Celebrations in Hong Kong for Graduates and leading CEO

Global links with Northampton were celebrated at the University of Northampton’s Hong Kong Graduation ceremony held on 29 March.

Over forty international graduates from around the globe met at the Hong Kong YMCA, donning caps and gowns to celebrate their graduation alongside friends and family.

The students celebrated successfully completing undergraduate and postgraduate programs from the University of Northampton; alongside leading leather industry expert Huub van Beijeren, Chief Executive Officer of Stahl. Huub received the honorary doctorate in recognition for his work to accelerate the process of making the entire leather processing chain more sustainable.

During the presentation of the honorary award, Rachel Garwood, Director of the University of Northampton’s Institute for Creative Leather Technologies said: “Huub van Beijeren has been Stahl’s Chief Executive Officer since 2007.  He has led the company through the financial crisis and succeeded in making Stahl the market leader in process chemicals for leather and other substrates. Huub is focused on accelerating the process of making the entire leather processing chain more sustainable. Huub has encouraged and supported the ongoing engagement with students at the University of Northampton across the leather technology and fashion disciplines, which has added tremendous value to the student experience.”

Speaking about his honorary award, Huub said: “I’m delighted to receive this honorary award from the University of Northampton, which I see as a recognition of all the good work done by the people who work at Stahl. The University has a globally renowned reputation for the way in which its courses mix academic practice and real world experience. For me the way in which the leather students gain academic and practical experience within the setting of a functioning tannery; experiencing the Leather making process from hide to high-end usage is fantastic. The University and Stahl already have close links; including work placement opportunities, as well as visiting the University for guest lectures and conferences. I hope that as now I’m a recipient of an honorary doctorate, I can continue to develop the opportunities for students to gain valuable work experience and industry knowledge. “

“The course at the University places sustainability and responsibility at the heart of the academic teaching, this makes for responsible and well trained graduated entering the workforce; which is really good news for the future of the leather industry. “