Datuk Seri Nazir receives Nottingham honorary degree

Elizabeth Lee receiving the honorary degree from Professor Ennew

Datuk Seri Nazir Razak, Group Chief Executive Officer of CIMB Group received an honorary degree from The University of Nottingham at the morning graduation ceremony on 16 August 2014 at Putrajaya International Convention Centre.

The award was presented by Professor Christine Ennew, CEO and Provost of The University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNMC) at the ceremony which witnessed close to 900 students from the University’s Faculties of Arts & Social Sciences, Engineering and Science graduating with a world class British qualification.

“An honorary degree is highest honour a University can bestow and this year we are proud to confer such awards on Datuk Seri Nazir Razak and Elizabeth Lee. 

Datuk Seri Nazir is an outstanding candidate, and the award recognises both his transformational leadership at CIMB as well as his broader contribution to the banking sector in Malaysia” said Professor Christine Ennew.

In 2009, Datuk Seri Nazir was awarded Finance Asia’s “Lifetime Achievement Award” and in three years later he was awarded Euromoney’s “2012 Outstanding Achievement Award” in recognition of his contribution to the development of Asian financial markets.

Under Datuk Seri Nazir’s stewardship, CIMB Group has won many awards in recent years including best investment bank, best Islamic bank in Asia and best bank in Malaysia. The banking group has total assets of around RM 380 billion and a staff of over 40,000, making it the second largest financial services group in Malaysia.

At the afternoon graduation ceremony, Elizabeth Lee, Senior Executive Director of Sunway Education Group and Sunway University received an honorary degree.

“Elizabeth is a great friend of the University’s and we have worked closely with her since the early 1990’s. Elizabeth has made an outstanding contribution to the development and internationalisation of private higher education in Malaysia. We share with her, a genuine commitment to the transformational power of education and it is a great pleasure to be able to recognise Elizabeth’s immense contribution in this area.” Professor Ennew said.

In 2011, she received the Outstanding Asian Women Community Contribution Award from Malaysia Women’s Career Building Association presented by Y.A.Bhg. Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor.

She was appointed by the Ministry of Education’s International Promotion Council. She is also on the Board of Advisors of the Institut Penyelidikan Pendidikan Tinggi Negara (IPPTN), is a founding member of the Academic Advisory Committee of Monash University Malaysia, a member on the Board of Management of the Master Builders Association of Malaysia Education Fund and also the Board of Trustees of MERCY Malaysia.

In March 2014, she was appointed as a member of the International Academic Advisory Council (IAAC) of Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia.

At the graduation ceremony, University of Nottingham staff members, Dr Winnie Yap, Dr Joanne Lim and Sangeetha Veerasingam were awarded the Lord Dearing Award by The University of Nottingham in recognition of their outstanding contribution to enhancing the student learning experience.