Professor Wendy Loretto announced as new Head of the Adam Smith Business School
Published: 23 February 2026
Professor Wendy Loretto has been appointed as the new Head of the University of Glasgow's Adam Smith Business School.
Professor Wendy Loretto has been appointed as the new Head of the University of Glasgow's Adam Smith Business School.
She joins the University of Glasgow from University of Edinburgh Business School where she is a Professor of Organisational Behaviour, and a former Dean of the School.
Professor Loretto will start her role on 20 April.
Before becoming Dean in 2017, Professor Loretto previously held several leadership roles at the University of Edinburgh Business School, including Deputy Dean, Director of Research, REF Director and Director of Undergraduate Programmes. Her main research field is age and employment, with a particular focus on mid-later life working.
She is especially interested in the ways in which gender, age and health interact to affect work and retirement experiences amongst mid-later life workers across Europe. Her research has received funding from research councils, industry partners, government and EU and is published widely in leading academic journals. She is passionate about the practical application of research, and is currently developing AI-led solutions to support healthy ageing within the workplace.
Professor Loretto is Chair of AMBA (Association of MBAs) and BGA (Business Graduates Association). She currently sits on the Board of the Society for the Advancement of Management Studies and is Co-convenor, University of Edinburgh Gender Equality Committee and a member of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. In addition, she is Associate Editor of Employee Relations and External Advisor to King's Business School and Corvinus University, and an Honorary Professor at University of St Andrews. She holds a PhD from the University of Edinburgh.
Professor Loretto said: "It’s an honour and privilege to be taking on this role. While we are all aware of the current challenging environment for Higher Education, I welcome the ambition and energy of Adam Smith Business School, and am excited to enhance its global visibility and recognition and to help realise the full potential of the collective talent of colleagues within it."
Professor Sara Carter, Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Social Sciences said: "We are very much looking forward to Professor Wendy Loretto joining us as Head of our acclaimed Adam Smith Business School. Professor Loretto brings a wealth of experience to the role, and we are confident that she will play an instrumental role in building the School’s global reputation and rankings."
The University of Glasgow Adam Smith Business School is named after Adam Smith, one of the University’s most famous alumni and the founding father of modern Economics. The Business School has the triple crown of accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) and the Association of MBAs (AMBA).
First published: 23 February 2026