Chrystia Freeland starts her new role as Warden of Rhodes House and CEO of the Rhodes Trust today, taking over from Professor Sir Rick Trainor KBE who served as Interim Warden and CEO since 1 January 2025, and who will be staying on at the Rhodes Trust for a two year period in the new role of Provost. Under the leadership of the Warden, he will work with her, especially on internal matters and relations with the University of Oxford and its colleges.
The Rhodes Trust is an educational charity best known for the Rhodes Scholarship, which offers talented people from across the globe an opportunity to study at the University of Oxford.
An Alberta-born Rhodes Scholar who came to Oxford in 1991, Chrystia Freeland brings to the Trust a remarkable record of achievement as a prominent Canadian politician, acclaimed journalist, and award-winning author. She began her career in journalism as a Ukraine-based freelance reporter for the Financial Times, The Washington Post and The Economist, going on to serve as deputy editor of The Globe and Mail and United States managing editor of the Financial Times. She worked as managing director of Thomson Reuters before returning to Canada and entering politics in 2013. Since then, Chrystia has served as Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Minister of Foreign Affairs, amongst other positions, and has been recognised for her significant contributions to public life. With her unique blend of international experience spanning politics, journalism, and public policy, she will be able to bring new capacities, insights and contacts to the organisation.
"It is an honour and privilege to return to Oxford as Warden of Rhodes House and CEO of the Rhodes Trust. Having personally benefitted from a Rhodes Scholarship, I know how deeply transformative and influential it can be on the lives and futures of our Scholars. The experience helped shape my international outlook and played a defining role in guiding my subsequent career. I look forward to working with the Trust to build on its remarkable legacy and further strengthen the impact of the Scholarships - on individual Scholars, on the global Rhodes community, and on society." - Chrystia Freeland