The Committee has been formed to provide assurance, expert advice and guidance to the Advance HE Board on matters relating to the transformation and ongoing enhancement of the Athena Swan Charter as recommended by the Independent Review of Athena Swan.
The Committee members are highly-credible leaders in the field of equality, and have either strategic or practical involvement in Athena Swan in their institution or region. Having experienced the issues identified by the review they are deeply committed to improving the quality and impact of the Charter and will monitor and ensure the transformation progress is in line with the recommendations of the review, reporting to the Advance HE Board.
Following an open national call, the Committee membership has been configured with representation from across the sector ensuring that Advance HE members are at the heart of the transformation of Athena Swan. Working with not only the Advance HE Board, the new committee will collaborate with Advance HE’s existing EDI and Peer Review Quality Committees ensuring efficient and effective sector oversight of Athena Swan.
The ambition is for the new charter process to be published at the end of 2020. The Committee will work with the Athena Swan transformation team to layout a transition period and practical support to help members move from the old process to the new process in a way that supports members’ work.
Alison Johns, Advance HE Chief Executive, said: “I am delighted to welcome the new Committee members. They have a vital role as the voice for the sector as we work together to operationalise the recommendations of the Independent Review and transform the Charter.
“We are absolutely committed to an Athena Swan Charter that is both accessible and has impact. My driver since commissioning the Independent Review has been to focus on reducing burden and ensure we can continue to make real progress in improving gender equality in higher education and research. In particular, the focus on culture is an important and welcome recommendation. Now more than ever it is important that we deliver these changes and we will work closely with the Athena Swan Governance Committee to create fairer and more inclusive conditions so that everybody is given the opportunity to thrive.
"The forming of this Committee, and the outstanding individuals who have come forward to serve on it, will help us realise this fundamentally important goal for our sector. The improvements to this Charter serve to drive forward gender equality in HE. We are grateful to everyone who expressed an interest and it is our intention to create further opportunities for colleagues to engage in the transformation process as we move forwards together.”
Members of the Athena Swan Governance Committee
It is intended that the full Committee will comprise 16 members. The final members will be announced as soon as they are appointed.