Professor Cheryl de la Rey has been the vice-chancellor of University of Canterbury since February 2019.
 
Prior to moving to New Zealand, Professor de la Rey was vice-chancellor and principal of South Africa’s largest research university, University of Pretoria. She has 18 years of experience as an executive in higher education.
 
After an academic career in South Africa’s university sector, she took up her first executive role as executive director of the National Research Foundation. Later, she was appointed deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town and was CEO of the Council on Higher Education.