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Leading businessman to head º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s board of governors

A prominent North East business leader has taken the helm of º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s governing body

Alastair MacColl, the Chief Executive of the BE Group, has taken over as chair of the board of governors having served as its Vice Chairman for four years. He is taking over from Sandy Anderson OBE DL who has chaired the board for nine years.

The BE group is a market-leading business services group that works with thousands of businesses each year across the UK and internationally.

The group specialises in business information, events and commercial development programmes.

Before joining the BE Group, Alastair worked in newspapers and media related businesses across the UK for almost 20 years, leading publishing businesses for Trinity Mirror Plc and the Daily Mail and General Trust Group.

Alastair said: 'I’m delighted to be able to take up this very prestigious role.

'º£½ÇÖ±²¥ is a fantastic institution with a vital role to play in supporting the region’s economy and I’m very proud to be associated with it.

'There are very exciting times ahead for º£½ÇÖ±²¥ and I look forward to continuing the excellent work done by Sandy and the rest of the governors and the staff of the University.'

Sandy Anderson is the former Senior Vice-President (Technology) at ICI and is a Deputy Lieutenant of County Durham, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Chemical Engineers.

He is a Director of the Centre for Process Innovation and Chairman of the Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership.

In 2010 he was given an OBE for services to the North East community.

He said: 'It is a real privilege to have been involved with º£½ÇÖ±²¥ and I am very proud of what we have managed to achieve.

'To win the University of the Year Award in 2009 – the first modern University to do so – was a particular highlight of my time as chair of governors.

'It’s fantastic to be leaving with the University recently being awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize – much deserved recognition and reflects the huge contribution the University makes to the community.'

Vice-Chancellor Professor Graham Henderson CBE DL said: 'I cannot thank Sandy enough for all his support, commitment and hard work in his role as chair of the board of governors throughout virtually all of my time as Vice-Chancellor.

'He has led the board with passion and enthusiasm, he has been a fantastic ambassador for the University and he has made an immense contribution in helping me to steer the University's success.

'In saying goodbye to Sandy, I am however delighted to welcome Alastair to his new role and I very much look forward to working alongside him, as he and I are both committed to trying to take the University on to yet further success.'

Paul Booth OBE, the President of Sabic-UK Petrochemicals, has taken over as Deputy Chairman of the Governors.

The board has also appointed three new governors: Dr Jane Atkinson, Vice-President (Operations) at Sembcorp Utilities UK; Steve Tonks, Director of Banks Group and Alastair Waite, former CEO of Onyx Group.

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