Ruth Kelly, the former Secretary of State for Education, is to join the staff of St Mary’s University, Twickenham as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise.
She is the latest famous Catholic woman to take on a role at the Catholic institution in recent months after Mary McAleese, the former President of Ireland, and Cherie Booth, leading barrister and wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Ms Kelly’s new role, a full-time post, will include her boosting funding and building partnerships with the Government and businesses across the world.
The mother of four, who is understood to be a member of Opus Dei, has been out of the public eye for the past five years working for HSBC, most recently as global head of client strategy.
“I greatly enjoyed my time working in the City but education is an enduring passion and this was an opportunity I had to seize,” she said in a statement.
She will work alongside McAleese, a Distinguished Professor in Irish Studies at St Mary’s and Booth who is a visiting professor. Other “big names” to be appointed as visiting professors in recent months include Sir Clive Woodward, Rugby World Cup-winning coach, Kevin Hyland, the Government’s anti-trafficking tsar and Mgr Roderick Strange, departing rector of the Beda College, Rome and Newman scholar.
The appointments follow that of Francis Campbell, former British Ambassador to the Holy See, as vice-chancellor at St Mary’s last year.
Above: Ms Kelly. Photo: Andrew Skudder
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