Mr Pasquale Pistorio, former President and Chief Executive Officer, STMicroelectronics, will be honoured with the degree of Doctor of Engineering at the 11.15 am ceremony.
The degree is in recognition of his contributions to the microelectronics industry.
In 1980 Pasquale became Chief Executive of the Italian microelectronics company SGS. In 1987 he integrated Italian state-owned SGS and French state-owned Thomson Semiconducteurs, forming SGS-Thomson Microelectronics.
Today the company is the fifth largest microelectronics company in the world, employing 50,000 people working across four continents and with an annual turnover of nearly $10 billion, sustaining its technology and innovation with an annual R&D investment of $1.6 billion.
Pasquale has been a leading figure in the development of the microelectronics industry. His vision and energy have enabled him to create one of the world's leading high-technology companies. In doing so, he has created half of Europe's microelectronics industry, attracting global companies and facilitating the start-up companies of others.
Pasquale has received many honours, including Italy's Cavaliere del Lavoro and France's Officier de la Legion d'Honneur alongside awards such as the Green Hero Lifetime Achievement Award. Since retiring as Chief Executive of STMicroelectronics, he has become its Honorary Chairman. He sits on numerous boards including that of Telecom Italia, and advises the Italian, French and Singapore governments.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville, businessman, politician and champion of science in universities, will be honoured with the degree of Doctor of Laws at the 2.30 pm ceremony.
The degree is in recognition of his success as a leader in business, the arts, science, philanthropy, politics and public service.
Lord Sainsbury was born into the fourth generation of the family that founded the Sainsbury’s grocery and provisions business. When he became Finance Director in 1973, the Group had annual sales of £300 million, profits of £11 million and net assets of £250 million. When he left as Chairman in 1998, the group had annual sales of £14.5 billion, profits of over £700 million and net assets of over £4 billion.
Lord Sainsbury is also the patron of Bristol Neuroscience, which supports the University in maintaining and developing Bristol as a world-class centre for research into the nervous system and the development of new treatments for neurological disorders and disease.
In his capacity as Minister for Science, Lord Sainsbury has been a great supporter and champion of research and enterprise in ways that have had a direct and visible impact on the University of Bristol as well as higher education in general.
An honorary degree is a major accolade, awarded in recognition of outstanding achievement and distinction in a field or activity consonant with the University’s mission.