Neil Mendoza took up his post as Provost of Oriel at the beginning of September 2018.
An alumnus of the College (Geography, 1978), Neil has a breadth of experience spanning the commercial, charitable and public sectors.
An entrepreneur, early in his career Neil founded and ran a pioneering publishing company, Forward, that was eventually sold to marketing group, WPP. Since then, Neil has explored his many different interests, maintaining a keen focus on the arts, culture and heritage.
Neil serves as Chair of The Landmark Trust, a UK charity dedicated to saving buildings of historical importance. He also chairs The Illuminated River Foundation, a large art commission project to light London’s bridges. He is Vice-chair of the Soho Theatre in London, which aims to encourage new writing. Neil is also a director of Meira GTx, a gene therapy company with research facilities in New York and manufacturing facilities in London.
Neil is a non-executive director of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. He led two government reviews in 2017 - The Mendoza Review of museums in England and a review for the Cabinet Office covering the national museums. Additional government appointments include being a Commissioner of Historic England and a member of the review panel looking into the sustainability of English churches and cathedrals.
Previously, Neil has served as Chair of Children and the Arts, a nationwide charity dedicated to using cultural work to help children in disadvantaged communities and hospices. He was also a trustee of the Shakespeare Schools Festival, a theatre charity working with thousands of children across the UK, and has twice been on the judging panel for the Laurence Olivier Awards.