NMITE APPOINTS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

James Newby has joined the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) as its Chief Operating Officer (COO) to help build effective and professional infrastructure support for NMITE’s academic mission. NMITE’s objective is to revolutionise engineering education by combining the most successful ways to learn from around the world into a new, bold and inspiring approach.

Newby joins from the University of Surrey where he has worked since 2008 most recently as Head of Business Development.  He has 20 years’ experience in the higher education sector with a track record in building new organisational structures, teams and functions and in managing business change.  Experience which will be useful for NMITE as it grows, once validated, from a small organisation to a larger higher education institution serving thousands and employing hundreds of staff in the coming years.

Newby explains that he was drawn to NMITE as “a disrupter and an innovator”, recognising that building a new higher education institution from the ground up is a very rare venture in the UK.  Newby explains “NMITE aims to challenge existing thinking and will provide an exciting and stimulating professional challenge for all involved. It was simply too unusual and exciting an opportunity to miss.”

Commenting on the appointment, Professor Elena Rodriguez-Falcon President and Chief Executive said “I am delighted to welcome James to our leadership team where he will be key to NMITE’s strategy and plans for the future.  He brings with him a wealth of experience which will be invaluable internally as well as externally with our many stakeholder partners.  He demonstrated a strong affinity with our mission and I believe will build on the successes we have achieved bringing fresh ideas and enormous experience.”

Newby also mentioned a contributing factor in his decision to join was NMITE’s Board of Trustees who he described being “as passionate, engaged and committed to NMITE’s success as the staff”. The Board includes Dame Fiona Kendrick, former Chair and Chief Executive of Nestlé UK & Ireland; Professor Sir Eric Thomas, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Bristol; Jon Gorringe, former Finance Director at the University of Edinburgh; Peter Scott, Director of the Institute of Advanced Study at the University of Warwick; Martin Hitchin, CEO of REHAU; Rowena Innocent, Vice President of Research and Development of Malvern Panalytical; Richard Lindsay-Davies, CEO of Digital TV Group; Karen Usher, Founder and Chairman of HR Consultancy, TPO Inc and Ian Falconer, Senior Consultant at Pinsent Masons.