The Faculty welcomes the election of Mrs Nicola Padfield MA, Dip Crim, DES as the Master of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. Mrs Padfield is to take office on 1 October 2013, upon the retirement of Professor Robert Lethbridge after eight years in office.
Mrs Padfield has been a Fellow of Fitzwilliam College since 1991 and is Reader in Criminal and Penal Justice in the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge. She was called to the Bar in 1978, and is a Recorder of the Crown Court and a Bencher of the Middle Temple.
Professor Robert Lethbridge, Master, said: "The College is delighted and I am confident that Nicky Padfield, who understands Fitzwilliam from within, will take the College from strength to strength in all aspects of its life and work. The election of the first woman as Master is a significant moment in our history."
Nicola Padfield said: "I am delighted and honoured to be entrusted with this responsibility. I am eager to devote much of my energy over the coming years to Fitzwilliam, building on the outstanding work of Robert Lethbridge. The College is an extraordinary community of talented people, extending well beyond its current students and beyond Cambridge. On a more personal level, it will also be a happy return for my husband, Christopher, who was an undergraduate in the College."
Fitzwilliam College is a dynamic, international community committed to developing the talents of all its students, numbering some 750 (including postgraduates). It was founded in 1869 specifically to broaden access to Cambridge.