According to a statement from the NUS released today, “after careful consideration Ben Kernighan has decided that he does not wish to continue in his position as Chief Executive of NUS and has now left the organisation”.
The NUS statement, released on 16 May, gave no further clues as to why Mr Kernighan, who started at the NUS on 8 July 2013, had left, but adds: “Ben successfully led a complex process of bringing together the disparate parts of the group under one new set of terms and conditions.
“He led the organisation to a number of policy successes around higher and further education funding and regulation as well as wider policy wins including winning concessions to the Lobbying Act.
“The organisation is grateful for Ben’s contribution and would like to take this opportunity to thank him and to wish him every success in the future,” it concludes.