Published on 11 July 2022
The Hon. James Ramsbotham CBE DL has been installed as University of Sunderland Pro-Chancellor, joining current Pro-Chancellors Margaret Fay CBE and Baroness Estelle Morris.
Pro-Chancellors support the University of Sunderland's Chancellor, Emeli Sandé, by attending events and officiating at the University’s graduation ceremonies in Sunderland and London.
All three of our Pro-Chancellors are great advocates of the University and our life-changing mission.
Mr Ramsbotham said: “Seeing the pride not just in the students’ faces, but in their family’s faces, I just wish we could bottle that. What Sunderland delivers at home and all around the world is just fantastic.”
James Ramsbotham is Chair of Newcastle Building Society, the North East’s premier financial services organization committed to connecting our communities with a better financial future.
As Chief Executive of the North East England Chamber of Commerce he firmly established the Chamber as one of the most influential organisations in the UK.
He is a Director for Hargreaves Land and was a Director and then Chair of the Darlington Building Society. Previously James was Executive Vice Chairman of the Esh Group, employing up to 2,000 people across the north of England. Before that, he spent 14 years Corporate Banking in Barclays Bank plc.
James served for 12 years in the Royal Green Jackets. He maintains his military involvement as Honorary Colonel for The Rifles in the north-east.
Educated at Harvard (USA), INSEAD (France), Oxford University and Durham University he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration by the University of Sunderland in 2016, and an Honorary Fellowship of the Association of International Accountants in 2017.
He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the north-east in the 2019 New Year’s Honours. He has been a Deputy Lieutenant for County Durham since 2005.