City leader honoured for work to promote growth and wellbeing in Exeter

A city leader has been honoured for his work over two decades to promote growth and wellbeing in Exeter and East Devon.

Karime Hassan has been involved with many of the significant city milestones and developments during the last twenty years, such as Princesshay and the Met Office. He has been awarded an honorary degree by the University of Exeter.

Mr Hassan, Chief Executive and Growth Director at Exeter City Council, set up the growth programme for Exeter and East Devon that has brought forward Cranbrook new town and Exeter Science Park and has worked to promote a knowledge economy in the city.

The chartered town planner, who has 35 years’ experience of working in local government, was born in 1962 in Cardiff’s dockland, known as Tiger Bay, one of Britain’s oldest multi-cultural communities. Mr Hassan has a degree in Town and Country Planning from Nottingham Polytechnic (now Trent), and an MSc in Industrial and Public Planning Policy from Loughborough University.

Mr Hassan, who first joined Exeter City Council as chief planner in 1999, said: “It is an absolute privilege for me to receive the award of an honorary doctorate from the University of Exeter.  The University has been such an important part of my career at Exeter, it is the backbone of our local economy and has led our transformation from county town to knowledge economy; it is a remarkable institution.

“The University it is currently working with the city to develop a rich innovation eco-system to support business and our ambitions under the Local Industrial Strategy. The University’s influence touches on all aspects of the city, from education in our schools through to health outcomes at the RD&E and I am delighted that the contribution of the City Council in making Exeter such a great place is also being recognised by the University.”

Mr Hassan, a keen rugby fan and supporter of the Exeter Chiefs, has been instrumental in leading place-based transformational initiatives such as Well Being Exeter, the Sport England local delivery pilot and Exeter City Futures. He has six children and is married to Sharon.