University of Nottingham Ningbo Campus (UNNC) Provost Professor Chris Rudd will leave the University on 31 January 2019 to take up a new role in Singapore as Deputy Vice Chancellor and Head of Campus (Singapore) with James Cook University.

Professor Rudd has secured many achievements for our Ningbo campus and will be missed by his many friends and colleagues at the University and in the city of Ningbo.

The University will instigate a global recruitment competition in January to secure a new Provost for the University of Nottingham Ningbo Campus. In the interim Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement and former Ningbo Provost, Professor Nick Miles, will oversee operations from 1 February 2019 and ensure a smooth transition for the next Provost once appointed.

The Vice-Chancellor paid tribute to Professor Rudd, saying:

“As Provost of UNNC, Professor Rudd has introduced new resources and led a series of transformational projects which have delivered success and growth to our Ningbo operation. Professor Rudd’s long career at Nottingham has been marked by many achievements as a research and organisational leader: restructuring the Engineering faculty, steering the £200 million Impact campaign and driving growth in our industry partnerships and commercialisation portfolio. I would like to thank him for his considerable contribution to the University and wish him every future success.”

Professor Rudd said:

“I would like to express my enormous gratitude to the UNNC community for the support and commitment that you have shown as we worked together these past years. The University has grown in every sense of the word and the very considerable successes of the past three years are something that we can take collective pride in. I hope that you will continue to support this amazing institution with the same commitment and passion as UNNC moves forward into a new era.”

As the driving force behind Nottingham’s business partnerships in China, Professor Rudd established the Asia Business Centre, China’s first Confucius Institute branch and served two terms as Board Director of the China Britain Business Council.

Professor Rudd was made OBE in the 2018 New Year’s Honours list and received the Changbaishan Provincial Award from Jilin in 2013 and the West Lake Award from the Zhejiang provincial government in 2018.

As the University starts to develop its new strategy, the Vice-Chancellor has also made a number of changes to the Joint Venture Board that oversees the strategic direction of the Ningbo campus to support a fresh and ambitious examination of the opportunities for expansion, growth and future success in China.

The Vice-Chancellor has asked that Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Andy Long and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Science Professor Kevin Shakesheff join the Joint Venture Board.

Professor Long’s focus on our University Strategy and his role as Deputy Vice-Chancellor will ensure that our discussions on the growth of our presence in China will have the highest prominence in our strategic considerations.

Professor Shakesheff’s extensive experience in Science combined with Professor Long’s expertise in Engineering and industry align well with the research focus on the Ningbo campus and the significant opportunities available in these academic and industrial fields in China.

These changes will take effect for the Chinese New Year and demonstrate the University’s commitment to our Ningbo campus and to exploring the many opportunities for its continued growth and success.