Nigerian Professor Charles Egbu becomes the first ever African VC of a UK university

NIGERIAN academic Professor Charles Egbu has become the first African head of a British university after being named as the vice chancellor of Leeds Trinity University with effect from November 1 this year.

Professor Egbu, who is an academic of Project Management and Strategic Management in Construction, will take over from Professor Margaret House, who will step down after seven years as vice chancellor. Currently, the pro-vice chancellor, education and experience at University of East London, Professor Egbu was also once the dean of the School of the Built Environment and Architecture at London South Bank University.

He has also held academic positions at University of Salford, University College London, Leeds Metropolitan University and Glasgow Caledonian University. Professor Egbu's first degree was in quantity surveying, while his doctorate was obtained from the University of Salford in the area of Construction Project Management.

Professor Egbu  said: “I am honoured to be joining Leeds Trinity, a university whose values and ethos around widening participation, offering a personalised approach and encouraging all students to achieve their best, align with my own. The university has an impressive track record in learning, teaching and employability and I am looking forward to building on the strong foundations established under the leadership of Professor House.

“I have already been impressed by the sense of community at Leeds Trinity and I am looking forward to engaging with students, colleagues and alumni as we shape the future strategy of the institution. I am also looking forward to returning to Leeds, the city in which I spent much of my early academic life.”

Among other things, Professor Egbu is currently the president-elect of the Chartered Institute of Building, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building, a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a fellow of the Association for Project Management, a fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce and a fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He was admitted to the Worshipful Company of Constructors in May 2017 and received the Freedom of the City of London that same year.