Advance HE has appointed Kate Weedy as the new Head of Partnerships for Ireland. She is joined by Sarah Murtagh who has been appointed to the new role of International Development Manager.
The Head of Partnerships role has developed into a full-time position dedicated to working with our members across Ireland. With the new International Development Manager, the team in Ireland now has five full-time staff, including those who work to support members in their engagement with Athena Swan Ireland.
Joni Alexander, Advance HE’s Assistant Director, Membership, said,
“Over the past two years we have seen the number of higher education providers in Ireland becoming Advance HE members increase to 18. The now global Professional Standards Framework for teaching and learning has taken hold in Ireland with more and more colleagues pursuing Fellowship and gaining recognition for their practice. At the same time, there is renewed commitment from the sector, and significant engagement with the Athena Swan Ireland Charter, which is a key pillar of national strategy for gender equality.
“Increasingly, our Irish members are working with us to develop leadership skills and effective governance as the sector evolves. Aurora, our leadership development initiative for women, continues to go from strength to strength. This is why we’re currently developing new Advance HE programmes for the Irish sector. With the new legislation reshaping university governance, we’re working across the sector to convene our first governance forum for our members on 17 May. In strengthening the team based in Ireland, we are much better placed to support the needs of members in their higher education context.”
Kate Weedy, who joins Advance HE from Ireland’s Higher Education Authority (HEA), said,
“The higher education sector in Ireland has experienced a lot of change and development in recent years and there’s an increasing appetite to collaborate and learn from each other. Advance HE brings people together to enhance practice and I am excited to be part of the work to convene our Irish members and colleagues and continue the development of the value and impact of our work to support them.”
Kate Weedy has most recently worked within Ireland’s Higher Education Authority (HEA) as the senior executive officer of access policy. She has a fantastic understanding of the Irish higher education sector having worked within its funder/regulator, as well as within one of its institutions, University College Dublin. Kate is based in Dublin.
Sarah Murtagh joins the team as a new International Development Manager. She will work within Ireland, and increasingly beyond to support Advance HE’s broader European growth. Sarah held the role of Athena Swan Project Officer in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Unit, University College Cork.