Canal Trust boss who 'fired himself' joins University Hall of Fame

The University of the Witwaterstrand in Johannesburg, South Africa is to include Mike Rodd, the former General Manager, and now Chairman of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust in its School of Electrical and Information Engineering Hall of Fame.

K&A Canal Trust Chairman, Dr Mike Rodd: 

Picture by Bob Naylor © 2009 HNA Media 

The citation document outlines Professor Mike Rodd's history of founding internationally recognised journals, writing and editing books and his many other achievements — along with the award of a senior doctorate from the University of Wales.  

It follows his career to Swansea, then on to the Institution of Electrical Engineers and to the British Computer Society and then finally to the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust as its paid General Manager… and when the Trust's finances became so desperate that he could no longer afford to pay himself he became its voluntary Chairman.

The University citation concludes with: "In 2009, Mike decided to give full rein to his passion for the UK’s amazing canal system by becoming more involved in actively working to support it.  He became CEO of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust, one of the UK’s most successful canal charities.  With over 4,000 members, the Trust has an amazing record of leading the restoration of the 100-mile waterway running from Bristol to London, having obtained the largest-ever government lottery grant (£25million) to fund the work.  Mike recently fired himself from this salaried position to become the (volunteer!) Chairman of the Trust’s Council, as the Trust seeks to determine how to fulfil its role in the twenty-first century."