Centenary events
Brookfield opening
Brookfield opening
The £15.8 million restoration of the University of Leicester Business School (ULSB)’s home was formally opened with a special ceremony on Thursday 27 January 2022.
Set in seven acres in the historic Stoneygate Conservation Area, Brookfield was sympathetically restored to offer a variety of state-of-the-art learning and teaching spaces, including a Harvard-style lecture theatre and the ULSB Trading Room, all focused on creating an outstanding environment for students and researchers alike.
The ceremony was lent special significance in the University’s Centenary year as Brookfield was once home to Thomas Fielding Johnson, founding benefactor of the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland University College.
Brookfield House was built in 1870 and served as Fielding Johnson’s family residence. Descendants of the prominent Victorian business leader unveiled a specially-commissioned portrait in his honour.
The event also featured a keynote speech and Q&A by guest of honour Sam Barnett, a Leicester alumnus and successful entrepreneur in the field of technology and big data – areas of strategic focus for the School of Business.
27/01/2022 - Professor Dan Ladley, Dean of the Business School, Professor Henrietta O'Connor, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, and Guest of Honour, Leicester alumnus Sam Barnett, plant a tree to mark the official opening of the new Business School.
27/01/2022 - Guest of Honour, Leicester alumnus Sam Barnett (LLB Law, 2004), former President of technology talent investment fund Entrepreneur First, and founder of RESOLVE, which provides scientists with the most effective path to roll out carbon capture and storage solutions.
27/01/2022 - Guests at the official launch of the new Business School could learn about the site’s history from displays and Student Ambassadors.
27/01/2022 - Current ULSB students were on hand at the official opening to tell guests about Brookfield and the Business School.
27/01/2022 - Professor Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice-Chancellor, chats with Dr Fabrizio Adriani, Associate Professor in Economics and Financial Economics (L) and Professor Richard Thomas, Dean of Research, College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities (R).
27/01/2022 - Among the invited guests was Mr Dan Harrison, Chairman of Leicestershire County Council.
27/01/2022 - Professor Dan Ladley, Dean of the Business School, described the School’s many successes to the assembled guests.
27/01/2022 - The plaque was unveiled by Professor Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice-Chancellor, and Sam Barnett, entrepreneur and Leicester alumnus. Also in attendance were Professor Dan Ladley, Dean of the Business School, and Professor Henrietta O'Connor, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities.
27/01/2022 - Professor Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice-Chancellor, with descendants of Thomas Fielding Johnson, the University’s founding benefactor, who lived at Brookfield. The newly commissioned portrait of Fielding Johnson hangs in the Business School reception.