Professor Jenny Higham shares her St George’s journey as she begins a new chapter

Published: 21 July 2024

On 31 July, Professor Jenny Higham will be leaving St George’s to take up the role of Vice-Chancellor at University of Suffolk. Jenny joined St George’s over 8 years ago, becoming the first female Principal and first-ever Vice-Chancellor, and has been responsible for directing all activities and developments at the university.

We spoke to Jenny about her time at St George’s and her hopes for the future.

First impressions

Reflecting on the beginning of her career at St George’s, Jenny said: “I joined St George’s at the very end of 2015, and something I've always done whenever I arrive in a new place is to jot down, in an informal way, my impressions of a place. That’s because once you get embedded, you don’t see things with the same freshness that you do when you first arrive.

“It was clear from the start that St George’s had an important purpose, but there were things that needed to change.

“One of the things that had struck me first was the setup of my own office which was accessed through some back offices, tumbling over the bins, a photocopier and fire extinguisher. The next task for any visitor was navigating through the external outer office, occupied by the secretary. Also, there was nowhere for people to wait and no privacy for those who did not relish secretarial inspection. This all signalled a leadership that was remote and difficult to access for both staff and visitors.

“A joint private provider had also taken up a large premium space (where Pret is now), upgraded it for the sole use of their students, further highlighting the many other shabby areas. It was not only their estate, but the partnership itself that needed tackling...

“There were other macro issues such as no diversity in the leadership, and I got the impression that decisions were kept quite remote from most people.

“I really like the people at St George’s and always have. I've really loved the friendliness and loyalty to the organisation shown by so many people. When I arrived, they made me feel very welcome and that has been enormously helpful and sustaining throughout my time here.”

Empowering change

Speaking about the changes that have occurred since joining, Jenny said: “The way I like to conduct my flavour of leadership is by enabling other people to be as good as they can be. I don't believe in single heroic leadership because one person, even if they work all the hours, can't influence anywhere near as much or make as much change as a whole team.

“My ethos is the more people know, feel involved and share information, the more they're empowered to do what they can. The more they understand how the organisation works, the more that they can help each other from their own discrete areas of responsibility. I also think it’s important there isn’t a divide between professional services staff and academic staff. I believe they are equally talented, but in different ways, in different domains, all making significant contributions.

“Another thing that has been useful to me, is that I love the fact that I can talk to people whilst I get my coffee in the kitchen or whilst walking around. I get so much information from chatting to staff from all levels, and those incidental interactions help me to understand how people are feeling and what's going on in an unfiltered way.”

Something rather special

Sharing what she is most proud of, Jenny said: “I would say the overall enhancement of so many areas and I think that we have been on a collaborative transformational journey together.

“I think that our lack of larger amounts of financial resource have hampered us, but within that we have done as well as we possibly could have done, and it's been a joint endeavour. We've got fantastic students and they've acted as very proud ambassadors for us and still do so in their graduate life.

“I'm proud that we've expanded the range of educational courses and opportunities, and the undergraduate and postgraduate portfolios have also diversified. Students come out of St George’s with a great education, and they have purpose. I think the times in my career that I found most satisfying are when I've had purpose. Additionally, who would not be proud of our research and its impact, and our expanded enterprise and knowledge exchange activities?

“Internally, I wanted to engender a greater sense of pride and confidence, and also to take our wares out to share them beyond. Obviously, we all need to do the day job well, but wherever possible linking with relevant external bodies not only brings new ideas, but also enhances the George’s reputation and visibility.

“I'm also really proud that the friendly St George's vibe has been maintained throughout and that's something rather special.”

A supportive partnership

Discussing the important relationship St George’s shares with the Trust, Jenny said “It's been a privilege to sit on what was St George's Trust Board, that's now become GESH (George’s, Epsom & St Helier), and I have still practiced regularly in the Trust as a clinician in small way, which kept me in touch with my roots.

“Although partnerships can bring trials and tribulations, it's also an enormous strength, and being on the board and knowing intimately the commitments that the Trust has, their priorities and trying to find common meeting points, thus making those as good as they can be. I don't take that for granted.”

Looking to the future

Sharing her thoughts and hopes for the future of City St George's, Jenny said: “In the short term, a merger like this is always challenging as well as exciting, and I know that some of our community will be finding it difficult which I feel sorry about. But I think focusing on the long term strategy is definitely the right thing to do. I believe that the world is multifaceted and multidisciplinary, and that we can learn a lot from each other.

“Earlier on in my career, I had a part in bringing Charing Cross and Westminster and St Mary’s Medical Schools into Medicine at Imperial. And many of the elements that we've seen in our merger about heritage, people and organisations were part of that.

“A number of months ago, I got invited back to a celebratory event for 25 years of the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial. It was a wonderful moment to pause and reflect. Having the long view and the perspective of how bringing those areas together, working as part of the wider university meant that what had been achieved was undoubtedly greater than what the individual schools could have done alone. I found it really uplifting and I hope that in years to come, we'll be invited back to a similar event and say, look at what we've achieved together at City St George’s.”

Looking to her future as Vice-Chancellor at University of Suffolk and what she will miss, Jenny said: “I love change. I love challenges. And it's time now for something else.

“I will miss the people, definitely the people, staff, NHS colleagues, students - everybody. All members of the St George's family. Thank you all so much. It's been a blast and I'm very proud.”

Jenny has left a lasting impression on many of our staff, students and alumni, working widely across the organisation. She has been an advocate of equality throughout her time here, leading the internal transformation of the university and raising its external profile. Thank you, Jenny, for all you have done.