Meet our 12 Inspirational Women Leading Business Education 2024
Cathy has built an esteemed track record of leadership at senior levels in UK business schools, having held roles as Deputy Director of Alliance Manchester Business School and Deputy Executive Dean of Leeds University Business School, before becoming Executive Dean of Durham University Business School in September 2022.
It’s not hard to see why. Alongside her leadership roles, she is known as an internationally renowned researcher in the field of organisational psychology, a champion of diversity, inclusion and organisational change, winning the respect of fellow academics and students alike.
Cathy holds a deep commitment to serving the global business education sector. She is a member of the Council of Trustees for the Chartered Association of Business Schools and has served on a number of accreditation panels for the various accrediting bodies, such as AMBA, AACSB and EQUIS.
Beyond your qualifications, what qualities do you believe have helped you in your career journey to the role you hold now?
It may not be the answer people expect, but the experience of being a working Mum throughout my entire career has enhanced my approach to work and my career journey. Being able to balance and juggle competing demands is a quality that translates across both spheres. Negotiating the demands of managing a family life alongside a busy career helps to put work into perspective.
Seeing my three children grow up, blossom into their own careers, and live relatively independently will always be one of my greatest achievements.
Gender parity in business education – and in business – is a far more possible reality than it once was, but progress is still slow. What more do you think needs to be done to make such aims achievable?
We need to be ever vigilant in striving for gender equality, especially in relation to how the cultures in our Business Schools work to enable people from all backgrounds to feel included.
“The experience of being a working Mum throughout my entire career has enhanced my approach to work and my career journey. Being able to balance and juggle competing demands is a quality that translates across both spheres.”
– Professor Cathy Cassell
I am increasingly convinced that inclusion should be the most important focus. We are all different from each other in numerous ways beyond gender. For example, increasingly we see more attention paid to neurodiversity in the workplace. Thinking constantly about how those in our schools – be they faculty or students – feel included should be a key priority.
We also need to be vigilant around our own learning, and be prepared to ask our colleagues and students what makes them feel included and what doesn’t.
What do you love about your work?
I have a passion for business schools; the knowledge we provide and the learning we deliver. As a Dean, no two days are the same and I get to work with inspirational colleagues and students who are keen to change the world. There is always something new to learn; someone interesting to meet; and some challenging problem to solve.
Most of all I love to see colleagues and students’ progress, enjoy their own successes, and those of our School.
What do you read or view for ideas and inspiration?
I am privileged to work with some great colleagues and there are always good ideas on the table. When you are interested in how work, business and leadership are organised, there are many popular TV series and films that create the opportunity for discussion.
My favourite business woman is Dolly Parton; talented, entrepreneurial, savvy, with the foresight to donate millions to important causes, such as the search for a covid vaccine and books for young children.
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