Professor C. Justin Robinson, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus, has described the late Sir Aziz Hadeed as a steady and visionary leader whose influence helped shape the institution during its formative years.

In a personal statement issued following the death of Sir Aziz Hadeed, CBE, Robinson reflected on the businessman’s leadership as Chairman of The UWI Five Islands Campus Council and his longstanding commitment to higher education and national development.

“It is with a heavy heart that I learned today of the passing of Sir Aziz Hadeed, CBE, Chairman of The UWI Five Islands Campus Council, and a man whose imprint on this campus, and on me personally, will not be easily measured,” Robinson said.

Robinson noted that Sir Aziz became the first Chair of the campus council in 2019 before the university had fully opened its doors and remained at the helm through the COVID-19 pandemic and the institution’s early years of development.

“He carried that responsibility through a pandemic, through the campus’s most formative years, and through three Principalships,” Robinson stated. “He believed in Five Islands when belief itself was the scarcest resource.”

The university principal said Sir Aziz was known for his calm approach and thoughtful leadership style.

“What I will remember most is not the chairmanship, but the man behind it,” Robinson said. “Sir Aziz listened more than he spoke. He asked the questions others were afraid to ask, and he asked them gently.”

Robinson also recalled that Sir Aziz chaired a council meeting in March under the theme “Building Beyond Borders,” noting that none of those present realized it would be his final meeting.

“Antigua and Barbuda has lost one of its most thoughtful citizens,” Robinson said. “The Eastern Caribbean has lost a businessman who understood that wealth carries duty. The UWI has lost a Chairman who served without spectacle. And I have lost a friend and a steady hand.”

He extended condolences to Lady Hadeed and the wider Hadeed family, adding: “We are grieving with you.”

Sir Aziz Hadeed was widely regarded as one of Antigua and Barbuda’s leading businessmen and served as Chairman of the Hadeed Group of Companies and The UWI Five Islands Campus Council.