The Al-Maktoum Institute in Dundee has added two more names to its list of Honorary Fellowships.
At the Graduation ceremony to be held later today (Friday December 1 2006) Baillie Helen Wright and Alan Harden, Chief Executive of the Alliance Trust, will be receiving their Honorary Fellowships from the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Al-Maktoum Institute, Professor Abd al-Fattah El-Awaisi.
Announcing the awards, Professor El-Awaisi said, “These two individuals play a leading part in the life of the city of Dundee. Their contribution to the development of the Institute and to its aims and objectives has been immense.
“Both have also played a large role in the wider community and we are delighted to recognise those achievements by granting them an Honorary Fellowship.” Baillie Wright was the first female Lord Provost of Dundee and was elected to the City Council in 1980. She has served and still serves on a wide variety of community groups, charities and advisory bodies.
Her current work is connected with social work, the health service, fund raising and community activity.
Commenting on the award Baillie Wright said, “The city council and the Al-Maktoum Institute have worked successfully together as partners over several years. The Institute has played a major role in promoting understanding between cultures in Dundee and throughout Scotland and I am delighted to receive this honour from the Institute.”
Mr Harden took up his current post with Alliance Trust in January 2004. Prior to that he had an international career in financial services having lived and worked in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai. He is currently on the board of the Scottish Community Foundation, a charitable body that channels financial support to a large range of local charities.
As a result of having lived in so many different countries Mr Harden is a firm believer in multiculturalism and the work of Al-Maktoum Institute.
Mr Harden said, “As Chief Executive of a Dundee-based international investment company, it is enormously important to forge good relations between different cultures and communities wherever we do business, and I have been extremely pleased to contribute towards progressing the aims and objectives of the Al-Maktoum Instititute. The Institute shares my own views on the importance of promoting multiculturalism within our community and for me personally, it is a huge honour to be recognised by the Al-Maktoum Institute through this award.”
