A senior health manager from New Zealand working in the UK is facing an inquiry into his qualifications, the BBC has revealed .
Mason Fitzgerald is due to become chief executive of the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) in April.
But, the trust confirmed to the BBC it was carrying out an independent review into claims that a master's of law degree from the University of Georgia in the US that Fitzgerald listed on several documents had, in fact, never been awarded.
BBC Look East journalists Nikki Fox and Matt Precey, who broke the story, approached the University of Georgia where Fitzgerald studied from 1999 to 2000 to confirm his degree. The university said he had attended but never graduated.
The degree qualification appears on at least three annual reports submitted by both NSFT, a mental health trust, and the East London Foundation Trust, where Fitzgerald was previously director of corporate affairs and director of planning and performance.
Originally from New Zealand, Fitzgerald told the BBC he could not comment while the inquiry was taking place.
"There is an ongoing review and it is, therefore, not appropriate for me to make a public statement," he said.
An entry on his LinkedIn page stating his qualification from the University of Georgia has recently been changed to say "degree not awarded".
The BBC confirmed Fitzgerald’s bachelor's of laws degree with the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, but reports he currently does not have a licence to practise in the country.
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