The barrister who acted for 24,000 former shopworkers when Woolworths failed to consult on mass redundancies has been appointed as Dean of the Faculty of Business, Law and Politics at the University of Hull.
Now a part-time judge, Professor Stephen Hardy specialised in employment, equality and trade union law, while also building an academic career over the past 27 years.
He has risen from PhD student, serving as research associate, lecturer, senior lecturer, reader, professor, deputy and head of department prior to this appointment, at institutions in London, Staffordshire, Manchester, Coventry, and overseas.
Prof Hardy said he is looking forward to “engaging with the region” and “helping prepare the next generation of lawyers, politicians, entrepreneurs and public servants”.
“Hull has always been a forward-thinking university, but I see a massive opportunity for the faculty to increase its engagement with businesses, both regionally and nationally.
“We know that business, politics and law can all make a major contribution to our communities and enable social justice, which in turn helps businesses realise their own corporate social responsibility.
“When it comes to business, political and legal engagement, I am focused on synergies – not silos – and connecting them together is exactly what we will be doing.”
He is looking forward to being part of the faculty that delivers applied and policy-related research, as well as learning and teaching.
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Prof Hardy said the research power would “underpin and inform” all its learning and teaching, and added he was keen to hear from the region’s businesses on any new partnership and collaborative opportunities.
“Hull is unique in so many ways,” he said. “The city has so much to offer – both for students, its residents and the business community.
“As a faculty, my focus now is to show businesses everything that the University of Hull can offer them.”
Prof Hardy's arrival follows that of Prof Ben Hughes, a globally recognised leading academic in the field of low carbon engineering and building, who is to head the engineering department.