William Hague was the first person in his family to attend University, joining Magdalen College, Oxford where he graduated with a First Class in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. During his time there he was the President of the Oxford Union, and President of the Oxford University Conservative Association.

Whilst he had political ambitions, William felt he needed to gain more real-world experience, and after graduation he joined Shell UK as a trainee, before moving to McKinsey and Co consulting firm. He also took an MBA at INSEAD in France, graduating with distinction in 1986.

William was elected as the MP for Richmond, Yorkshire in 1989, and would ultimately be elected for that seat six times. He was made Pensions Minister in 1993, Minister for Disabled People in 1994, and Secretary of State for Wales in 1995. He was elected as the Leader of the Opposition in 1997 but resigned in 2001 after failing to win the general election.

After resigning, he decided to do all the things he’d never had time to do; he learned to play the piano, wrote a couple of bestselling books; and developed his newspaper columnist career.

William returned to politics in 2005, supporting David Cameron’s leadership bid and becoming Shadow Foreign Secretary. For the next decade, he handled foreign affairs and deputised for Cameron when needed. In the following administration, he became First Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary. He stepped down again in 2015.

Throughout his time in parliament, he was particularly vocal on topics including rural life, accessibility for the disabled, apprentices, education, and environmental issues. As Foreign Secretary, he dealt with the evacuation of British nationals from Egypt, dealing with turmoil in the Middle East, and winning UN-backing for military intervention in Libya.

In 2012, he co-founded the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative with Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie, and took the case for ending these crimes to the UN Security Council and the G8. He has also worked with Prince William on combating the illegal wildlife trade for many years and helped to create United for Wildlife, which brings together 400 global companies to make it impossible to use private sector infrastructure for illegal wildlife trade.

His non-political roles have included Director of Intercontinental Exchange, senior adviser to Citi, chair of ICE Futures Europe, chair of the International Advisory Bord of Hakluyt, Chair of the International Advisory Board of Linklaters, Chair of the Royal United Services Institute, and Chair of The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

WILLIAM HAGUE | CHANCELLOR OF OXFORD UNIVERSITY

In November 2024, William was voted as Oxford’s 160th Chancellor, a role he was officially admitted to in February 2025. In his acceptance speech, he said “I thank all of you for electing me as your chancellor and for your enthusiastic welcome. Every visit I have made so far and every conversation, has intensified my excitement about the years to come. I happily dedicate myself today to working with you and for you.”

William attended Oxford University at a time where he “didn’t know a single person in the whole city and university…Oxford made a huge difference to my own life and I believe in helping other people have the same transformative experience.”

Professor Irene Tracey – the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford – said of the appointment, “I am delighted and honoured to welcome Lord Hague back to Oxford as our new Chancellor. His deep connection to the University and his commitment to its values, mission and vision will serve this world-class institution well during his tenure. He is a man of considerable integrity, wisdom, and dedication. I look forward to working closely with him in the years ahead as we uphold and strengthen Oxford’s legacy of excellence.”

WILLIAM HAGUE | AWARDS

– The Champions for Change Award for Leadership From the International Centre for Research on Women

– The Hillary R Clinton Award for Advancing Women in Peace and Security

– The John Diefenbaker Defender of Human Rights and Freedoms Award From the Government of Canada

– The Spectator’s Parliamentarian of the Year Award

– The Spectator’s Speech of the Year Award

– The Trustees’ Award at the Longman-History Today Awards

– Britain-Australia Society Award for Contributions to the Relationship Between Britain and Australia

– Honorary Degrees From the University of York, and Lancaster University

WILLIAM HAGUE | MEDIA WORK

William began writing for The Daily Telegraph in 2016, writing in strong opposition to Brexit, before moving to The Times in 2021 where he has a weekly column. He regularly appears on Times Radio, and co-hosts The Story podcast. In the podcast, William has discussed topics including AI, Taiwan and China, politics, Donald Trump, Keir Starmer, and Russia. He has also interviewed the likes of Tony Blair, Lord Seb Coe, and Yuval Noah Harari.

In 2004 he published William Pitt the Younger: The Biography, which won the History Book of the Year Award. This was followed up in 2007 by William Wilberforce: The Life of the Great Anti-Slave Trade.

WILLIAM HAGUE | CORPORATE CAREER

Having met many global leaders, William speaks insightfully about different styles and effectiveness of leadership, drawing on debates with Tony Blair, and first-hand knowledge of world presidents, including George W Bush and Vladimir Putin.

William is also well known as a great storyteller and raconteur, hailed by Hillary Clinton as “the David Beckham of toasting.”

WILLIAM HAGUE | SPEAKING TOPICS

– Domestic Politics

– International Politics

– Current Affairs

– Technological Change

– Population Movement

– Economic Trends

– Religious Intolerance On Our Economy and Culture

WILLIAM HAGUE | PAST EVENTS

– National Manufacturing Conference 2022

– Legal Business Awards 2021

– Conservative, Grassroots Fundraiser 2021

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