School of Law welcomes back alumnus Mark Hughes to speak to current students
On Monday, 2 February, the School of Law welcomed back Mark Hughes, a 1979 alumnus and former Group Chief Risk Officer at the Royal Bank of Canada, to speak to current students about his career.
Mark Hughes graduated from the Faculty of Law in 1979. After receiving his MBA from Manchester Business School, Mark joined the Royal Bank of Canada. In 2018, he retired after 37 years with RBC. During his career with RBC, Mr Hughes held progressively senior roles at the bank primarily in Corporate Banking and Global Credit and held a number of positions in RBC's international offices including New York and London. Appointed as an executive officer of RBC in 1995, Mr Hughes had responsibility for the bank's public sector activities in Canada and was a member of the leadership team involved in the integration of the bank's global corporate banking business into RBC Capital Markets.
Mr Hughes is currently a member of the Board of Directors of UBS Group AG and chairs the Risk Committee. He is also the Chair of the Global Risk Institute, a Senior Advisor with McKinsey & Co, a member of the Advisory Council of the International Association of Credit Portfolio Managers and a member of the Toronto Leadership Council of the University of Manchester.
Mr Hughes and his wife Anne, also a Leeds graduate, are active members of Leeds alumni community: they generously support undergraduate student scholars at Leeds each year and Mark has participated in the Leeds leadership programme in NY and provided several guest lectures in Leeds.
The President of the Law Society, Nadia Aboushokka, said of the meeting with Mr Hughes:
Speaking with Mr Hughes was truly eye-opening. He provided invaluable insight into the value of a law degree from Leeds and its versatility across different careers and continents. His perspective reassured committee members that pursuing a non-law career after a three-year law degree is a viable and rewarding path. Additionally, his reflections on how Leeds has evolved over time highlighted his deep connection to the university. His passion and fond memories underscored the lasting impact of his time at Leeds, making his insights both inspiring and meaningful.
Interested in learning more about our alumni’s careers? Find out more here.
