Embedding diversity and inclusion into the way we work

Event title: Embedding diversity and inclusion into the way we work

Event venue: G15 Lecture Theatre, Henley Business School, Whiteknights Campus

Henley Business School staff and the PhD scholars are invited to join an event promoting institutional initiatives around diversity and inclusion.

Henley Business School is committed to a diverse and inclusive work and study environment where all staff and students are valued, respected and can succeed: an environment where diversity, inclusion and equality are embedded in daily practices. By embracing and valuing differences we strive to create a better working and studying environment and a more vibrant population of staff and students.

The event comprises a series of talks on diversity-related topics and issues from representatives of the groups working towards promoting equality at the University and elsewhere. Lunch will be provided during which there will be a photography exhibition aimed at showcasing the diverse community of Henley’s staff and students. A full programme of the event is available on this page.

Come and learn about diversity and inclusion institutional commitment and priorities, and how you can integrate these practices into your day-to-day working life.

Registration is free, but booking is necessary.

Make sure you use the #embeddingdiversity throughout the event. Follow us on social media. We encourage you to have your say about your experience or view on diversity and inclusion. Feel free to comment and tweet.

About the speakers

Claire Collins is the Henley Business School Director of Diversity and Inclusion, the Academic Lead of the Army Higher Education Pathway and Director of the DBA Programme. She researches and teaches Leadership and Leadership Development specialising in Diversity and Inclusion, Quiet Leadership, Coaching Leaders and Leadership Derailment. Claire's presentation will be about Building a successful inclusive environment and developing diverse talent.

Ellie Highwood is Dean of Diversity and Inclusion and Professor of Climate Physics in the Department of Meteorology. She studied Physics at Manchester and then came to Reading in 1993 to do a PhD in Meteorology. After holding a research Council personal fellowship she became a lecturer in 2001 and was promoted to Professor in October 2011. Prior to becoming Dean in August 2015 she served as Head of Department of Meteorology with responsibility for academic staff and teaching. Ellie will talk about the institutional priorities related to diversity and inclusion.

Nozomi Tolworthy 雷希望 graduated with a BA in Film in July 2018 and was elected as RUSU Diversity Officer for the academic year 2018/19 by the student body in February 2018. She began her role in July and has been working with RUSU and students on several projects and campaigns this term.

Her presentation will look at RUSU's work to support and represent community of students with a particular focus on her role as Diversity Officer which aims at creating a global and inclusive University of Reading campus.

Alina Tryfonidou is Professor of Law at the Reading Law School and one of the two co-chairs of the University’s LGBT+ staff network. She joined the University as a Lecturer in September 2011, after being a Lecturer in Law at the University of Leicester from 2007 to 2011. Prior to that she was teaching European Law as a Visiting Tutor (2005-2007) at King’s College London whilst pursuing her PhD studies at the same institution. Professor Tryfonidou obtained her LLB (2001), LLM (2002) and PhD (2008) from King’s College London and is an Associate of King’s College (AKC) since 2008. She is a non-practising member of the Cyprus Bar since 2003, a Fellow of the Centre of European Law at King’s College London since 2008, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) since 2016. In 2004, Professor Tryfonidou completed a traineeship (stage) at the European Commission, at the Internal Market Directorate General, and in 2010-2011 she was an IALS Visiting Fellow. Professor Tryfonidou’s main research interests focus on EU free movement law, Union citizenship, investors residence and citizenship schemes, and the protection of LGBT rights. Professor Tryfonidou has engaged in paid and non-paid consultancy work for the EU and NGOs in the UK and Cyprus.

Professor Tryfonidou’s presentation will be about the LGBT+ staff network: she will speak about the aims of the Network, the opportunities and support it offers, ways of getting involved with its activities, and she would like to hear suggestions from the audience as to how the Network could be further developed.

Lynn Moore is Learning and Development Officer in Leadership and Research Staff Development. She joined the University in 2016, having worked before in a variety of private and public sector organisations of different organisational cultures. Her role at the University falls into the three main areas:

• Working with internal and external experts to provide development opportunities for research staff, ranging from research specific topics such as costing proposals and assessing research impact through to career development such as looking at career options and interview skills
• Understanding the management and leadership challenges faced by a variety of roles and providing appropriate development opportunities
• Contributing to the broader organisational development projects with my People Development colleagues, such as succession planning, coaching and mentoring

Lynn has specialised in learning and development roles for most of her career, gaining a wealth of experience ranging from both designing and delivering training through to sourcing appropriate experts to provide training. She especially enjoys the process of understanding the context of people’s development requirements and then providing tailored solutions that maximise the potential for people to apply the knowledge and skills covered.

In their talk, Lynn and Hannah will provide examples of the way in which People Development is encouraging managers and staff to champion greater diversity and inclusion in the workplace through the staff development opportunities.

Kate Carruthers Thomas is Senior Research Fellow and Athena SWAN Project Manager at Birmingham City University. She specialises in interdisciplinary enquiry into contemporary higher education, gender and inequality, is an experienced presenter and workshop facilitator, a published poet and a novice cartoonist! Find out more about Kate's work in gender equality and graphic social science on her blog: the g word. Kate will communicate findings from contemporary institutional research investigating gendered experiences of work and career in higher education. This topic is suitable for a range of university audiences.

Annabel Avery

Annabel is Disability Team Leader and Senior Disability Adviser at the University of Reading and finds it a pleasure and a privilege both supporting and learning from students with disabilities, developmental differences, long term medical conditions and specific learning difficulties. She is passionate about levelling the playing field and is involved in the Group implementing the University Policy on Inclusive Practice and Teaching and training staff in inclusive teaching and learning.