TWO senior figures at Medway’s new university have been elected to the chamber of commerce.

Jeff Brown, director of higher education at the University of Kent at Medway, is the new president of North Kent Chamber of Commerce, with Sylvia Meade, a marketing consultant who works for the university, becoming second vice-president.

Award-winning businessman Jay Choudhry, founder of the hearing aid company Puretone, based in Medway City Estate, is the chamber's first vice-president.

Mr Brown said: "This is a great honour for me personally and confirms the University of Kent's role in supporting the Thames Gateway's business community at a time of great challenge and opportunity."

Since his arrival at the university in 2000, Mr Brown has been responsible for overseeing the development of its Medway campus, including Bridge Wardens College, parts of Mid Kent College at Horsted, and Tonbridge.

He has extensive past experience in the education sector and is a member of the Institute of Directors, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Manufacturing.

He has also been training director for the North Kent Chamber, chairs the 2005 Trafalgar Group and is a Governor of Fort Pitt Grammar School for Girls.

Mr Choudhry, a former Kent Businessman of the Year, has attracted a number of celebrity clients for his firm's acoustic equipment.

He recently made a generous donation to the deaf children of The Holy Land Institute for the Deaf in Salt, Amman.

Mrs Meade is a former journalist and advertising executive who has lived in Rochester for the past 20 years.

She was formerly a director of Medway Chamber of Commerce prior to its enlargement to include Kent Thameside and Swale. She is a governor of Fort Pitt Grammar School for Girls and edits the chamber magazine.