28 | <strong>Somerville</strong> MagazineAlways aSomervillianSuchandrika Chakrabarti(2001, English)talks toVICTORIA YOUNGHUSBAND(1973, Classics)She has particularly fond memoriesof the support she received fromher Moral Tutors at <strong>Somerville</strong>,Nan Dunbar and Lesley Brown.
<strong>Somerville</strong> Magazine | 29Victoria Younghusband’s story shows that you never really leave <strong>Somerville</strong>.Now a Partner in the Financial Markets Group at City law firm SJ Berwin,she is also one of the founding committee members of the <strong>Somerville</strong>City Group. However, Victoria actually left <strong>Somerville</strong> in 1975without gaining her degree.Victoria came up to Oxford to read Classics in 1973.From the start, her experience at <strong>Somerville</strong> was notquite like that of her friends. Her mother had died inan accident when Victoria was 19, and, as a resultshe often left <strong>College</strong> at the weekend to see herwidowed father back at home in London.She does remember <strong>Somerville</strong> as a relaxedenvironment, a place for making lifelong friendsand gaining a good education. The literary side ofClassics absorbed her the most – Aristophanes’Lysistrata was a particularly memorable text – whilethe philosophy element appealed to her love ofsolving problems.In the summer term of her second year, Victoriafell pregnant, and moved back to London in 1975to begin a law degree at Queen Mary <strong>College</strong>(now Queen Mary, University of London). Shehas particularly fond memories of the supportshe received from her Moral Tutors at <strong>Somerville</strong>,Nan Dunbar and Lesley Brown. However, betweenmarriage, tending to two small children and startinga law degree, she didn’t get the chance to visit<strong>Somerville</strong> again until the Centenary celebrationsin 1979.Starting again so soon at another university gaveVictoria a unique chance to compare her lawseminars to the rigours of the Oxford tutorial system.With five other people in her tutorials at Queen Mary,Victoria missed the ‘take no prisoners’ dimension ofher Classics tutorials.The process of reading essays aloud – anervewracking job when Nan Dunbar had oncedeclared, “Golly, that was exhausting!” – and thenarguing her point of view prepared Victoria well forher law career. The intensity of tutorials, with justone or two other people in the room, certainly honedher debating skills and gave her the confidence topresent her work to a critical audience, be that tutoror client.After the law degree, Victoria completed her LPC atThe <strong>College</strong> of Law in London, and, aged 28, startedher articles – her training contract – at StephensonHarwood, in 1982. She went on to qualify in 1984,and to be made a partner in 1989.In 1991, Victoria moved to Hong Kong to work oncorporate finance, listings and takeovers. The workwas challenging and time-consuming, with Saturdaymornings being considered a normal workday. Onebenefit of working outside her comfort zone wasdealing with clients whose first language was notEnglish. This meant that she had to become veryprecise with her wording, and even more carefulwith document presentation, which was helpfulwhen she came to write articles and book chaptersfor both lawyers and laypeople.The mixed excitement and fear involved in travellingthrough early 1990s China remains vivid forVictoria, with one incident involving a missingaeroplane ignition key and the most turbulent flightof her life convincing her that perhaps four-anda-halfyears away from home was enough. Herchildren, Teresa (now 36) and Arthur (now 34), wereat boarding school in England during this time, andshe found that long-distance mothering had becometoo difficult.In 2003, back in London, Victoria became amember of Tony Blair’s Better Regulation Taskforce(later Commission). Her four years in this rolebrought her closer to the makings of policy. Thedifficulties of deciding who polices an industryand how appealed to her problem-solving nature,and dealing with the issues of making legislationworkable gave her an insight into how outsiders viewthe world of banking.Victoria’s work at SJ Berwin these days includesteaching and pastoral roles. She looks for andencourages the abilities to hold one’s own and toinspire confidence in the listener in her traineesolicitors. Also, after being held to such highstandards in her <strong>Somerville</strong> tutorials, she is quick tosee when her trainees are being a little intellectuallylazy, and is keen to get them to fulfil their potentialwithout puncturing their confidence. She maintainsrelationships with the young lawyers who passthrough her office, and is always happy to hear howpast trainees are doing.Now, as one of the founders of the <strong>Somerville</strong> CityGroup, Victoria is glad she has been able to giveback to the institution that she thinks of as grand,and yet also as a place that nurtured her during adifficult time in her life.VictoriaYounghusband(1973, Classics)After being heldto such highstandards inher <strong>Somerville</strong>tutorials, sheis quick tosee when hertrainees arebeing a littleintellectuallylazy, and is keento get themto fulfil theirpotential withoutpuncturing theirconfidence.
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