.• He has written the influential Landslide Blog for nearly 19 years, publishing more than 2,000 posts that have attracted millions of views. He still writes two or three posts a week (usually between 6.30am and 7.30am!)• Away from work, he is a passionate and longstanding Coventry City supporter. He and his son go to every game – home and away!LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS from Professor Dave Petley1. Don't allow immediate problems to obscure long-term ambitions.“It's incredibly easy, in the here and now, to lose sight of what it is ultimately you're trying to achieve.”2. Stick to the principles that matter, even when they're uncomfortable.“Protecting freedom of speech and protecting academic freedom is…

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