Brunel University has appointed Mr Nazir Afzal OBE to be its next Pro Chancellor.
Mr Afzal, who will succeed Lord Lingfield from 1 July 2013, is currently a member of the University’s Council and is a Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service. He is, or has been, the national lead on several legal and policy issues including Violence against Women and Girls, Child Sexual Abuse, Anti-Social Behaviour, Honour Based Violence, Forced Marriage and Stalking. He joined the Crown Prosecution Service in 1991, following a career as a solicitor, and held positions of Director and Community Liaison Director between 2007 and 2011.
Mr Afzal is also a legal advisor for BBC and ITV dramas, a member of the FA Disciplinary panel and remains the only advocate to have ever prosecuted a case before HM Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Lord Chief Justice, The Master of the Rolls and The Vice Chancellor at Royal Courts of Justice.
Chair of Council, Jane Kelly, said, “I am delighted he has agreed to enhance his connection with the University in this important role. As a member of Council he has demonstrated a keen interest in higher education and in the future of Brunel University and its students.”
Deputy Chair of Council, David Finlayson, added “Nazir Afzal is a great appointment for Brunel. His work in the Crown Prosecution Service has attracted much appreciative comment in the media, and he has regularly been featured in TV and press interviews on a range of high profile cases. His career progression provides a great role model for our students and a real demonstration of how you can make a difference in society.”
Vice Chancellor, Professor Julia Buckingham, welcomed the appointment “Nazir Afzal has been a great asset to the University as a member of Council and I am delighted to now be working with him as our Pro Chancellor. He will be an inspirational figure for the students and staff of the University.”
Mr Afzal has been appointed for an initial period of four years and follows the appointment, in April, of Sir Richard Sykes as Chancellor.