University appoints new Chair of the Board of Governors

22 Mar 2016

Retiring Chair Anil Ruia welcomes Edward Astle to the role and says serving the University has been “a privilege”

Mr Edward Astle has been appointed as the new Chair of the Board of Governors at The University of Manchester from 1 September 2016. He will succeed Mr Anil Ruia, who has been Chair of the Board since 2010.

Mr Astle, who joined the Board of Governors in 2014, spent most of his career in the telecoms and utilities sector where he served on the boards, and ran substantial divisions, of Cable and Wireless (1989 to 1997), BICC (1997 to 1999) and National Grid (2001 to 2008).

From 2008 to 2013 Edward was Pro Rector, Enterprise, at Imperial College London, leading a team which supported the university’s links with business. Educated at Manchester Grammar School and Queen's College Oxford, Edward has also previously chaired three smaller companies. He is currently a non-executive director of Intertek Plc, is one of three independent directors on BT’s Equality of Access Board, and is Vice Chair of the prisoner literacy charity Shannon Trust.

Commenting on the appointment, retiring Chair Mr Anil Ruia said: "It has been a privilege to serve as Chair of the University's Board over the past six years, during which time the University has gone from strength to strength under the energetic leadership of the late Professor Alan Gilbert and Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell.

“Edward will take over at an exciting time when we are half way through our £1 billion campus masterplan, playing a key role in the Northern Powerhouse initiative and making some key decisions about areas for future investment to realise our global ambitions. I am confident that Edward has the experience and insight to support Nancy and the senior leadership through the next phase of the University's exciting journey."