The University of the West of Scotland has appointed an inspirational entrepreneur, Yekemi Otaru, as its Chancellor-elect.
This was disclosed by the university via a statement on its website. Otaru is renowned for her passionate commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
What you need to know about Otaru
Otaru is a tireless passionate supporter of women in business and an active mentor of business owners in the world’s poorest countries. She is expected to take up the role of Chancellor at the University of the West of Scotland on September 1, 2021, succeeding Dame Elish Angiolini.
Yekemi, 42, holds four degrees and has considerable industrial experience in engineering and marketing. She is Co-Founder and Executive Director at Doqaru Limited, a prominent Aberdeen-based sales and marketing consultancy.
She is also a board member of Interface, which connects a wide range of organisations from national and international industries to Scotland’s universities, research institutes and colleges, matching them with world-leading academic expertise to help them grow. A bestselling author and social media expert, Yekemi is also known for her innovative use of platforms such as LinkedIn.
As Chancellor, Yekemi will hold formal powers to confer degrees, diplomas and other academic distinctions, and will represent UWS at key events as an advocate and dignitary.
What Otaru is saying
“I am honoured to have been appointed Chancellor-elect of University of the West of Scotland, following in the footsteps of a remarkable individual in Dame Elish Angiolini.
“We are all living through challenging times, and higher education plays a vital role in society and for our economy. I eagerly look forward to being part of the University, as it continues to carry out world-class research and knowledge transfer initiatives such as in the areas of healthcare and sports science.
“Now is the perfect time for me to be joining the University’s journey in inspiring and educating the next generation of graduates, equipped with the skills needed to help society recover from the pandemic,” Otaru said.
Professor Craig Mahoney, Principal and Vice-Chancellor at UWS, added:
“I am delighted with Yekemi’s appointment as the University’s Chancellor-elect. Yekemi’s values very much align with those of UWS, from her passion for advancing equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) to her commitment to enterprise, and her appointment is reflective of our strategic mission to make a positive difference to wider society.
“I would also like to pay tribute to Dame Elish Angiolini, who has been an outstanding Chancellor and ambassador for the University. I am deeply grateful for the committed and inspirational role she has played in our UWS community.”
The appointment represents another important moment in UWS’s history, as the role of Chancellor passes from one major figure to another,” she added.