Lord Bilimoria becomes new chancellor of Birmingham University

Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea CBE, the India-born founder of Cobra Beer, will take up his post at an Installation Ceremony in July. the university said in a release.

In a statement, the university said: "He follows in the footsteps of Chancellors including the Right Honorable Joseph Chamberlain and the Right Honorable Anthony Eden, the Earl of Avon, and succeeds Sir Dominic Cadbury, who stepped down last December after 11 years in the role."

   David Eastwood, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Lord Bilimoria will be our new Chancellor.  He is a highly respected global businessman and Crossbench Peer with a clear passion for higher education and the value it brings to society and to the economy.  He not only encapsulates the University’s commitment to internationalisation but his appointment underlines further the importance we place on forging strong, mutually beneficial partnerships between business and higher education.”

On accepting the post, Bilimoria said: “I am honoured and humbled to have been asked to be Chancellor of this internationally renowned University with its vibrant, global community.  I am also delighted to have the opportunity to take on such a prominent role at the University where both my mother, my uncle and my maternal grandfather studied; the University which instilled the value of higher education in them, and in turn drove my own passion for learning and discovery.”