The Athena Swan Charter is a national initiative run by sector body, Advance HE. It acts as a valuable framework for advancing gender equity within higher education institutions.
As part of our ethos of ensuring all members of Loughborough Business School can make meaningful ‘Progress with Purpose’, we plan to build on the strong foundation of gender equality within the School with a dedicated action plan, highlighted in the submission to the awarding committee.
Our Athena Swan award submission team included Athena Swan Champions from our teaching and international relations teams, Dr Peggy Alexopoulou and Lucy Dixon, offering comprehensive insights into our activity across the curriculum and support services.
The team was led by former Director of EDI, Professor Suzana Grubnic, who commented: "We are extremely proud to have been granted our first Athena SWAN Award. This achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of our Self-Assessment Team, whose exemplary support and collaborative spirit were instrumental in co-developing a robust five-year Action Plan.
“The School is committed to promoting meaningful change — from the recruitment of staff and students to the talent development of staff across all job families, and to the encouragement of a better whole-life balance."
Our new Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Dr Sarah Barnard, said: “I am absolutely delighted that we have been successful in our application. It is a remarkable milestone that reflects our strong commitment to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do.
“This success marks just the beginning, and I’m genuinely excited to collaborate with colleagues to champion and support our staff and students in the years ahead!”
Lucy Dixon added: “We will now move into the ‘implementation’ phase of our action plan, continuing to work towards our gender equality goals, which include encouraging and supporting female students to thrive in traditionally male-dominated disciplines and ensuring staff continue to feel valued.”