Five new members are joining the ACU’s governing Council from 1 August 2023. This elected body brings university leaders from ACU member universities around the world together, with a shared responsibility to oversee its strategic direction.
Joining the Council are:
- Professor Kabiru Aderemi Adeyemo - Lead City University, Nigeria
- Professor Simone Buitendijk -The University of Leeds, UK
- Professor Ms Hina Tayyaba Khalil - Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design, Pakistan
- Professor Sibongile Muthwa - Nelson Mandela University, South Africa
- Professor Sasmita Samanta - Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), India
Professor Wendy Thomson CBE, Vice-Chancellor of the University of London, UK, was appointed Vice-Chair of Council.
Our warmest thanks to the outgoing Council members, Professor Francis Aduol (Technical University of Kenya), Professor Wim de Villiers (Stellenbosch University, South Africa), Professor Shalini Bharat (Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India), Professor Tawana Kupe (University of Pretoria, South Africa), and Professor Colin Riordan (Cardiff University, UK) for their valued service and contributions to the organisation in recent years.
Chair of ACU Council, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, Professor Cheryl de la Rey, added:
‘A warm welcome to our newest members of the ACU Council, representing the diversity and strength of Commonwealth cooperation. They bring with them a wealth of leadership experience and I look forward to sharing in their knowledge, drawing on our diverse communities, and working together to ensure the ACU continues to be a dynamic and exciting global network at the heart of international higher education – now and into the future.’
More information
The ACU Council is the ACU's governing body and is responsible for overseeing the ACU's activities and determining its future strategic direction, while ensuring compliance with the laws of England, the ACU's Charter, Statutes and Regulations, and the ACU's core policies and procedures relating to governance.
The ACU Council is made up of vice-chancellors from across the Commonwealth, each of whom has been nominated and elected by their peers within the ACU membership network. The new members will each serve for a period of three years until 31 July 2026.
- Read the ACU's strategic plan