Andrew Rudd

The Friends of the University of Sussex and the entire Sussex community are deeply saddened by the news that Andrew Rudd – alumnus, friend and generous Sussex benefactor – has passed away.

Andrew studied for a BSc in Mathematics at the University of Sussex in the late 60’s before taking an MSc in Operations Research, MBA and PhD at the University of California, Berkeley. From 1977 to 1982 Andrew was a Professor of Finance & Operations Research at Cornell University. He was also a former Professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

A leading authority on ‘modern portfolio theory’, Andrew developed a highly successful career. He co-founded the BARRA equity risk product employed by major financial institutions, which was bought by Morgan Stanley in 2004, and subsequently founded Advisor Software Inc., which became a leading provider of wealth management cloud platforms for financial institutions.

Andrew joined the Board of the American Friends of the University of Sussex in 2005, which he chaired for five years, and he and wife Virginia (Jinny) became regular visitors and close friends of the University. Passionate about research and education, Andrew and Virginia’s philanthropy has been transformational at Sussex.

Most notably, in 2014, in response to their personal interests in supporting children and families, their generosity enabled the establishment of a new research centre focused on world leading research, professional practice training and policy engagement to meet the needs of families and children in a changing world, which is now based at Cambridge University.

More recently, thanks to the generosity and vision of Virginia Rudd, last year Sussex launched the Andrew Rudd Scholarships Programme aimed at providing students leaving the care system the opportunity to fulfill their potential studying at Sussex. This was the largest gift for undergraduate students at Sussex.

Speaking about Andrew, the Vice-Chancellor said: “Whilst I have never had the pleasure of meeting Andrew personally, I have learned with great interest of his personal engagement with the University over the years. He is always spoken of with deep admiration, respect and fondness by those who knew him, and it is clear that we have much to thank him for. Andrew’s tenure as Chair of the Board of the Friends of the University of Sussex marked a watershed moment in Sussex’s alumni engagement and fundraising efforts in the US. I understand that it was his support and personal encouragement to increase our activity in the US that transformed the Board into the active network of engaged and committed members that it is today – something for which we will always be grateful.”

He will be very much missed, and we extend our heartfelt sympathy to our good friend Jinny and her family at this sad time.

Author: Marina Pedreira-Vilarino, Director of Development and Alumni Relations