Equality, diversity and inclusion sponsors
The Senior Leadership Team appointed four sponsors to act as equality champions across some key areas.
The role of sponsors
- To commit to building an organisational culture that embraces and advances equality, diversity and inclusion, taking personal responsibility for setting the tone and helping to drive progress
- To champion the interests of staff and students who share relevant characteristics, both as a member of the EDI Committee and the Senior Leadership Team
- To engage directly with staff and students who share relevant characteristics through meeting with staff networks and student community groups. Commit to learning about the personal, institutional, and structural ways in which inequality impacts on individuals, including the effects of intersectionality
- To act as the senior lead/champion for equality charter marks that relate to the specific area of focus
- To be aware of public sector equality objectives, targets and actions that relate to relevant protected characteristics and monitor progress against these
- To work with senior managers in faculties and professional services departments to plan and sponsor campaigns, events and initiatives that are designed to advance equality and foster good relations between those who share relevant characteristics and those who do not share them, with due regard to intersectionality
- To contribute to communications content and enquiries, where a senior spokesperson is required to comment on ambitions, achievements, and challenges in respect of the specific area of focus
- To act as an ally, vocally supporting the work of colleagues from underrepresented groups in all contexts, but specifically in situations that will help boost those colleagues' standing and reputations.
Your EDI Sponsors
Professor Andrew Kent, Race Equality Champion
The University's sponsor for race is Andy Kent. It is his job to champion race equality at senior leadership team level and across the University. Andy is co-chair of the Race Equality Charter Self-Assessment Team and Chair of the University's Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee.
Andy said, "I witnessed the impact of social inequalities during my 35-year career in the NHS. Working in higher education is an opportunity to do something positive about it rather than just treating the consequences. I am proud to be the University's sponsor for race and committed to making a positive impact on behalf of all staff and students in any way that I can.
Caroline Harris, Gender
I am the SLT lead for gender at Kingston, and my focus is on breaking down barriers to gender equality, increasing opportunity and challenging stereotypes in our own community. Gender - it's a short word behind which sits a vast array of inequalities, biases, stereotypes and, in extreme cases, violence throughout the world. During this year's International Women's Month, I was reflecting with some female friends on situations we have encountered during our lives, which happened because of attitudes to our gender. At the time they were normalised and accepted, and we now look back on them and, in most cases, we are able to laugh. We are optimistic that our own children won't encounter the same situations, but it is important to recognise that while progress has been made, we should be aware of where further support, challenge and education are required.
Kingston university has given me the necessary support and commitment to see me successfully progress my career into senior roles in finance, a sector that is often still male dominated. I believe Kingston is a progressive employer, however there is more that all of us can do to promote gender equality through our actions and through education. We all have a role to play.
Mandy Ure, Disability Champion
As SLT sponsor for Disability, I hope to be able to establish ways in which staff can help the university understand and remove some of the barriers that may be encountered in the workplace for people with a disability across all levels of employment.
There are many assumptions made about disability and often unrecognised obstacles placed in the way, limiting and preventing people from fulfilling their aspirations. As a community, we support inclusivity and are keenly aware of how we support disabled students - it's equally as important to have space to discuss whole community needs and the drive to act to provide equity of opportunity and reward.
Emily Boynton, Sexual orientation and gender identity Champion
As the LGBTQ+ network sponsor, I am also delighted to be the sponsor for sexual orientation and gender identity. As an ally there is much that I still need to learn but I am determined to help make the University a place where people can feel safe to talk openly, should they wish, about how they identify, who they love and their lives outside work. The diversity of human life and love is something to be celebrated and I hope I can help make this an inclusive and vibrant place to work.
We have made a lot of progress in recent years in the UK as a society in recognising human rights in relation to sexual orientation and gender reassignment but there is much more for us to do to really include, celebrate and explore the full range of human expression, families and identities.
