Catherine Ashton in a Portrait

Path into Politics

At Bedford College, Ashton studied economics and graduated in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. Before taking a job in management consulting in 1979, she worked as a secretary for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament after graduation. From 1983 to 1989, Ashton was director of Business in the Community, a group promoting corporate social responsibility and supporting cooperation between the public and private sectors. In the 1990s, she worked as a policy advisor until she was elected to head the Hertfordshire Health Authority in 1998. As Baroness Ashton of Upholland from St Albans in Hertfordshire, she was elected to the House of Lords the following year after being elevated to the peerage for life by Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Human Rights Issues

She focused on education and human rights issues throughout her parliamentary career. In 2001–2004, she held the position of Secretary of State at the Department for Education, and in 2002, she took over the leadership of the early learning initiative Sure Start. Ashton also took up the position of Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs in 2004. She was appointed to the Privy Council in May 2006, and in the same year she was awarded Politician of the Year by the gay and lesbian rights organisation Stonewall for her efforts to promote equality. In 2007, she was promoted to Leader of the House of Lords by Prime Minister Gordon Brown. She had a significant role in facilitating the passage of the EU Lisbon Treaty through the House of Lords. The next year, she was given the position of Trade Commissioner in the European Commission.

Strong Mediator in Crisis Situations

In her first days in office, Ashton faced criticism for having to define her role within the larger EU bureaucracy, especially in relation to Barroso and the European Commission. Her critics also criticised what they saw as her slow reaction to the events of the Arab Spring in 2010–2011. The European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU’s diplomatic arm, was established in 2011, and Eurosceptic politicians and External Action Service professionals questioned both the organisation’s goals and Ashton’s leadership. Over time, however, Ashton proved very effective in representing the sometimes competing goals of the 28 EU members. She led negotiations between the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo over a two-year period, which concluded in 2013 with a historic agreement to normalise relations between the two countries. She also facilitated bipartisan negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme. After her term expired in 2014, she was asked to continue coordinating the talks, as her personal involvement in these talks was considered very important.

In January 2017, Ashton took over as Chancellor of the University of Warwick after replacing Sir Richard Lambert. She was therefore also the first female Chancellor of the University of Warwick.