Margaret Casely-Hayford

Margaret Casely-Hayford grew up in London with her parents and three brothers, coming of age politically during the Cold War. She studied Law at Somerville College, Oxford University, and was called to the Bar in 1983 before joining Denton Hall (now Dentons), where she specialised in planning law.

Casely-Hayford spent twenty years at the firm, and in 1998 was made partner — becoming the first Black woman to hold that position at any City of London law firm. She went on to serve as Director of Legal Services and Company Secretary at the John Lewis Partnership from 2006 to 2014, work that helped shape the legislative changes underpinning the Employee Ownership Trust model still widely used by British businesses today.

In 2017 she was appointed Chancellor of Coventry University, its first female Chancellor, a role she held for two terms until 2024, during which the university achieved a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework. She also chaired Shakespeare's Globe from 2018 to 2024, leading the theatre through the pandemic and its reopening, and chaired the international development charity ActionAid UK.

In direct response to the murder of George Floyd, Casely-Hayford co-founded the charity Gallery of Living History with actor Andy Serkis, dedicated to uncovering the stories of unsung community contributors. She continues to serve on the boards of the Department for Education and the Oxford Street Development Corporation, and champions access to Oxbridge for talented Black students through Target Oxbridge.