John Kerr (Royal Navy officer)

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Admiral Sir John Kerr GCB, DL, (born 27 Oct. 1937) is a retired admiral in the Royal Navy. During his naval career he commanded a frigate, a guided missile destroyer and an aircraft carrier — HMS Illustrious. He was in charge of various task groups and was Chief of Defence Intelligence. Kerr's naval career culminated in his appointment as Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command and member of the Board of Admiralty. Kerr retired from the Navy in 1994 and became involved in the governance of Higher Education. He served on the Council and Court of Lancaster University, the Victoria University of Manchester between 1994 and 2004,and was a member of the Court of UMIST from 2000 until 2004. He was part of the small group that oversaw the merger of UMIST and the Victoria University, including chairing the committee that drafted the charter of the new University of Manchester and became the Pro-Chancellor from its inauguration in 2004.

In 1998 Kerr became Vice-Chairman of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and he is also a Commissioner of the Museums and Galleries. He also served as member of the national Independent Review of Higher Education Pay and Conditions in 1999.