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An unexpected legacy

11 June 2020

The article at a glance

The late Helene Desiree Peatfield leaves an unexpected legacy at Cambridge Judge Business School. In March 2019, Cambridge Judge received some unexpected …

The late Helene Desiree Peatfield leaves an unexpected legacy at Cambridge Judge Business School.

An unexpected legacy - Newnham College.
Image credit: Sir Cam

In March 2019, Cambridge Judge received some unexpected news. A Newnham College alumna, Helene Desiree Peatfield, who was among the first cohort of women admitted to receive full degrees at the University in 1948, had sadly passed away and left the majority of her estate to Cambridge Judge Business School. Despite investigating far and wide to ascertain her connection to Cambridge Judge, we could not establish what had motivated this generous gift to the Business School and we are left to imagine her inspiration.

The late Helene Desiree Peatfield’s unexpected gift to the Business School, which provided us with £780,000 in support, could not have come at a better time. With the impact of the coronavirus crisis, it has allowed the School to make required and unanticipated investments in online learning and teaching which has been ratcheted up as a result of the pandemic. 

This generous bequest has led to discussions at Cambridge Judge about how to help alumni and friends who would like to consider us in their estate planning in the future. If you wish to leave a lasting legacy at the Business School to support our capacity to continue with innovative research, teaching a global cohort of students or engaging with policymakers and regulators in a wide array of inter-disciplinary areas, we would be thrilled to hear from you and shape a legacy that aligns with your passions, motivations and areas of interest.

We are extremely grateful to the late Helene Desiree Peatfield, and we only wish we knew more about her and why she was inspired to give to Cambridge Judge Business School.