Support our Nation today - please donate here
News

Cardiff University cuts guru criticised senior colleagues in pub rant

13 May 2025 3 minute read
Dr David Langley

Martin Shipton

One of the architects of the controversial job cuts plan at Cardiff University has been overheard loudly slagging off fellow members of the university’s executive board in a pub.

Dr David Langley is employed as the university’s chief transformation officer. He describes himself as both a “disruptive innovator” and a “polymath”, and has worked closely with Vice Chancellor Wendy Larner in devising changes which placed more than 1300 academics at risk of redundancy.

Originally the plan was to cut 400 jobs and close down five of the university’s Schools including Nursing and Music.

Backed down

Members of the University and College Union voted heavily in favour of a programme of industrial action that included strikes and a student assessment boycott. The university has now backed down from its threat to impose compulsory redundancies in 2025.

On the evening of Thursday May 8, at around 6pm, Dr Langley was in the Pen and Wig pub near the university, talking in a loud voice and criticising other members of the University Executive Board, which has been instrumental in pushing the cuts agenda.

His comments included talking about the ability of the College Pro Vice Chancellors to performance manage and the chief financial officer to give accurate figures.

A Cardiff University staff member who did not want to be identified said: “Jaws were dropping all over the pub as people noticed ‘the transformation guy’ shouting his mouth off. It was incredibly indiscreet, naive and unprofessional to carry on sensitive work conversations in a loud voice in a pub that is regularly used by Cardiff University staff.”

Recently Nation.Cymru reported how Dr Langley had warned that the cuts programme could “break” the university.

In a webinar viewed by staff, he said the current transformation programme risks “breaking a lot of things at once”.

He told them that “risk is inherent”, but that they should be excited about the changes underway.

The transformation programme, he said, was “huge” and “exciting”.

‘Discombobulated’

Asked whether “ordinary staff” shared Dr Langley’s sense of “excitement”, Professor Larner admitted that recent changes meant the university was “discombobulated”.

She added: “I absolutely know that it is a hugely challenging time for our university … I really, genuinely do know how challenging this is for everyone, whether you are in scope [for redundancy] or not in scope. You know, the university is discombobulated. I do understand that we can’t stay discombobulated.”

Dr Langley is on a two-year contract which expires in April 2026. He is listed as a consultant by the Higher Education consultancy Invisible Grail which claims on its website to “create experiential and imaginative approaches to professional development in universities: workshops, development programmes and coaching for Higher Education leaders” and that it is “here to support people to lead with courage and humanity. To choose new ways to connect and collaborate. To bring out the best in one another and our institutions, and build a better world.”

A section about Dr Langley on Invisible Grail’s website is headlined “Disruptive Innovator”. It states: “David considers himself an experienced polymath having worked in leadership roles at globally leading organisations where his focus has been research, innovation and knowledge exchange.”

Cardiff University was invited to comment, but did not do so.


Support our Nation today

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

7 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
harrisR
harrisR
28 days ago

Wales’ very own episode of “The Thick of it”? The Dr Stewart Pearson PhD Tory character – Director of Communications!

PhD in “Disruptiveness and small tremors”

Brian
Brian
28 days ago

The lunatics have taken over the assulum

Susan
Susan
28 days ago

Higher Education did this to themselves, they deserve all that’s coming to them.

Rhufawn Jones
Rhufawn Jones
28 days ago

If you describe yourself as a polymath, I suspect you’re probably not.

Last edited 28 days ago by Rhufawn Jones
John
John
28 days ago

Resign.

KaliMorgan
KaliMorgan
27 days ago

I recently heard, in passing, about a rather striking case of nepotism in a relatively recent hiring decision-reportedly with the full backing of the university establishment. I’d be interested to know whether this sort of issue ever comes up for top management discussions at pen and wig as well.

JME
JME
27 days ago
Reply to  KaliMorgan

It seems that a few journalists are looking into this particular case,or so I gather. Looking forward to reading their reports.Apparently, Cardiff University hasn’t been cooperative at all with them.There have even been some subtle threats,from what I’ve heard.

Our Supporters

All information provided to Nation.Cymru will be handled sensitively and within the boundaries of the Data Protection Act 2018.