One of Western Australia’s most influential business leaders, Dr Andrew Crane, was formally invested as Curtin University’s Chancellor at a ceremony on Friday night.
The Honourable Kim Beazley AC, Governor of Western Australia, officiated at the ceremony that was attended by 150 guests.
Curtin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry congratulated Dr Crane who succeeded former oil and gas senior executive Mr Colin Beckett on 1 January 2019.
“Dr Crane has had a long-standing relationship with the University, currently serving his second term on the Curtin Council and having previously been a member of the Curtin Business School Advisory Council from 2009 – 2015,” Professor Terry said.
“Given his outstanding and extensive agribusiness career, Dr Crane will be a highly effective and engaged Chancellor to support Curtin’s vision to become a leading global university.”
Dr Crane said he was honoured to take up the position, making him the University’s eighth Chancellor.
“Having had the opportunity to know the staff, academics, leadership team and Council members over recent years and seen what the University has achieved, I have no doubt Curtin will continue to deliver a positive impact in teaching and research that benefits our local, regional and global communities,” Dr Crane said.
“I look forward to working with Professor Terry and Council to set and execute a strategy that leverages our strengths, our history and our purpose, as Curtin matures to take a comfortable and rightful place amongst the most respected technical universities of the world.
“The roles of universities continues to grow as economic engines, stimulators of cities, builders of international connections, attractors of talent, creators of open debate, agents of social mobility and improvers of lives.
“In addition to teaching, researching, and disseminating knowledge, universities have a key additional purpose to benefit the societies in which they operate.”
The former CEO of the CBH Group, Dr Crane is an experienced executive leader of strategy, operations, business development, marketing, and risk management of business-to-business enterprises of an international scope.
Dr Crane has a Bachelor of Science (Honours) and a PhD in Remote Sensing of Agriculture. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.
Professor Terry also thanked Mr Beckett for his significant contribution to Curtin during his six-year term as Chancellor.
The ceremony was held at the University’s Bentley Campus on 8 February 2019.
