Justine Greening and Lord Patel Justine studied at the University of Southampton and finished with first class honours in 1990 with a degree in Service
Economics and Accounting. She was elected Conservative MP for Putney, Roehampton and Southfields in 2005 and stayed an MP till 2019, holding a variety of Ministerial positions, including Secretary of State for Education. Since leaving Parliament, Justine has actually campaigned for social movement and equality of opportunity. In July 2023 she was granted an honorary doctorate at Southampton.
She stated: “I am honoured to be offered the function of Chancellor for the university that has played such a fundamental part in my life and career. I have been immensely proud of all that the university has attained and, in specific, I have discovered the work Southampton is doing on social movement and expanding involvement to be really inspiring.
“While I have actually constantly preserved a valued relationship with Southampton as an alumna, I anticipate a deepening connection with the university community during my term in this function.”
Lord Patel started his profession as a social employee, later on moving into academia and government functions associating with health, education and social care. He was made an OBE in 1999 for services to ethnic minority health issues. In 2018, Lord Patel was selected Chair of Social Work England, the regulator for child, family and adult social employees in England.
Lord Patel is Chair of the India Service Group and currently has links to the university, as a valued client for The India Centre for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Advancement. He was awarded an honorary degree in 2018.
He said: “I am pleased to use up this ambassadorial function at the University of Southampton and I will do my very best to add to the university’s continuing development, development and success. I have actually constantly been extremely impressed with the world-class research study that takes place here and the impact it has internationally. I eagerly anticipate engaging with staff, trainees and alumni to learn much more about this remarkable organization.”
Sir Ian Diamond, Chair of University Council, included: “I am delighted to confirm the appointment of Justine Greening and Lord Patel of Bradford as our dual Chancellors. They bring an amazing wealth of combined experience, knowledge and dedication in areas such as psychological health, social movement and equality, which are also of great importance to the university community.
“They will each play an exceptionally positive role as we move forward with our ambitious method.”