Sir Stephen Fry

After a spectacularly popular and successful term as President of Queens’ College, it is wonderful to see that Professor El-Erian has put himself forward for the role of Chancellor of the University.

I have had the pleasure over the years, as an honorary fellow of Queens’, to watch Mohamed and see him at work.

He has a most wonderful touch with fellows, graduates, undergraduates and staff.

With a high sense of the pastoral as well as academic and administrative roles that the headship of a college entails, he proved himself a fine negotiator, a sensitive listener and an open and amenable guide and leader.

Not surprisingly, given his discipline, he was more than across any of the financial and budgetary elements of the role too.

He has co-chaired the University’s Capital Campaign, of course, so fund-raising is an area of academic leadership with which he is greatly familiar. His reputation and standing in his field of economics is extraordinarily high.

The BBC’s flagship journalism program, Today, has come to rely on his rare gifts of independent analysis and expert interpretation. In the role of Chancellor his presentational skills, articulacy and ease at the microphone will prove very useful given the inevitable spotlight under which Cambridge will come from time to time.

Above all, Professor El-Erian's calm, wise, unhurried and ego-free personality and style convinces me that he makes a superb candidate for this role, and I earnestly recommend him for your consideration.”