Business School earns Athena SWAN Bronze award status

The Open University Business School has been granted a Bronze ‘departmental’ award following its recent Athena SWAN submission to Advance HE, the British professional membership scheme which promotes excellence in higher education.

Athena SWAN is an internationally recognised gender equality charter, acting as a catalyst for change and cultural transformation for staff and students. This was initially established to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the academic careers of women within STEM subjects but is now across all disciplines, professional and support staff and not just barriers that affect women. It also commits to considering the intersection of gender and other characteristics.

The School and the Faculty of Business and Law (FBL) are committed to equality across all areas, and our action plan will bring benefits to FBL colleagues and students beyond the Business School. This fantastic achievement is the culmination of more than a year of commitment and hard work by the OUBS Self-Assessment Team, led by Dr Cinzia Priola.

Professor Siv Vangen
Head of OUBS

We’re delighted that Advance HE has recognised our commitment and actions to support gender equality. This has been a team endeavour and we’re putting in place a series of actions to ensure that all staff and students feel included and supported irrespective of any diversity characteristic(s). We look forward to implementing our equality plan to improve our culture and the outcomes and experiences of our staff and students.

Dr Cinzia Priola
Chair of the OUBS Self-Assessment Team

The Business School is the first school outside of the University’s STEM faculty to secure Bronze status – the six schools and an institute within STEM have secured either Bronze or Silver status.

The University currently holds an institutional Bronze award and there is a close relationship with the OU’s Gender Equality Steering Group to implement the institutional action plan.