14 Oct 2018
Investcorp, a leading global provider and manager of alternative investment products, has been honoured today by Oxford University during a celebratory ceremony in recognition of the University’s benefactors. Investcorp attended Oxford’s historic Convocation House as a member of the Chancellor’s Court of Benefactors (CCB) and Investcorp’s name was engraved on the slate tablets of the prestigious Clarendon Arch near the entrance of the historic Bodleian Library in recognition of the support that Investcorp has provided to the University.
Investcorp’s name joins those of the University’s distinguished past donors including Sir Thomas Bodley, Queen Elizabeth I, John Radcliffe, King Henry VIII, Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, Queen Elizabeth II, and Cecil Rhodes.
Each year the University brings together a world-class league of benefactors to introduce new members and provide an exclusive in-depth look at some of the vital work being supported by donations.
Investcorp’s Executive Chairman, Mohammed Alardhi, said: “It is a profound honour to have seen Investcorp’s name inscribed on the Clarendon Arch. Our successful collaboration with the University- an intersection of the worlds of academia and business- demonstrates the legacy that we can pass on to benefit the next generation of leaders. We remain committed to supporting higher education, increasing cross-cultural understanding and open debate and look forward to supporting the University on future initiatives.”
Investcorp has been a long-term supporter of the University. In 2015, it donated The Investcorp Building, Middle East Centre at St Anthony’s College, a world-renowned centre for research and teaching in global and regional issues. The Investcorp Building was integral to on-going expansion plans to meet the Middle East Centre’s increasing demand for research and activities. The number of students attending has grown dramatically in recent years, and the Investcorp Building has enabled the centre to grow its popular program of lectures, seminars and debates, some of which are also open to the public. The building provides 1,127 square metres of additional floor space, has a 117-seat lecture theatre, and has doubled space available for the centre’s growing library and archive.
Designed by Dame Zaha Hadid DBE RA, the building has received multiple architecture and design awards, including; the Lux Award (for lighting), the 2015 Oxford Preservation Trust New Building Award, the 2016 RIBA South Award, the 2016 RIBA National Award, and the 2016 Award in Higher Education and Research Category at the World Architecture Festival.