Professor Gary Packham has been appointed dean of Anglia Ruskin University’s Lord Ashcroft International Business School.

Previously deputy dean, Prof Packham also takes on the role of pro vice chancellor with particular emphasis on fostering entrepreneurship at Anglia Ruskin, which was last month named Entrepreneurial University of the Year 2014 by Times Higher Education.

Prof Packham said: “Lord Ashcroft International Business School champions research which cuts across disciplines and challenges preconceptions.

“I’m determined to ensure it continues to make a real impact by shaping and influencing policy, promoting enterprise and developing skills for the benefit of business and society.

“Lord Ashcroft International Business School has an exceptionally talented and ambitious team of academics, and our students are supported to achieve their potential so they can contribute to economic and social challenges facing us now and in the future.

“Our research and knowledge transfer work is starting to make a real difference to those innovative SMEs we work in partnership with in terms of wealth and job creation.

“We also want to be judged by the company we keep. Our work with Barclays, UPS, Harrods, Volvo, Timberland and Wilmot Dixon is leading the way in the sector and we are certainly carving out an enviable reputation in the field of work-based learning.”

Professor Packham is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, the Higher Education Academy and the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs (IoEE).

Before joining Anglia Ruskin, he was head of the Glamorgan Business School. He has led a range of research and business engagement projects; working for organisations such as the European Commission, Belgian Science and Policy Office, Welsh Government, Sector Skills Council and the Federation of Small Businesses.