Metropolitan lines

Fiona McIntyre speaks to the vice-chancellor of Cardiff Met

For Cara Aitchison, vice-chancellor of Cardiff Metropolitan University, the job of a university leader is all about playing the long game.

Much like the Victorians—who planted tiny saplings in grand public gardens, knowing they would never get to see them as mature trees in their lifetimes—vice-chancellors have to look at the “long horizon” when it comes to making the best decisions for their institution, she says.