Lord Bilimoria to Lead Birmingham University, Honored by Exeter

Added by Indo American News on August 7, 2014.
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Lord Karan Billimoria at his installation as Chancellor of the University of Birmingham. From left: Vice Chancellor Professor Sir David Eastwood; Mrs. Yasmin Bilimoria, Lord Karan Billimoria, Lady Bilimoria and Pro-Chancellor Ed Smith CBE.

Lord Karan Billimoria at his installation as Chancellor of the University of Birmingham. From left: Vice Chancellor Professor Sir David Eastwood; Mrs. Yasmin Bilimoria, Lord Karan Billimoria, Lady Bilimoria and Pro-Chancellor Ed Smith CBE.

Complied From Press Releases

 LONDON: The Indian-born founder of Cobra Beer received honors last month from two separate universities in the UK.

Lord Karan Bilimoria of Chelsea, CBE, DL was installed as the seventh Chancellor of the University of Birmingham on July 17, after the previous Chancellor, Sir Dominic Cadbury stepped down last December after 11 years at the helm. He is the first Indian born chancellor of a Russell Group university.

The Chancellor as the ceremonial figurehead, working with the Vice-Chancellor and the Pro-Chancellor to raise the University’s profile and advance its interests. “The University of Birmingham has an illustrious history dating back to its foundation by Joseph Chamberlain in 1900.” said Lord Bilimoria. “It is also the University where my mother, my uncle and my maternal grandfather studied. I am delighted to have the opportunity to take on such a prominent role at the University that has not only been named The Times and The Sunday Times University of the Year 2013–14, but is genuinely going from strength to strength.”

The plaque of all previous University of Birmingham Chancellors, which include the Rt. Hon Joseph Chamberlain. 

The plaque of all previous University of Birmingham Chancellors, which include the Rt. Hon Joseph Chamberlain. 

Two days earlier, Lord Bilimoria was awarded an honorary doctorate by Exeter University in recognition of his contribution to both British enterprise and public life.  The ceremony, which took place in the Great Hall of the University’s Streatham Campus, saw a total of 14 honorary degrees awarded, with other notable recipients including Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Director of the Stephen Lawrence Trust and Sigrid Kaag, Special Coordinator with the United Nations.

Lord Bilimoria’s career has seen extensive involvement in Higher Education. In 2005 he become the youngest ever chancellor in the UK when he was instated as Chancellor of the University of West London. “Britain is a global leader in many ways, but none more so than with its universities,” said Lord Bilimoria, “which – along with the US – are the finest in the world. It is thus an enormous honor to receive this doctorate from one of the UK’s top ten universities.”