The first disturbing answer is because a few other University bigwigs went too, so it’s keeping up with the Professor Joneses, did they hang with the arms dealers and telcos who shut down networks to help tyrants? From Politics Home the full list of CEO’s and the like who figured the best way of responding to region wide movements for democracy was to go on a junket with firms trying to flog arms to repressive governments-

Samir Brikho  CEO, AMEC

Steve Marshall  Chairman, Balfour Beatty

Graham Cartledge  Chairman, Benoy

Mouzan Majidi  CEO, Foster & Partners

Ben Gordon  CEO, Mothercare

Keith Howells  Chairman, Mott MacDonald

Chris Hyman  CEO, Serco

John Stanion  Chairman & CEO, Taylor Woodrow

Prof Malcolm Grant  President/Provost, UCL

Paul Skinner  CEO, Infrastructure UK

Bob Fryar  Executive Vice President for Production, BP

Ian Gray  Non-Exec Chairman of Vodafone Egypt

Philip Dilley  Chairman, Arup

Stuart Laing  Deputy Vice Chancellor, Cambridge University

Peter Gammie  CEO, Halcrow

Lord Darzi  Imperial College

Malcolm Brinded  Exec VP, Shell

John Peace  Chairman, Standard Chartered

Ian Conn  MD & CE, BP

Richard Barrett  Regional Director, Atkins

Rob Watson  Regional Director, Rolls Royce

Victor Chavez  Thales UK

Ian King  CEO, BAe Systems

Prof John Hughes  Vice Chancellor, Bangor University

Dean Webster  EO, Cyril Sweett

Michiel Soeting  Global Head of ENR/Oil & Gas, KPMG

Rob King  Development Director ME, the Edge

Shaun Carter  Regional Director, Carillion

Sam Laidlaw  CEO, Centrica

Charles Hughes  VP Marketing, Cobham Group

Dr Rajan Jethwa  CEO, Virgin Healthbank

Sir Frank Williams  Team Principal, Williams F1

Alastair Bisset  Group International Director, QinetlQ

Andy Pearson  MD, Babcock International Group

Elizabeth Reid  CEO, SSA Trust

Douglas Caster  CEO, Ultra Electronics

Bangor University’s mission statement is-

To be a world-class research-led university, to provide teaching and learning of the highest quality, and to contribute to the development of the economy, health and culture of a sustainable Wales and a sustainable world.

Now maybe I’m failing to read between the lines but I really can’t see ‘hang out with arms dealers’ in there, then again it makes no mention of ethics so maybe that’s absolutely tickety-boo. Vice-Chancellor of Bangor University, Professor John Hughes, or to give him his full title- John Hughes, also caused a fair bit of trouble when he was appointed-

A non-Welsh speaker is to be Bangor University’s new vice-chancellor despite calls for the post to reflect its Welsh-speaking community. Prof John Hughes, currently president of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, was described as “a proven leader” by the university’s council. Prof Hughes has undertaken to learn Welsh, the council added.

Language campaigners said the university “no longer deserved to be described as a Welsh institution”.

Prof Hughes has been president of National University of Ireland (NUI) Maynooth since 2004, during which time, Bangor University said, he transformed its fortunes.

He raised its ranking from 10th to fourth in Ireland, tripling research income to 34m euros per year, and earning Maynooth the accolade of Sunday Times University of the Year in Ireland in 2008.

He has a strong reputation for working closely with industry and in the commercialisation of research – a partnership which he forged with Intel has been widely acclaimed.

Woohoo, ‘working closely with industry and in the commercialisation of research‘ so let’s see arms dealers, BP, fraudulent accountants, dictatorship loving phone companies and tax dodgers, oh my I’ve got something in my eye *sniff*, such a dynamic group of truly sustainable corporations working towards a sustainable world full of sustainable wars, pollution and corporate crime, it’s so wonderful! I can’t wait to find out how he commercialises research and what industries he has Bangor University work closely with given this towering ethical record. Hey wait a minute, is that what the ‘Vice’ means in Vice-Chancellor? Ooh they’re clever, hiding in plain sight, cunning. He’s threatening to eclipse Cardiff University’s school of engineering with their close involvement with the biggest arms fair in Wales, what a go-getter. Soon perhaps students will be able to say ‘while I’m in extreme debt at least I know I helped to contribute towards the profits of an institution dedicated to wiping out human life’. A sustainable world indeed.

PS. And Mothercare? It’s cradle to grave profit making for these serial entrepreneurs. Awesome.