Chocolat author Joanne Harris joins Huddersfield University council

THREE women who have forged ahead in their careers have taken top roles at the University of Huddersfield.

Almondbury author Joanne Harris has been appointed to the university’s governing council.

She will be joined as a council member by Lord-Lieutenant Dr Ingrid Roscoe and Helen Thomas, executive director of nursing for the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust.

A spokesman for the university said: “They will act as the university’s councillors.

“Any major decisions that need to be made go through the council and these three women will help make the decisions along with the other governors.

“They’ve already sat in on one meeting and in the new year they will join one of the committees, such as the finance or personnel committees which run in the same way as a local authority council, but instead it’s about making decisions about the university.”

Yorkshire-born Joanne is probably most recognised for her international best-selling novel Chocolat, which was later made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Johnny Depp.

The author of eleven novels, two cookery books and a collection of short stories, Joanne’s books are now published in more than 40 different countries and have won her a number of British andinternational awards.

She recently became a patron of the Kirkwood Hospital and officially opened their 15th charity shop earlier this year.

Registered nurse and midwife, Helen Thomas starting her nursing career at Leeds General Infirmary and moved to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary to become the head of midwifery in 1989.

Helen is now the executive

director of nursing, a position she has held since 2001 and which covers the newly-formed Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust. Helen has also held the post of deputy chief executive since January 2006.

A Yorkshire woman by marriage, Dr Ingrid Roscoe was a university lecturer throughout most of the 1990s.

She was made deputy lieutenant in 1994 and in 1999 Ingrid was appointed vice lord-lieutenant then in 2004 she became the first lady lord-lieutenant in the north of England.