If Margaret Casely-Hayford CBE were to be elected as Oxford’s Chancellor, she would be both the first woman and ethnic minority to rise to the symbolic helm of the University. Her candidacy carries momentous potential but has not been without disparagement, she recognises: “Some people see me as the ‘diversity champion’, the ‘diversity advocate,’ and, to an extent, I don’t really mind that to some it’s meant to be a criticism.”
Speaking to Cherwell, Casely-Hayford touched on her vision for the chancellorship, her experiences as the first black woman to become a partner at a City law firm, and her nomination to join the until recently exclusively male Garrick Club.
In terms of university chancellorships, this would not be Casely-Hayford’s first. She has already served as Chancellor of Coventry University for seven years. Regarding the current crisis facing the higher education sector, with a drop in international student numbers and frozen tuition fees leaving many universities struggling, Casely-Hayford spoke about Oxford’s place in the debate, despite its comparative financial strength:
“Oxford has a fantastic position in being recognised as the best university in the country and the world, so the voice of its leadership really carries an enormous amount of weight and responsibility. The higher education sector is in a really precarious position, it needs now to be championed.
“We’ve spent a lot of time saying, the benefit is earning more: ‘learn more, earn more.’ But it’s more than the benefit to the individual, there’s a huge raft of data required to ensure that people really see the social benefit, the health benefit, the culture benefit, and economic benefits to the country.”
Casely-Hayford stressed the need for iconic institutions, such as Oxford, not to “rest on their laurels”, rather to use their influence in uniting the sector. She reflected on her work as chair of Shakespeare’s Globe during the Covid pandemic:
“We realised that if we talked to government, as a unifying voice on behalf of all of theatre and all the arts, about the importance of the way the arts attract income into the country and benefit the public then that would help the Treasury’s thinking about how we support the arts.
“The government’s Cultural Recovery Fund was launched from our stage at The Globe, I thought that was incredibly symbolic of the fact that we were not being self-serving.”
The chancellorship race has become increasingly politically charged over recent months, with the high-profile candidacies of Labour stalwart Peter Mandelson and former Conservative leader William Hague.
Casely-Hayford, a lawyer by profession, has no such political background. Reflecting on the political character of the race, she said: “I think that the role of chancellor is intended to be a unifying, symbolic, ceremonial one. All of the colleges and halls have their own identity, but the unifying concept is the University.
“For individuals to enter the race who clearly have a political agenda, a political mandate that they push, is unfortunate. I do think, however, that, having a voice, a knowledge of politics and a political astuteness is an integral part of being in the role.”
Casely-Hayford studied Law at Somerville during her undergraduate years, “when it wasn’t co-ed”, she adds. “I just loved my time. I think I was probably far too sociable, but it has meant that I’ve had some amazing enduring friendships and have an incredible network.
“Although people are really collegiate, there’s also this sort of wider blanket of warmth. I really was welcomed, and I didn’t feel outside of anything.”
Casely-Hayford’s career began in the City, where she rose through the ranks at the law firm Dentons, and was the first black woman to be a partner at a City law firm. Reflecting on her experiences in the corporate sector, she said: “I’m so old that when I first started working, women in the City were still a rarity, and being a black woman in the City was like hen’s teeth.
“If I’m honest, it was a lonely position, and it made me tough because I had to be. I had to learn through my experience how to not be that ‘tough guy’ who never leaves the office.
“Women were expected to behave like men, for example, I remember one of my colleagues going off to a meeting when she was about 8 ¾ months pregnant. I just kept thinking, ‘go home and have a rest,’ and she wouldn’t do it because she was expected to go to the wire.
“The City was a tough place, and, gradually, we’ve all learned to be better. The younger generation is fantastic, because they do think about the fact that people need headspace to be able to perform better, and you don’t get headspace if you’re worried, anxious, nervous, or personally minimized.”
In previous interview, Casely-Hayford described her Somerville law tutor Dr Ann de Moor as an inspiration, recalling that de Moor had been “disappointed that I’d become ‘just a City lawyer’, telling me that she had expected more of me because of what I’d said about social justice years before, at my interview.”
Asked by Cherwell whether she had, in hindsight, stayed true to those social justice beliefs she had once held close, Casely-Hayford said: “You probably can hear from what I’ve said that my beliefs haven’t changed!”
She added: “In my interview I had been asked ‘where do you see yourself in ‘x’ number of years, and I said, ‘I want to be secretary general of the United Nations.’ So, when I went back to tell my tutor Ann de Moor that I’d been made a partner at a City law firm, she looked crestfallen and I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, I’ve let Ann down, she had faith and expected more.’
“It was that experience that, in a way, made me throw my hat in the ring to become chair of ActionAid UK, an incredible international development organization that strives to end world poverty.”
Earlier this year, Casely-Hayford was one of seven women nominated to become the first female members of the Garrick Club, a London private members’ club which counts many legal professionals and members of the judiciary among its fold.
Speaking about the historic decision, Casely-Hayford said: “I’ve been to the Garrick a number of times for dinner or lunch, and it’s wall to wall carpeted with talent.
“I’m not saying that a group of people can’t form a club that’s just for them, if that’s what they want to do. But what I am saying is that the Garrick’s different because it has leading actors, leading lawyers and judges, all of whom are men. It’s important to consider the impact that camaraderie might have elsewhere.
“But it’s also to do with the fact that I’ve been incredibly thrilled when young people, who don’t necessarily come from a background that has a strong social network have said to me, ‘can you help me with something,’ or ‘can you give me some advice?’
“And I’m able to say, ‘I don’t actually know very much about that, but I know someone who does.’ If that’s a contribution I am able to make to their life, I think that I’d be happy with that.”
Casely-Hayford describes the position of Chancellor as “the world’s oldest glass ceiling,” pointing to the role’s 950 year-long history: “I think it would just be refreshing to look at somebody who’s different, but that’s not my asking for a free pass because of my gender and my ethnicity.
“I have been a Chancellor: I understand the symbolic and ceremonial aspects, I love and cherish the historic legacy, but I am also willing to push boundaries, test norms, and would champion those who want to do so within the university, whether it’s for the betterment of society, academe, or individuals, or even the environment.
“I hope I can bring all of that to make me, at least, in with a decent chance at becoming Oxford’s next Chancellor.”
