Katharine Herdt is Head of People at the Blavatnik School of Government. She is an MCIPD-qualified HR leader with over 15 years’ experience across higher education, the NHS, and the private sector.

Her work focuses on complex employee relations and supporting colleagues through unstructured and often sensitive people matters. She advises on cases involving harassment, discrimination, academic freedom, organisational change, and issues with legal and reputational implications. Her approach is pragmatic and balanced, aiming to find fair and workable solutions while resolving concerns at the earliest appropriate stage.

In addition to casework, Katharine has led University-wide HR policy reform and supported the implementation of systems to improve consistency and the use of data in decision making. An accredited mediator, she is committed to fostering constructive dialogue and enabling leaders to manage people issues with confidence and care.

Katharine holds a BA in Social Policy and Sociology and an MA in Human Resource Management.