Lord Wakeham to stand down as Brunel University Chancellor

Lord Wakeham PC JP DL FCA Hon DUniv Hon PhD has announced that he will stand down as Chancellor of the University on 31 December 2012.

 

Appointed in 1998, Lord Wakeham has served the University during a period of immense change for both the higher education sector and Brunel. The University has been incredibly successful during Lord Wakeham’s tenure and it is anticipated that his association with Brunel will continue after his period of office has formally ended.
 
Jane Kelly, Chair of Council, led the vote of thanks to Lord Wakeham for his dedication, keen interest and unstinting support for the University and former Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Jenks thanked Lord Wakeham for his kindness, support and wise counsel. Vice-Chancellor Professor Julia Buckingham added: “We are hugely indebted to Lord Wakeham for his service and for the unfailing commitment he has demonstrated to the University over many years as Chancellor.  He will be greatly missed by staff and students.”

Speaking about his time as Chancellor, Lord Wakeham said: “I have greatly enjoyed my time as Chancellor of Brunel and have watched with great pleasure and admiration its progress over the last 15 years. I am sure that Brunel will continue to move forwards as it forges new pathways into the future and I for one will still look on with great pride as it does so.”
 
The University will commence the search for Lord Wakeham’s successor in November and it is hoped that an announcement will be made in January 2013.
 
Biography
 
Lord Wakeham was educated at Charterhouse and undertook army military service until 1955. After a career as a chartered accountant and businessman and with more than 60 directorships to his name, he was elected to the House of Commons for Maldon, Essex in 1974 and was a Government minister from 1979 to 1994 with responsibilities that included Secretary of State for Energy, Leader of the House of Lords, Government Chief Whip and Leader of the House of Commons (in which role he was responsible for the first televising of Parliament).
 
Appointed a life peer in 1992, he went on to become Chairman of the Press Complaints Commission from 1995 to 2002 and Chairman of the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords 2000.
 
Since leaving Government, he has pursued new business and charitable interests including: