Facing a £12 million deficit and a beloved but underutilised rural campus, former barrister who led murder cases says she took lessons from legal career when attempting to modernise an institution with Victorian-age origins

Cardiff’s January announcement of plans to cut 400 academic jobs and close several departments prompted a media firestorm that heaped opprobrium on its vice-chancellor. But she also received lots of quiet support for her efforts to put the university back on an even financial keel, she tells Chris Havergal