People features

Jacinda Humphry

Jacinda Humphry became the University’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in January. Before working at Sussex, Jacinda operated at executive level across a number of government departments, most recently as Finance and Commercial Director at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

We spoke with Jacinda to learn more about her and what drew her to Sussex.

I have spent my career working in the public sector and I think of myself as someone with public sector values. The CFO role is my first in the higher education sector. After 30 years in central government, with 15 of those in Director roles, I felt it was time for a change. I have been given a completely warm welcome by everybody I have met so far. People have been really kind.

As I went through the interview process, I became more enthusiastic the more I learned about the University and I found myself excited to be part of this community. Visiting the fantastic campus and meeting Professional Services colleagues, academics and senior leaders made me feel that this is a place I could get behind and a role I really want to do.

I am finding the University world fascinating and I am learning a lot. In my first couple of weeks especially I received so much new information and was introduced to different ways of working. As I continue to settle in I am seeing how the skills and knowledge I gained through previous experience will be of use here. I get to work across all areas of the University, supporting both strategic and tactical decisions. I have not had a day without a really interesting set of issues or information to work through.

One important piece of advice I have received is to not be afraid of being the new person or acknowledging you have got lots to learn. Colleagues have encouraged me to ask questions that might seem obvious, or to ask multiple people the same question to develop a nuanced perspective. I appreciate that people have been very generous with their time.

I moved to East Sussex four and a half years ago. When I relocated to St Leonards-on-Sea, I thought that it would be nice to find a values-driven role closer to home, to help me feel more connected to the place.

Outside of work, I spend a lot of time with friends and family socialising, enjoying live music, and walking. There are so many fabulous walks around Sussex and I find a stroll along the seafront on a regular basis very grounding. I feel calmer being next to the sea – I would like to pick up sea swimming again regularly soon. I have three kids who are grown up and no longer live at home, but they love visiting with their friends and partners now I am by the sea!

One thing that surprised me about Sussex is how big our campus is. Before interviewing for my current role, my last visit here had been for an interview when I was applying to do my own degree a long time ago (I ended up at the University of Warwick). I had a picture in my head of a small, contained campus. When you are younger places are meant to seem bigger but it was the opposite in this case. The University feels expansive with so much going on.

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