William Arthur Brown, CBE (22 April 1945 – 1 August 2019[1]), also known as Willie Brown, was an academic specialising in the field of industrial relations,[2] who served as Master of Darwin College, Cambridge.
[3] After attending Leeds Grammar School and graduating from Wadham College, Oxford, Brown worked at the National Board for Prices and Incomes as an economic assistant.
[4] In 1985 Brown was elected as a Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge[5] and also became the fourth Montague Burton Professor of Industrial Relations at the University of Cambridge,[6] a position he held until 2012 when he was awarded the status of emeritus professor.
[8] He announced his retirement from the post of Master and was succeeded by Professor Mary Fowler in October 2012.
Brown's research was concerned with workplace bargaining, pay determination, and the effect of legal change and outside intervention on labour relations.