The Indo British Trade Council (IBTC) has announced the appointment of a new Board member.
Ather Mirza, the Director of the University of Leicester News Centre, and a former journalist with the Leicester Mercury, will work with IBTC to ensure the interests of higher education are represented in the work of the Council. He succeeds Professor Douglas Tallack, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) at the University of Leicester who retires at the end of the year.
He will also bring over 30 years’ media experience to the Board. A graduate in English from the University of Leicester, with a postgraduate qualification in Education Marketing, he trained for his National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) proficiency award on the Leicester Mercury where he worked for 11 years before joining the External Relations Office at the University where he was former Head of Press and Alumni Relations and is now Director of the News Centre.
A former winner of a Commonwealth Press Union scholarship to India where he was attached to The Hindu newspaper, Ather has also free-lanced for national and international media. He has represented the University on a trade mission to India with the IBTC where he met with the former President of India Dr Abdul Kallam. On his most recent visit he was also in the presence of the current President Shree Pranab Mukherjee for the inauguration of the Maharaja Agrasen University in Himachal Pradesh.
Ather is a former LABA Board member and edited the LABA magazine which was produced with the assistance of the University during his term of office.
Ather said: “I look forward to working with like-minded people in order to harness their expertise so that our desire to work with Indian universities and businesses can be translated into real opportunities and tangible benefits. I have been impressed with the IBTC’s record of delivery and feel the link between the city, the universities and India can be strengthened through collaborative working.”
Uday Dholakia, IBTC’s Chairman said: “Atherji is a renowned communicator and an outstanding journalist. As IBTC builds legacy based links with institutions in India and the UK, communication with them and the SME base in the UK and India will become demanding and in real time. Added to this, IBTC has an impressive track record of encouraging spin-offs and collaboration in research between the universities and the private sector, Atherji will play a leading role in enhancing these links”.
