Sedwill for St Andrews

We’re an alumni-led network in support of Mark Sedwill’s candidacy to be the next Chancellor of St Andrews.

[Sedwill for St Andrews @sedwillstandrew]

A significant endorsement for @marksedwill from James Bond's former boss!

Sir Alex Younger is an alumnus of St Andrews and believes Mark has the right ambitions for our University and the qualities to realise them.

Voting is open but not for long. If you’re registered, please vote Mark as your first preference today and ask your friends and colleagues to consider doing the same.

[Sedwill for St Andrews @sedwillstandrew]

Support for @marksedwill is coming from across the St Andrews community, including students and alumni and academic staff.

This is a serious role in a pivotal decade for our University. Here’s why we're backing Mark as Chancellor.

Voting is open. If you’re registered, please take part. Check your emails (and spam folders).

[Sedwill for St Andrews @sedwillstandrew]

A notable endorsement from General Petraeus.

St Andrews is a global university. The Chancellor is an ambassadorial role, representing the University credibly at home and overseas. Endorsements like this underline the international respect @marksedwill commands.

Voting is open. If you're registered, please take part and consider ranking Mark highly.

More info here: https://t.co/aXSC88at4I

[Sedwill for St Andrews @sedwillstandrew]

@ks_mcgregor 👏👏

[Sedwill for St Andrews @sedwillstandrew]

Voting for the next Chancellor of the University of St Andrews is now open and runs until Sunday 22 February.

If you registered to vote, please check your inbox for the official voting link and vote today.

We’re backing @marksedwill as our first preference because St Andrews needs a serious national voice as Chancellor in a pivotal decade. Please consider ranking Mark highly.

If you have a moment, message three or four fellow St Andreans who may be registered and remind them to vote.

More information at https://t.co/M8vq2op2tB

[Mark Sedwill @marksedwill]

As voting opens today for the next Chancellor of the University of St Andrews, it is truly an honour to be considered for this role.

St Andrews transformed my life. I arrived here as a state-educated, first-in-family student and found a place of demanding teaching, strong values, broad horizons and a close community. It gave me confidence and judgement that shaped everything that followed.

I am standing because I believe the University is entering a demanding decade. Funding pressures are real. Global competition is intense. Technology and AI are reshaping how we teach and learn. Academic freedom and serious scholarship require active defence in a noisier public climate.

The Chancellor doesn’t run the University. That responsibility rightly rests with the Principal and her team. But the Chancellor can make a difference by representing St Andrews credibly at home and overseas, strengthening alumni bonds across generations, supporting long-term fundraising and partnerships, and being a clear public voice for academic freedom and freedom of speech.

It’s also, I realise, the first time I have stood for election since becoming President of the St Andrews Athletic Union all those years ago. And I‘ve enjoyed every moment of the opportunity to engage across the St Andrews community. I am deeply honoured by the support and encouragement from alumni, students and academic colleagues.

Voting runs from today until Sunday. If you registered to vote, please do take part. I hope I have earned your vote.

Thank you again to everyone who has supported me. If asked to serve, I will do so with energy, enthusiasm and commitment.

[Mark Sedwill @marksedwill]

3 priorities for St Andrews.

#EverToExcel

[Sedwill for St Andrews @sedwillstandrew]

The next Chancellor needs to be a serious national figure capable of defending academic freedom and free enquiry.

We’re pleased that the Alumni for Free Speech agree that Mark Sedwill is well suited to that role and have endorsed his candidacy 👇

https://t.co/UcMhU7CThg

[Alumni for Free Speech @AFFSUK]

🚨St Andrews alumni: this Chancellorship election matters. You can vote in the upcoming contest to support candidates who stand for the protection of #freespeech.

Alumni for Free Speech (AFFS) has written to all candidates, asking clear questions about academic freedom, compelled speech, and institutional neutrality.

On the basis of their responses, AFFS and the Free @SpeechUnion jointly recommend:

✅ Lord Mark Sedwill
✅ Lady Alex Walmsley

Voting is open 16–22 February — don’t leave it until the last minute.

Read our full statement (including candidate responses and voting guidance):

https://t.co/qvHSm6SWWL

[Mark Sedwill @marksedwill]

Grateful to @thetimes for the opportunity to set out why universities, especially St Andrews, are a strategic national asset 👇

https://t.co/fpWQU2mgxc

[Sedwill for St Andrews @sedwillstandrew]

Voting for the next Chancellor of the University of St Andrews opens on Monday 16 February and runs until 22 February.

We’re backing @marksedwill as our first preference because St Andrews is entering a pivotal decade and needs a serious national voice as Chancellor. Mark brings exceptional experience, global credibility and a clear commitment to serving the University as an ambassador and advocate.

If you're registered to vote, please look out for the official voting link in your emails and vote on Monday. If you support Mark, please share this graphic and send it to a few fellow St Andreans who may be eligible.

[Mark Sedwill @marksedwill]

St Andrews transformed my life.

If I can help ensure future generations of students have the same opportunity as I did, I offer my service.

#EverToExcel

[Mark Sedwill @marksedwill]

Thank you for your support, James. Your family has been associated with the University for generations and your own commitment remains steadfast.

Honoured to have your endorsement.

[Sedwill for St Andrews @sedwillstandrew]

Mark Sedwill brings the stature and experience to represent the University of St Andrews credibly with government, partners and institutions around the world.

Consider joining us in supporting him as Chancellor: https://t.co/05iv61vxBh

[Sedwill for St Andrews @sedwillstandrew]

A message to fellow St Andreans.

Students, staff and alumni on why they are backing @marksedwill for Chancellor.

[Mark Sedwill @marksedwill]

5 things you might not know about my life and connection to St Andrews #evertoexcel #standrews

[Sedwill for St Andrews @sedwillstandrew]

A significant endorsement this morning for @marksedwill from James Younger, Viscount Younger of Leckie.

Mark Sedwill is a serious national figure with the experience and reach to serve St Andrews as Chancellor.

[Sedwill for St Andrews @sedwillstandrew]

A message of support for @marksedwill from Sir Hew Strachan, Professor of International Relations at St Andrews.

[Mark Sedwill @marksedwill]

Spent time with students in St Andrews this week. Their concerns are quite different from mine in the 80s.

Career prospects, AI changing work and learning, cost of living, climate and wider instability. But there’s still a strong drive to succeed.

If asked to serve as Chancellor, I’ll back high quality learning and support students into the wider world.