The Fellows of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, have voted to appoint Mary Hockaday as Master, to take up post on 1 October 2022.
Mary Hockaday has had a distinguished career in broadcast journalism and is an Honorary Fellow at Trinity Hall where she studied English. She will be the first woman to take up the role of Master at Trinity Hall in its 670-year history.
She left the BBC in 2021 after a long career in news journalism. Most recently she was Director of BBC World Service and for several years was Controller of BBC World Service English, responsible for the BBC’s radio and digital audio services in English for audiences around the world.
Mary Hockaday’s previous role was as Head of the BBC Newsroom, overseeing the BBC’s flagship daily television and radio news bulletins, and news online. She has held a variety of other positions in the BBC, including Editor of BBC World Service News from 2001 to 2006.
Vice-Master Dr Daniel Tyler, who chaired the Appointments Committee and has been Acting Head of House since August 2021, said: “We are delighted to announce Mary Hockaday as our Master. She brings a wealth of leadership experience from her distinguished career at the BBC and a passion and vision for the life of the College. This outstanding appointment begins an exciting new chapter in the history of Trinity Hall.”
Mary Hockaday said: “I am deeply honoured to be elected as Master of Trinity Hall. I look forward to working with every part of this wonderful community, students, Fellows, staff and alumni.
“We have a great responsibility to educate future generations and prepare them for a changing world, contribute to the advancement of knowledge and global research at the highest level, and serve the wider world.
“Trinity Hall is an ancient college with forward-looking ambition and it will be a joy to be part of such a welcoming community.”
Mary Hockaday currently lives in London and has two adult children. She has a love of music and walking and is the author of a biography of Milena Jesenskà, twentieth-century Czech journalist and muse of Franz Kafka.
