Martina Chukwuma-Ezike has been officially installed as Rector of the University of Aberdeen in King’s College Chapel, following in the footsteps of other notable Aberdeen University rectors including Winston Churchill, philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, and television presenter, Clarissa Dickson Wright.
She is the first woman of colour and first Nigerian to be elected Rector of the university, an ancient position that dates back to the foundation of the University in 1495 and is voted by the students.
Martina Chukwuma-Ezike is Chief Executive of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation, Scotland’s only dedicated asthma charity, which she founded in 2009. The charity set up the first Asthma Support Centre in the UK in order to provide support services for people with asthma and allergies in the northeast of Scotland. She is also a graduate of the University of Aberdeen, having completed her MBA in 2009, and has a longstanding relationship with the student body, offering mentoring, volunteering, and work placement opportunities at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation, enabling medical students to gain experience by working directly with asthmatics.
Martina co-developed the Grampian Respiratory Improvement Project for NHSG and is a sitting member of the Grampian Respiratory Improvement Group; She is a member of the Cross-Party Group on Lung Health at the Scottish Parliament and member of the Association of Chief Officers of Scottish Voluntary Organisations, mentoring and supporting newly appointed Chief Executive Officers.
She is an ardent supporter of women in business and an active mentor of business owners across the UK. She is also a fellow of The Royal Society for Arts, Manufacturing, and Commerce, received based on the tremendous work she did to support the 5.4 million people living with asthma across the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The University of Aberdeen has a community of more than 130 nationalities, with almost 200 students from Nigeria. It was founded with international connections and is open to people and ideas from around the world.
The new rector is married to Uchenna Chukwuma-Ezike, a chartered chemist and chartered scientist who hails from Anambra State, Nigeria.