Obituary: Antony (Tony) John Chapman OBE 1947-2022

Tony Chapman was a pupil of Milford Haven Grammar School and Bexley Grammar School and returned to Wales in 1998 for the position of Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff Metropolitan University (formerly UWIC), which had achieved University status in 1996.

Before then, he had been a senior lecturer in Applied Psychology in UWIST (now Cardiff University) before joining Leeds University in 1983 as Professor of Psychology and Head of Department.

Later, he was Leeds University's Dean of Science, then Pro-Vice-Chancellor, and finally Visiting Professor. Whilst at Leeds, Tony also became a founding Director of Sound Alert Ltd., now Sound Alert Technology plc, a spin-off from his department. The company won the Prince of Wales Award for Innovation in 1997 and the Lloyds Safer Ship Award in 2003.

As an undergraduate, he studied Mathematics and Psychology, together with Economics and Sociology, at the University of Leicester. He graduated with a BSc in 1968. He stayed on to undertake a PhD in Psychology, where his research centred on the psychology of children's humour; and later, on children's friendships and social interactions. 

Tony was a distinguished academic respected for his lifelong passion and interest in Psychology, his achievements recognised in various Fellowships and Honorary Doctorates. With others, he published widely in developmental, social and applied psychology. For six years, he was the editor of the British Journal of Psychology.

Tony was elected Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 1978, became the President in 1988 and, in recognition of his 'research and leadership' and his significant contributions to the development of psychology, Honorary Fellow in 1999. He was a Fellow in the UK Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) – one of 60 founding Academicians – elected for his 'exceptional, distinguished and substantial contributions to the Social Sciences'. These included serving as President of the Psychology Section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and many other Chair and Board member roles.

Tony was a member of the Council of the Parliamentary University Group, the Council of CBI Wales, the Advisory Board of Cardiff Business Council, and the Board of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). He was a Member of the Board of the Higher Education Academy and chaired its Academic Council. He chaired the QAA's Access Recognition and Licensing Committee, chaired the QAA-Wales Committee, and was a member of the QAA Student Advisory Board. He also chaired Singapore's Academic Accreditation Committee for its Association of Private Schools and Colleges.

Within UUK he was a member of the International and EU Policy Committee and he was a member of the UUK Board, its Longer-Term Strategy Group, Finance and Resources Strategy Group, and Business and Industry Sector Strategy Group. He was a Vice-President of Cardiff Business Club; a fellow of the Institute of Welsh Affairs; a Fellow of the Institute of Directors; and a Member of the Athenaeum Club.

During his 18 years as Vice-Chancellor at what became Cardiff Metropolitan University, Tony directed the University to achieve some key milestones, including a ranking as the top Post-92 University for research quality in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework assessment. He transformed the fabric of the University with bold decisions. During his tenure, there were significant advances in learning and teaching, enterprise, research and internationalisation. Overall, Tony provided clarity and focus on the key academic priorities, embodying the maxim of the University 'the most valuable possession is knowledge'. He was awarded an OBE in 2017 for his services to Higher Education.

Upon his retirement in 2016, Tony left behind him an autonomous strong, vibrant and diverse University with global reach and high aspirations. His contribution was judged by a former Governor and Member of the House of Lords as being 'immense, taking Cardiff Met on a significant and highly successful journey, from a small modest institution to a much larger, modern university with an excellent growing reputation'.

Tony is remembered by those who worked alongside him as someone with sharp intellect; someone who was exceptionally insightful, carefully strategic and incredibly thoughtful. Most importantly though, he is remembered as someone who was kind and who cared profoundly for his colleagues. His sense of humour is remembered by all, as well as the way he believed in his colleagues and encouraged them to excel beyond what they thought they were capable of. Although Tony was dedicated to his work and professional life, those who knew Tony know that he viewed his family as his greatest achievement. He leaves his wife Siriol and his four children, David, Luke, Harriet and Madeleine.

From the family
With input from Andrew Walker,
Development Director at Resource Ltd.

Find Andrew's full tribute here.