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St Hugh’s alumna Dame Helen Ghosh appointed new Master of Balliol

Dame Elish Angiolini, Principal of St Hugh’s, has offered her congratulations on behalf of the entire College to our alumna Dame Helen Ghosh (Modern History, 1973), who has been named as the next Master of Balliol College.

The Principal said: “This is a wonderful achievement. Dame Helen has contributed a great deal to our Development Board and I thank her for all of her work. I know she will make a distinguished contribution to Balliol College and I congratulate her on her appointment, and on being the first woman ever appointed Master of Balliol.”

Dame Helen read Modern History at St Hugh’s, before going on to complete an MLitt in 6^th century Italian History at Hertford College. Following her time at Oxford she joined the Civil Service, becoming Permanent Secretary at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and then the first female head of the Home Office.

Balliol’s Professor Frances Kirwan DBE FRS, Senior Fellow and Chair of the Mastership Committee, said: “I am very pleased to announce that the Mastership of the College has been offered to Dame Helen Ghosh DCB and she has accepted. She will be formally elected and presented to the Visitor in Michaelmas Term and will take up her post in April 2018. I would like to thank all Old Members who helped us with the election after my last message earlier in the year.”