Dame Mary Richardson DBE

Dame Mary Richardson received an honorary degree of Doctor of Education in recognition of her outstanding contribution to education. Despite almost followinga military career, Dame Mary trained as a teacher and taught in a primary and a secondary school in

St Albans. Then, as head teacher of a secondary school in a deprived area of Brent, she turned the school around. In 1999, she was invited to become the Chief Executive of the HSBC Global Education Trust, a position she held for nearly 20 years. Resident in St Albans,

Dame Mary continues to hold positions on a number of boards and grant-making trusts.