Across the Governing Body Higher-education newsletter June 2016 Inside First gathering – highlights from our April seminar From schoolroom to boardroom – the Think Future Study Building partnerships, delivering scholarships Meet our latest members To address this, the panel suggested women would benefit from more senior sponsorship to guide them through the The day in numbers finer points of gaining promotions. Addressing the reasons why women perform well in accessing smaller research A Welcome from the Club grants, but are less successful in winning major research funding, is also important. Other proposals included better child-care provision, networking opportunities with Welcome to our second higher-education newsletter, our senior management and more flexible working hours when chance to share recent successes and update you on new required. Above all, panel members agreed that strong 20 of our 30% Club Of our 35 university initiatives. In this issue, we explore the highlights of our Higher leaders and champions are needed to change culture members have either members at the time, 26 within universities. headquarters or major were represented in the Education and Leadership Seminar, and outline the many ways outlets within a stone’s room. A further seven you can get involved to further our goal of pooling ideas across Professor Simonetta Manfredi and her panel then throw of the seminar’s universities in attendance discussed mobility between public- and private-sector venue, in Canary Wharf. were not yet members, but both the corporate and the higher-education sectors to reduce boards. Noting similar responsibilities between private three of those have already the gender gap across governing bodies and faculties, as well and public-sector board positions – notably in leadership, signed up and we have interest from others. as to analyse and act to improve the experiences of students. governance and management – the panel said that the number of non-executive directors (NEDs) coming from We also introduce you to recent new joiners, announce some academia is extremely low in the UK. This contrasts with The seminar highlighted the significant overlap of challenges new partnerships and scholarships, and highlight some notable the US, where almost 50% of Fortune 100 companies have and opportunities for improvement within the corporate upcoming research. at least one NED that comes from academia. The panel world and higher-education sector. As such, we hope that said that typically women find it harder to promote this event represents the first of many steps in the sharing themselves, even when they’re eager to “give something and collaboration of ideas between these two spheres. back” to society. Other issues regarding cross-sector mobility included: Our thanks Encouraging diversity in university The private sector often underestimating the skills and The 30% Club would like to extend special thanks to all abilities needed by people working in the public sector of the event’s speakers and panellists for their insightful On 21 April, for the first time, the 30% Club brought together leading lights from the UK’s contributions. We’d also like to thank the Canary Wharf corporate and higher-education worlds to debate ideas about driving greater diversity in those Corporate boards sometimes having a blinkered view of Group for so generously hosting the event. academia and “eccentric professors” sectors. Held at 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, the event focused on universities and the path to Further thanks go to the following organisations whose employment, equality, diversity in higher education, and cross-sector mobility between the public Academics having strong opinions in their own field, significant support and generosity were critical in enabling us but contributing less in other discussions to hold the event: Aberdeen Asset Management, Copylab, and private sectors. Thirty-five universities have signed up to the 30% Club Higher Education (HE) Conversely, public-sector workers having a distrust of Creative Connection and The University of Cambridge. initiative in its first year, and a number of aspiring members also attended the seminar. the corporate world, discouraging them from applying Lastly, we are also extremely grateful to the following firms who have, on an ongoing basis, provided invaluable It is crucial, the panel said, to promote the talent available. The event opened with a lively panel discussion on Developing alumni networks of young women support since the inception of our higher education For those interested in joining a company board, the route initiative: Aberdeen Asset Management, ANZ, J Stern & the student experience and bridging the gap between Enhancing the reputation of the financial and business for doing so should be clearer, with help provided at an Co, KPMG and Newton Investment Management. university and work. Students’ school and degree subjects world so that it is perceived as a more appealing and earlier stage in their career path. remain a challenge to equality, the panel said, with socially worthy career option for women fewer women choosing disciplines such as engineering, Having strong role models for female students at technology and architecture. As for motivating factors university behind a career, the panel noted that while men looked for higher pay, women wanted careers with social worth. Increasing diversity among university professors David Ruebain, chief executive of the Equality Challenge The focus has shifted Unit, then discussed the evolution of the legal concept of equality. While previous legislation had a narrow focus from “fixing women” to on direct discrimination, the law now recognises that structures and organisations can be disadvantageous “fixing the system”. in themselves. The focus has moved from one of mere equality of opportunity, to a legal system that also The 30% Club and KPMG’s Think Future Study recognises the importance of the outcome. The focus has highlighted that although most students were confident shifted from “fixing women” to “fixing the system. in their ability to succeed academically, they lacked confidence in university career advice, as well as the Discussing employment in higher education, the panel employment system as a whole. 57% of those surveyed noted that the number of women working at universities did not know what they wanted to do after university. has increased six-fold in 40 years, with women representing Helena Eccles, a student and founder of the Think Future 53.8% of all higher-education staff in 2013/14. Despite that, study, said that students needed to be better equipped women remain under-represented among professors and for entering the workforce. To address these issues, the there is a persistent pay gap, averaging 18.9%, between panel recommended: men and women. Though the widely held notion that women do not enjoy leadership has, the panel said, been Greater access to career advisers and a more tailored refuted by research, they do feel more obliged than men to service meet all the job criteria when applying for roles. As a result, Students using university experience to demonstrate women are less likely to go for more senior positions. We were thrilled to observe that the supportive membership of the 30% Club was fully represented not only in the room for our seminar, but also in the immediate environment surrounding our seminar in Canary Wharf. The map above shows the footprint of 30% Club members in the area. Students transferrable skills leaving universities that are 30% Club members can be optimistic about finding an employer also signed up to the 30% Club goal of diversity, as evidenced by the number shown here. On the horizon: new Share your diversity successes research Following the event’s success, we are keen to build a database of concrete actions Following on the heels of the 30% Club and The being undertaken in the diversity space. We’d like to hear about actions you have KPMG’s Think Future Study, our next piece taken or been involved in, details of how success was measured, and what progress of research is due out in September, entitled Think FUTURE has been made. You’re invited to complete this online survey, which was very Changing Places: Women On Boards. kindly produced by Jonathan Black (Director, Careers Service and Internship Office, This research considers how to transfer skills and expertise STUDY University of Oxford), one of the panel participants. between business and academia while achieving greater gender diversity in the governing bodies and company boards APRIL 2016 of higher-education institutions. The work is led by Professor Simonetta Manfredi at Oxford Brookes’ Centre In association with for Diversity Policy Research and Practice, and supported Help us up the ante by KPMG. #30pcthinkfuture We have two more research projects in the pipeline, to We’re always grateful to our members, who commit their time and energy to drive be released in due course. The first examines gender- intelligent line management, and the second is a paper our shared goal to improve opportunities through gender diversity. Should you wish examining the effect organisational culture has on the to increase your engagement with the 30% Club, there are many ways to promote take-up of agile working opportunities by working fathers. our agenda. For example: 1 Offer scholarships 4 Encourage your senior staff via the 30% Club to attract high-calibre women to to join 30% Club events to foster collaborative ideas New scholarships available business schools. We’ve developed partnerships that drive greater diversity. For example, J Stern & Co kindly hosted a “brainstorming” dinner in 2015, and with several leading business schools, offering senior We’re delighted to announce three new scholarships, executive programmes, MBAs, executive MBAs and KPMG kindly hosted another in dinner in 2016. other masters programmes. For example, we most Alternatively, please encourage your staff to contact having extended our range of partnerships with the working group directly.