New Chancellor for Sheffield Hallam University

6th April 2018

Sheffield Hallam University is delighted to announce that, following the retirement of its current Chancellor Professor the Lord Robert Winston later this year, its new Chancellor will be Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, renowned barrister and human rights champion.

Baroness Kennedy is a leading barrister and, in an outstanding career, has acted in many of the most prominent British criminal cases of the last 40 years, including the Brighton bombing attack on the British cabinet, the Guildford Four Appeal and the Michael Bettaney espionage case. She is currently Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford a position she retires from later this year. In 1997, she was made a life peer in the House of Lords. Baroness Kennedy already has a well-established relationship with Sheffield Hallam, as the patron of its world-leading Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice and recipient of an honorary doctorate in 2014. Speaking about her appointment, she said: "I am thoroughly privileged to be taking up the role of Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University. Having worked closely with the University for a number of years and seen it go from strength to strength, it will be a pleasure to play a role in the next stage of its evolution. "I feel fortunate to already be part of the University community and look forward to strengthening that bond through my Chancellorship. I was honoured to be asked to be the University's next Chancellor and look forward to getting to know even more of our community of staff, students and alumni. "I am a firm believer in the power of education and have seen first-hand how the work of Sheffield Hallam transforms lives all over the world. It will be a pleasure to be Chancellor of this University, whose vision, values and ambition match my own." Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Husbands said: "I am really looking forward to working with Helena, whose track record and commitment to education speaks for itself. She is a formidable person and her insight and knowledge will be invaluable as we continue to deliver our Transforming Lives strategy. "I would also like to express my thanks, and that of the University, to Professor the Lord Winston. His service as our Chancellor for the past seventeen years has been remarkable, during which time his commitment to Sheffield Hallam, our students and wider community, has been outstanding. "He has been a distinguished ambassador for the University; his genuine interest in the achievements of our students and the work of the University has always been apparent. I thank him for his work in representing and advocating for Sheffield Hallam over the years.  It has been an enormous personal privilege to work with him." Professor the Lord Winston said: "It has been an extraordinary honour to serve as the Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University during the last 17 years. During that time, I have seen the University grow in stature and flourish. "I have been humbled by meeting tens of thousands of our students at their graduation. I have constantly been most proud at their success and have watched their progress with the deepest admiration. One of the most satisfying aspects of being their Chancellor has been meeting so many of them on my travels, often long after their graduation, and learning at first-hand how much the University has meant to them and how it has enhanced their lives. "This University is increasingly influential and I look forward to seeing it continue ever upwards. I am truly delighted that Helena Kennedy is taking on this privileged role as its Chancellor. The University could not have chosen a wiser or a better human being.  "It remains to me to thank the excellent staff and the community of the University for their warmth and massive support during my appointment." Baroness Kennedy will become our third Chancellor when Professor the Lord Winston steps down. He took up the post following Sir Bryan Nicholson's tenure between 1992-2001. A ceremony to install the new Chancellor is being planned for later this year.