On 8^th May, 2023, Ahmedabad-based architecture and planning institute, CEPT University announced the appointment of Barjor Mehta, an alumnus and former Director of the School of Planning, as the new President and Acting Director for a five-year term, commencing January 20, 2024. He succeeds Dr. Bimal Patel.

Barjor Mehta – an architect and urban planner, is World Bank’s Lead Urban Specialist for East Asia and the Pacific Region based in Singapore. Prior to this, he was based in World Bank’s country offices in China (2016-2020), India (2012-2016), and Tanzania (2009–2012). Between 2002 and 2009, he was in Washington DC where he worked on urban development initiatives in Eastern and Southern Africa, South Asia as well as the Middle-East and North Africa.

Sanjay Lalbhai, Chairperson of the Governing Body, welcomed Mehta, stating, “As a successful professional with global experience in urban planning and development, I am confident that he will carry forward the legacy and lead the institute to newer horizons.”

Mehta has previously served as the Associate Professor of Urban Planning (1990-1995) and Director of the School of Planning, CEPT (1995-1997). He holds a Diploma in Architecture from the School of Architecture, CEPT, and a Masters Degree in Human Settlements Planning from the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok.

CEPT University, formerly the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, is an academic institution located near university area in Ahmedabad, India, offering undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes in areas of natural and developed environment of human society and related disciplines.