New Anglia Ruskin chancellor excited by Peterborough university

Lord Bernard Ribeiro has been appointed to succeed Lord Michael Ashcroft who is stepping down from the role after nearly 20 years.

ARU Peterborough is set to open in 2022, initially for 2,000 students at a campus by the Embankment, before expanding over future years.

Anglia Ruskin will run the technical university for at least the first decade.

Lord Ribeiro said: “Since receiving an Honorary Doctor of Science Award from Anglia Ruskin in 2008 I have taken enormous interest in how the university has grown and developed.

“Through my own medical background I am aware of the important role Anglia Ruskin plays in educating healthcare professionals and other key workers that go on to serve across the East of England as well as further afield.

“Although Anglia Ruskin is a relatively new university, it already has a proud history and recent developments such as the new School of Medicine which is a truly outstanding facility, and the new university in Peterborough, ARU Peterborough, point to an exciting future which I am delighted to be part of.”

Lord Ribeiro qualified as a doctor in 1967 and became consultant general surgeon at Basildon Hospital in Essex in 1979 where he pioneered the use of keyhole surgery. He served as President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England from 2005 to 2008.

Born in the Gold Coast, now Ghana, in 1944, Lord Ribeiro was made a life peer in 2010 and has since held a number of public sector positions including as chairman of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel, advising the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

He currently sits on the Royal College of Surgeons of England’s diversity review panel and was recently appointed to the board of the Equality and Human Rights Commission to provide medical and public health expertise.

Lord Ashcroft is a former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party.

In 2015 he caused a stir in Peterborough after he released a poll which suggested Labour were on course to win the seat at the upcoming General Election.

In the end, the Conservative incumbent Stewart Jackson reclaimed the seat.

Lord Ashcroft said: “It’s been a great pleasure and an enormous privilege to have served as Chancellor of ARU for the best part of two decades. I am proud that I have been able to make a contribution to ARU’s ongoing success and to have encouraged so many talented young men and women to have pursued careers in business.

“I wholeheartedly believe in ARU’s mission and its values and I take enormous pride in seeing how the university has grown into the institution it is today. ARU outperforms most other universities when it comes to social mobility as it truly encourages and supports people from all backgrounds to discover their strength and realise their potential.

“It is now time for me to hand over the baton. I have huge respect for Lord Ribeiro and his achievements in the field of health care and I wish him the very best of luck for the future.”