A new Provost and CEO is set to take over at The University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNMC).

Professor Graham Kendall will lead the campus, the first British University to set up in Malaysia, from August 2016.

Professor Kendall is a Professor of Computer Science and currently Vice-Provost (Research and Knowledge Transfer) at UNMC.

Since his appointment in Malaysia in 2011 he has been responsible for developing and delivering the strategic aims of the University in the areas of Research and Knowledge Exchange. His period of office saw a step change in the volume and quality of research, resulting in a five-star rating in the Malaysian research assessment exercise – MyRA.

He is also the Chief Executive Officer of MyResearch Sdn Bhd. This company has MIDA R&D status, enabling companies to invest in Research and Development in a tax efficient way.

He succeeds Professor Christine Ennew who is taking up a new role as Deputy Vice Chancellor and Provost at Warwick University.

Professor Ennew was instrumental in setting up The University of Nottingham’s Malaysia Campus 16 years-ago and has been at the helm as CEO and Provost since 2013. During her time as Provost and CEO, Professor Ennew has led on the development and implementation of Strategic Road Map to guide all aspects of the campus’s development through to 2020.

Her period of office has seen a significant growth in research performance, the development of innovative off-shore programmes and a restructuring of a number of organisational functions to support UNMC’s ambitious strategy as “Britain’s Global University in Malaysia”.

She said:  “I am delighted that Professor Kendall will be taking on this key role at UNMC. He has vast experience of Malaysia as well as the UK campus and has supported me immensely during my tenure. I know that under his leadership UNMC will continue to flourish and develop to its full potential.”

Professor Kendall said: “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity and I am looking forward to building on Christine’s hard work and leading the next phase of expansion in both our teaching and research activities.”

Professor Sir David Greenaway, Vice Chancellor at The University of Nottingham, said: “We had a hugely impressive short list for this role, which testifies to the current standing of UNMC, and its future potential. Professor Kendall has the vision and experience to ensure that potential is realised, and I look forward to working with him in his new leadership role.”