At its meeting on Saturday 29 February, the Fiji National University Council appointed Professor James Pounder as Acting Vice-Chancellor.  He will take over from the outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nigel Healey, who steps down from his position at the end of March.  Professor Pounder will hold the role of Acting Vice-Chancellor until a substantive appointment to the role is made by the Council.  The process of seeking a permanent replacement for Professor Healey is already underway.

Professor Pounder joined Fiji National University in August 2018 as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching).  He was previously Director of Learning and Teaching and Professor in Management at Lingnan University in Hong Kong SAR.  He has served in a range of senior academic roles at universities in Hong Kong and the Middle East, including the Higher Colleges of Technology in the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi University, Lingnan University and Hong Kong Polytechnic University.  He holds a BSc Economics (London School of Economics), and MBA (Henley Business School), a PhD in Management (Henley Business School) and an EdD (University of Leicester).

Announcing the appointment, the Acting Chancellor of the University Council, Ms Tessa Price, said “The University is fortunate to have two highly experienced Pro-Vice-Chancellors to draw upon and the Council is confident that Professor Pounder will maintain the University on its current upward trajectory, while the Council conducts an international search for a permanent replacement for Professor Healey as Vice-Chancellor”.

Professor Pounder’s term as Acting Vice-Chancellor begins on Monday, 30 March.

Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor James Pounder.