Remembering Mike Leech
Tributes have been paid to Mike Leech, Keele's former Head of Estates, who has sadly died aged 77.
Mike was born in Audley on 5th July 1947, and lived in the village all his life. He began his career with an apprenticeship with How Group as a heating engineer. He learnt the trade and then moved into the offices designing heating systems, before joining Keele in July 1983 as a maintenance manager. He held a variety of roles in the Estates team, eventually working his way up to the role of Head of Estates, which he held until he retired in 2009.
His daughter Sue said: "Even when he was promoted to Head of Estates, he continued to lead by example. He knew how to do the jobs, and his colleagues and contractors respected him for it.
"True to dad, he threw his all into his job. I remember him doing lots of energy efficiency initiatives and saving money for the university. Plus, this was before it became "trendy" to do so. He was always forward thinking."
Mike recognised and embraced the talent in his staff and encouraged them to seek promotions when the jobs became available.
Sue added: "His door was always open to all the staff in the Estates department. He took part in social events and Christmas parties. He knew his colleagues and was there to support them professionally and privately."
Before his retirement, his many achievements included bringing forward the expansion of Keele's Science and Innovation Park between 2004 and 2009, and he was starting to plan the development of the site which is now home to Keele Business School, the Harper Keele Vet School, and the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel.
Mike retired in May 2009, and became a doting Grandad to Sue's daughter Sarah.
Sue added: "He was so proud of her and loved taking her out. Spending all his time with her. Sarah is 16 now, and one of the last things he said to Sarah before he died was how proud he was of her and said she'd excel in whatever she did. He had shared his love of cars, motorsports, and F1 with her, so she's training to be a mechanic."
