Emeritus Professor Peter Cooke has passed away.

Cooke died on Thursday, November 3.

From 2007 to 2013 he was KPMG Professor of Automotive Management and Head of Centre at Buckingham University. 

Cooke was an expert on the automotive and fleet sector, and has been a major contributor to Fleet News over the years.

Former colleague and successor Professor Colin Tourick said: "Peter has been one of the great names of automotive education for decades. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the industry and amongst his many published works was one of the first books on fleet management.

"We first started working together 20 years ago when he was at Nottingham Business School. When he moved to Buckingham we worked closely on a number of initiatives, including the Buckingham Automotive Forum, which ran for many years and brought together senior people from across the industry to discuss the key issues of the day. On a personal level, it was Peter who first encouraged me to get involved with the academic world. I owe him a great deal.

"I will miss his knowledge, wit, and perhaps most of all his great sense of humour."

The University of Buckingham said: "Peter was held in high regard by all that came into contact with him.  He was a consultant for the automotive industry, appearing as an expert witness in high profile cases on more than one occasion. 

"Peter was a Winston Churchill Memorial Fellow (since 2002) and a governor of Motability, a non-executive director of Remploy for 7 years and a former Vice Chairman of trustees for the Governments Independent Living Fund.   He was also the author of a dozen books and many journal articles and automotive reports.

"Peter will be sadly missed by his friends and colleagues at the University for his positive outlook on life, his desire to make a difference and not least his endearing sense of humour."

The university has opened a condolences book, which can be signed online at http://www.buckingham.ac.uk/latest-news/professor-peter-cooke/.