Helen Pennant, Chief Executive Officer, has led the Cambridge Trust since July 2013. She has always been fascinated by the diversity different cultures offer and has a strong belief in fair access to education for all.
At the Cambridge Trust, Helen leads strategic direction and creates opportunities for study and research through scholarship funding. Managing an endowment of £200 million and with around 1,400 students in residence each year from 85 countries, the Cambridge Trust has funded more than 20,000 postgraduate students since its founding over 40 years ago. Decisions about a scholarship can shape an individual’s entire life and Helen regards her role as an honour and a privilege to serve both the student body and the wider academic community.
With a background in government service, Helen has an international outlook and career experience. She studied French and History at the University of Oxford and spent five happy years in Paris as Labour and Education attaché at the British Embassy. She has been working in university environments since 2006 when she relocated to Canada and joined the University of British Columbia as Executive Director International. Helen was a trustee of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London from 2018 until 2021.
Helen enjoys many aspects of life in Cambridge including the opportunities it affords to work alongside some of the brightest minds in the world. This includes highly intelligent and accomplished colleagues and students, all of whom lend their thinking to new and innovative ideas that help us build a better picture of the future.
Helen is an Official Fellow and former Vice-President (2020-2024) of Clare Hall Cambridge.
