Wednesday 16th May 2018:  As College Principal and Dean, Professor Brabazon will oversee the strategic development of the UCD College of Business which includes four constituent parts namely:  UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business; UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School; UCD Smurfit Executive Development; as well as UCD Business International Campus which provides undergraduate and graduate programmes on partner campuses in Singapore, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. The College of Business provides undergraduate, postgraduate, executive education and other courses to almost 10,000 students annually. As part of his role, Professor Brabazon will also join the University’s Management Team.

Professor Brabazon takes up this position at a key time for UCD College of Business as it focuses on its strategy to be recognised as a global Top 50 business school. Already a number of its programmes are ranked within the Top 50 globally.  Yesterday, UCD Smurfit Executive Development was ranked 48^th in the world for the second consecutive year by the Financial Times for its Executive Education Open Enrolment programmes.

 Announcing the appointment to faculty and staff at UCD, Professor Andrew Deeks, President, UCD, said: "Professor Anthony Brabazon has shown the leadership and ambition we sought to advance the global Top 50 strategic vision for UCD College of Business.  Tony combines the academic credentials and energetic management capabilities with a deep understanding of the quality and ethos of our business schools. Professor Brabazon has been interim College Principal and Dean of Business since September 2017.  His previous academic positions include; Associate Dean and Director, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, vice-principal of research and innovation for the College of Business & Law, Head of Research for the School of Business, and Programme Director for the Master of Accounting degree.  In addition, Tony was academic project director for the design and construction of the UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business."

Congratulating Professor Brabazon on his appointment, Niall FitzGerald, Chair of the Advisory Board of UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, added: “Since its establishment over 100 years ago, UCD’s College of Business has always been to the fore in adapting and evolving to meet the ever-changing business education needs of organisations and society. With the scale and pace of change, both commercial and societal, there is now, more than ever, the need for a dynamic and forward-looking business educator of world standing to lead the College of Business in its next phase of development. I am confident that in the appointment of Professor Brabazon we have that exceptional leader who can elevate the status of UCD College of Business further to ensure it is truly an international leader in the provision of business education.”

Speaking after the announcement, Professor Anthony Brabazon, newly appointed College Principal and Dean said: “In taking over as College Principal and Dean I’m particularly conscious of the important role the College of Business plays in developing current and future leaders who can impact positively on business and society both in Ireland and overseas. Much progress has been made by the College on the journey to becoming recognised as a global leader in the delivery of business education and I am committed to seeing this strategy through to completion with the support of a dedicated leadership team, outstanding faculty and staff who, together, are focused on ensuring that UCD College of Business is the very best it can be for the benefit of our students.”