MBA Alumna Hazel Snell on Strengthening Communities as High Sheriff of Merseyside

Posted on: 2 November 2026 by Hazel Snell in Community

Alumna Hazel Snell completed her MBA in 2015. As well as her role as Head of Faculty Operations at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, she is half way through her tenure as High Sheriff of Merseyside.  Hazel shares with us her motivations, achievements and desire to make communities stronger and safer.

You hold several leadership roles across higher education and public service. Can you tell us about your current work and what motivates you most?

I'm currently Head of Faculty Operations at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (where I've worked for 16 years), and have the privilege of working alongside brilliant researchers, clinicians, academics, and students, helping create an environment where they can do their best work. One of the things I am most proud of is being part of an organisation whose mission is to improve health outcomes for some of the most disadvantaged communities around the world.

Alongside full-time work I am this year's High Sheriff of Merseyside.  The role is one of the oldest offices in the country (over a 1000 years old) and today involves supporting the judiciary, emergency services, voluntary sector and those working to make our communities stronger and safer.  It is a non-political Royal appointment for a single year. I’m halfway through my year, and it's taken me into courts, police stations, prisons, schools, community centres and charities. It's introduced me to people and organisations I might never otherwise have met, and it has showed me the very best of our communities.

How did the Liverpool MBA help prepare you for leadership positions in both professional and community settings?

The Liverpool MBA provided the confidence I needed to work in an academic environment.  It was the key catalyst for me getting involved as a Non-Executive Director in a local charity, and it provided the validation of my experience.  I completed the MBA on a part-time basis whilst working and this gave me the opportunity to practice what I was learning everyday - particularly strategy development, operationalising plans and developing strategic partnerships. My dissertation was on the concept of coopetition (a business strategy where companies simultaneously cooperate and compete) and this was a very useful framework for future collaborative work and global partnerships.

As High Sheriff of Merseyside, what impact are you hoping to make during your year in office?

At the beginning of my High Sheriff year, I chose to focus on a cause that I felt deserved greater attention and greater action - Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). A Merseyside Police survey (2024) found that 71% of women fear sexual assault and 69% would not report to police. Through conversations with the judiciary, police, and charities working on VAWG, it’s clear that we need to accelerate efforts that improve safety, strengthen services and increase confidence among women and girls to thrive in all aspects of life. I’ve also heard from researchers and policy makers who have lessons to share on best practice.

Two key messages have surfaced:

• Violence against women and girls is preventable, and we should not accept that it is inevitable.
• Preventing violence against women and girls requires a whole systems approach and for each of us to take responsibility to eliminate it.

I intend to use the convening power of the High Sheriff role alongside the evidence from research to challenge the current processes within the criminal justice system to ensure they are person-centred; highlight the valuable work being done to support survivors and support local community organisations (including through a local fund) to tackle VAWG.

Looking back on your diverse career, what achievement are you most proud of?

What makes me proudest isn't any particular title or role but rather having the opportunity to make a difference - in my professional work, serving my community and supporting causes that matter deeply to me. Completing my MBA with Distinction and Student of the Year award (2015) as a working mother was a very proud moment, especially as my children (then 9 and 7) were there to witness the prize and graduation.

Gaining the MBA really did open doors for me both in my professional and community work and was a catalyst for my career.  

What lessons from your MBA do you still draw on when leading teams, managing change, or serving your community?

One of the key lessons I've taken from the MBA is that sometimes you need to be bold. We completed several assignments where we learned about decisions in business and the one that stayed with me was having the courage to take bold decisions. I've taken that forward in my professional and community work, whether it be reviewing governance to create more equitable structures, asking the difficult questions, or pushing forward with a bold strategy rather than waiting for external factors to make the decision.   

And finally, what advice would you give to MBA students who want to use their careers to create positive social impact?

As a society we need people to play their part to create a better environment for the communities we live in. Every one of us has opportunities, every single day, to make life better for someone else. MBA students are in a wonderful position to use their learning and skills to contribute to positive social change. Community organisations, charities and civic leadership needs people with skills, lived experience and energy to leave our communities a little safer, kinder and fairer than we found them. Please get involved!