Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Henley

We are building a culture where equity, diversity and inclusion are ingrained in our vision and values. We want our colleagues to feel empowered to make a difference in the workplace, and our diverse student body to thrive as they develop into the business leaders of the future.

A statement from Dr Miriam Marra and Dr Melissa Carr, Directors of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

“Henley Business School is committed to ensuring equity and diversity is core to how we work together to create a supportive and inclusive working environment. We believe that staff and students should be treated with respect, provided with opportunities to progress, and to bring their whole selves to work. We see diversity as encompassing all protected characterises under the Equality Act (race, disability, age, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, sex, sexual orientation, religion/belief, pregnancy and maternity) as well as unprotected characteristics such as socio-economic class. We think Henley should also become a driving force for outside stakeholders and so we intend to support them to develop up-to-date EDI practices and policies that can work for them too.”

The Henley EDI strategy

The emphasis of our EDI strategy at Henley is on mobility in order to make progress.

Co-created with colleagues, this will be based on a data-led approach to identify the key “pain points” and put structures, policies and training in place to tackle any issues we have.

In 2020, Henley was awarded an Athena Swan Bronze Award to recognise our critical self-reflection on where we currently stand in relation to gender equality, and where we want to be. We recognise that this is the start of a journey to embed equity and inclusion into all aspects of our activities. We have an ambitious 5-year action plan and an Athena Swan Implementation Team committed to supporting this, which you can see here.

To support our activities more broadly, Henley’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee represents staff that champion equity and promote inclusivity. The committee is focused on five key areas; race, gender, sexual orientation, disability and social mobility, while recognising the intersectionality of each. Our commitment to racial equity reflects this.

For any related enquiry, please contact either Dr Miriam Marra or Dr Melissa Carr, School Directors for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.