The achievements of three outstanding individuals were celebrated during the December 2015 degree congregations when they were awarded Honorary degrees by the University. They were recognised for their contribution to academia or the region.
Mr John Crabtree OBE, DL – Doctor of the University
John Crabtree (LLB Law, 1972) has a very wide variety of business, community and charitable interests, predominantly in the city of Birmingham and wider West Midlands. John is a former president of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce & Industry and spent more than a decade as a senior partner of Wragge & Co, Birmingham’s largest law firm.
His charitable work in the city has seen him serve as the Chairman of Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust and Chair of Sense, the national charity for the deafblind. He was High Sheriff for the County of West Midlands 2006-07 and he is currently a Deputy Lieutenant assisting the Lord-Lieutenant, Her Majesty the Queen’s representative in the West Midlands.
Dr John Craggs, DL - Doctor of the University
John Craggs’ (BSc Chemistry, 1969; PhD Chemistry, 1972) career began as a chemist in the plastics industry, which was followed by a career as a finance director within the manufacturing sector, and finally as a managing director in the passenger transport sector. John has lived in the region since 1979 and continues to make a valuable contribution to university life and has served on both Council, and most recently Court, at the University of Birmingham. John was also the President on the Guild of Graduates and Alumni Association from 2011-12. John’s other areas of interest include being a non-executive director of Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust and Chairman of Governors at Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School in Sutton Coldfield. He is also a Deputy Lieutenant for the West Midlands.
Professor Zude Zhou - Doctor of Engineering
Zude Zhou is a full and Chair Professor of the School of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, at Wuhan University of Technology, China. Zude has had a long association with the University; he was a visiting scholar at the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the 1980s and recently returned as an Institute of Advanced Studies Visiting Fellow to share his expertise in digital manufacturing. In 2014 he was elected Fellow of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.