Michele Acton to Become New Head of St Hugh’s College

Trinity Alumna Michele Acton will become Principal of St Hugh’s College, Oxford, from September 2025.

Michele Acton is Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Medicine, a post that she has held since 2019. She leads an organization that provides multidisciplinary and specialist education to healthcare professionals around the world, is home to an academic library and a leading medical journal, as well as hosting international events and conferences. Her leadership at the RSM comes after 12 years as Chief Executive of Fight for Sight, which she helped transform into a leading national fundraising charity for medical research into eye health. She came up in 1985 to read PPE, and has remained heavily involved in college life. 

Michele says of her appointment: ‘I am delighted and honoured to have been elected as the next Principal of St Hugh’s College and to join a community that combines academic excellence with such a friendly, welcoming and inclusive environment.  Reducing the barriers to an Oxford education was the principle upon which the College was founded and it is one I will work hard to uphold.’