Dame Janet Trotter OBE, DBE, CVO is a lady who wears an incredible number of hats.

She helped found the University of Gloucestershire in 2001, becoming its first Vice-Chancellor in the same year, and following a long career in education, spent 10 years as the Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire.

The B!G Interviews are sponsored by Cheltenham-based IT solutions company Infrastar.

'Retirement' has seen Dame Janet keeping as busy as ever. Among other roles, she is currently chair of The Cyber Trust, chair of The Chamwell Centre, and chair of the Nelson Trust.

Born in Kent, Dame Janet never envisaged a career in education when she failed her 11-plus exam. But on moving to technical school, she suddenly developed a love of learning and being interested in the world and people.

"I didn't go to university and always found it strange that I ended up running a university," she says.

Dame Janet taught at King Alfred's College, Winchester before becoming vice-principal of St Martin's College, Lancaster and then principal of St Paul and St Mary's College, Cheltenham.

In 1990 she was appointed director of the Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education, when St Paul and St Mary's College was merged with the higher education sector of the Gloucestershire College of Art and Technology.

She subsequently oversaw its conversion into the University of Gloucestershire in 2001, and was its founding vice-chancellor and principal until her retirement in 2006.

In this B!G Interview Dame Janet talks candidly about the financial challenges involved in running the university and finding it very hard to have to sacrifice staff to balance the books.

On retirement, she says: "I merely put one big hat down and picked up some others. I don't go out and seek work, it sort of comes to me. I've always had lots of hats.

"I've got a view that if anyone wants me to do things I ought to think about doing it."

Dame Janet says she was surprised to receive a letter in 2010 inviting her to become Lord Lieutenant.

"It was nice to do royal visits but that's not what I excelled in," she says. "I'm more interested in heroes in the local community. I do my bit for the local community in terms of building it up."

Punchline's The B!G Interviews are sponsored by Cheltenham-based IT solutions company Infrastar.

Working with SMEs, public and private sector organisations and government bodies across the UK, Infrastar's IT experts are committed to helping you overcome problems and maximise productivity through exceptional IT solutions.

Over the years the company has built a dedicated team of IT specialists. Infrastar is also a key sponsor of the No Child Left Behind awards.

For more information on Infrastar, call 01242 303720, email info@infrastar.co.uk  or visit infrastar.co.uk