The School of Business and Management at Royal Holloway, University of London has won a Bronze Athena SWAN Charter for commitment and excellence in the advancement of gender equality.

The Bronze Athena SWAN Charter acknowledges the impact of collaborative efforts to support the development of equality, diversity and inclusion measures. Colleagues across the School of Business and Management have pledged their support for actions that will promote gender equality and help to eliminate all discrimination.

These actions range from unconscious bias training, the appointment of an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Director and detailed plans to encourage women across all areas of expertise to apply for more senior academic positions.

The Athena SWAN submission was led by Professor Pauline Maclaran, Professor of Marketing and Consumer Research and EDI Director in the School of Business and Management at Royal Holloway.

Professor Pauline Maclaran, said: “The School of Business and Management has worked very hard to be recognised by Advance HE for gender equality. Receiving the Bronze Athena SWAN award reflects the commitment of both the school and the university to putting equality and diversity inclusivity at the heart of everything we do.

“As a school, we have pulled together a plan of action, including initiatives such as mitigating disproportionate effects of lockdown and home working on research and career development, as well as increasing our focus on intersectionality. I am looking forward to working closely with colleagues to implement these.”

Head of School of Business and Management, Professor Gloria Agyemang, concluded: “As Head of School, I am delighted and very proud that the hard work by all in the School of Business and Management has been recognised and acknowledged by Advance HE. Being awarded with a Bronze Athena SWAN award is a huge achievement for all involved and as a school, we will strive to promote gender equality and eliminate all discrimination.”

Focusing on gender equality across departments

Royal Holloway is committed to the aims and principles of Athena SWAN. This recognises the good practice and principles of equality which are firmly established in the university’s ethos, and reflects the university’s original foundation in 1849 (Bedford College) and 1886 (Royal Holloway) as among the first institutions offering higher education for women.