Salisbury Cathedral has announced the appointment of Rob Allan as Head of Finance.

Rob is currently the Director of Finance at Bournemouth University. He joined the University's predecessor, the Dorset Institute of Higher Education, as Chief Accountant in 1988 and helped to prepare it for independent financial status as it left County Council control in 1989.

At that time it had around 3,500 students: it now welcomes some 16,000 students from 120 countries around the world.

Before moving into higher education Rob, a politics graduate of Oxford University and chartered accountant, was a partner in a Dorset and Wiltshire-based firm of accountants that subsequently merged with a national firm.

Rob is married to Valerie and has two children, now in their early twenties and safely living away from the family home in Bournemouth.

For many years he played the organ in his home church in Bournemouth - but only learned any music theory after joining the newly-formed University choir in 1996.

He perceives that many of the issues facing the Cathedral in terms of financial management are similar to those facing the University and Rob is greatly looking forward to joining the team at the Cathedral to assist in carrying forward the Cathedral's ambitious plans.

He has been overwhelmed with the welcome he has received before he even starts in April and is looking forward to meeting everyone then.