Tackling race inequality: business schools and the Race Equality Charter
An interactive online workshop, 14:00-16:30, 2 September

Engaging with the Race Equality Charter demonstrates a university’s commitment to tackling race inequality and injustice. Business schools educate nearly a quarter of all UK students and are home to more than 20,000 academic and professional services staff and so play a key role in a university’s ability to leverage the value of the REC and use the charter to instigate real and meaningful change.
In this interactive online workshop we will explore how business schools can use the REC framework to become more culturally diverse institutions. In particular we will explore:
- Using the REC to facilitate open and frank discussions among business school staff and students about how to improve racial equality
- Using the REC to improve the recruitment of black, Asian and ethnic minority staff into business schools and to support staff into senior roles
- How to get buy-in from all stakeholders to the REC process so that, rather than a tokenistic gesture, it is a driver of genuine change
Facilitated by Professor Sally Everett (Vice Dean and Professor of Business Education, Kings Business School) and with contribution from a number of guest speakers, this is will be a highly interactive workshop. To maximise the opportunity for candid discussion the workshop will take place under the Chatham House Rule.
More information about the Race Equality Charter can be found here.
Confirmed speakers include:

Professor Sally Everett
Vice Dean (Education), King’s Business School

Sandra Kerr CBE
Race Equality Director, Business in the Community

Jordan Lewis
Race Equality Charter Adviser, Advance HE

Dr Sola Adesola
Senior Lecturer and EDI Champion, Oxford Brookes Business School

Professor Bhavik Anil Patel
Professor of Clinical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, University of Brighton

Professor Ian Roberts
Head, Kingston Business School
Programme:
14:00: Welcome and Chair's opening remarks
Professor Sally Everett, Vice Dean (Education), King’s Business School
14:10: Panel discussion: How the REC can be used to tackle race inequality and injustice
In this session we will explore the extent of the problem of race inequality in our business schools and wider universities; and how the REC can be used to bring about meaningful change.
Dr Sola Adesola, Senior Lecturer and EDI Champion, Oxford Brookes Business School
Sandra Kerr CBE, Race Equality Director, Business in the Community
Jordan Lewis, Race Equality Charter Adviser, Advance HE
Professor Bhavik Patel, Professor of Clinical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, University of Brighton
Chair: Professor Sally Everett, Vice Dean (Education), King’s Business School
15:00: Break
15:10: Breakout group discussions
In the second half of the workshop we will divide into breakout groups (facilitated through Zoom’s breakout room function) to allow for in-depth discussion on the practical aspects of how business schools can leverage the value of the REC. Participants will be invited to choose the session they want to join and each breakout will be facilitated by a Chairperson who will feedback to the main group afterwards.
Topics for breakout groups will be finalised prior to the event. Possible topics include:
- How do we organise frank discussions among staff and students about race?
- How do we improve the recruitment of black, Asian and ethnic minority staff?
- How do we promote underrepresented groups into leadership positions?
- How do we get buy-in from the relevant stakeholders into the REC process?
- What steps can business schools from Bronze Award holding universities take to put them on the road to a Silver Award?
15:50: Feedback and forward planning
In this session the Chair’s of the breakout sessions will feedback about what was covered. Participants will consider the actions that they can take back to their institutions.
16:20: Closing remarks
Professor Sally Everett, Vice Dean (Education), King’s Business School
Confirmed speakers include:

Dr Sola Adesola
Senior Lecturer & EDI Champion, Oxford Brookes Business School
Sola Adesola is a Senior Lecturer and EDI Champion at the Oxford Brookes Business School, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Kigali, Rwanda. Her research interests are entrepreneurship, university industry interactions, energy policy and women spinout. In 2018, Sola co-chaired an International Conference on Innovation and the new role of Universities, and is currently planning for the follow up conference in June 2020. She has published widely and is the co-editor of two books: Energy in Africa: Policy, Management & Sustainability, published in 2019 by Palgrave, and Entrepreneurial Universities –Creating Institutional Innovation in Times of Turbulence’, to be published in 2020 by Palgrave. She is a BAME leader and sits at executive committees on race, gender equality and Academic Board. Sola is a multi-award winner on Education and nominee for two awards at OBU.

Professor Sally Everett
Vice Dean (Education), King’s Business School
Sally is Professor of Business Education and Vice Dean (Education) at King’s Business School, King’s College London. Sally is the academic lead for inclusive education at King’s and is on the self-assessment team responsible for writing chapters relating to teaching and learning for their Race Equality Charter (renewal). King’s College London was one of the first institutions to secure the REC in 2015 (Bronze). Sally was previously the Deputy Dean for the Business School at Anglia Ruskin University (2013 – 2018) and institutional chair for inclusive learning. She is a National Teaching Fellow (2017) and a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2013). Sally is the Equality Officer for the Association of National Teaching Fellows and is a member of the CAB’s Equality and Diversity Committee.
Before her role at ARU, Sally was the Head of Department for tourism and marketing at the University of Bedfordshire. Sally’s research interests include social and cultural tourism and inclusive curriculum. Recent publications include books and peer reviewed articles on food tourism, innovative methodologies, community resistance and inclusive teaching.

Sandra Kerr CBE
Race Equality Director, Business in the Community
Sandra is Business in the Community’s Race Equality Director. Before joining Business in the Community, Sandra worked in the Cabinet Office advising on diversity and inclusion. In January 2012, Sandra was awarded an OBE for services to Black and Minority Ethnic People.
In 2015 Sandra spearheaded the largest ever survey on race in the workplace with 24,457 responses. In January 2016 she was invited to join the Royal Society Diversity Committee. The Race at Work 2018 Scorecard report, one year from the government review into Race in the Workplace, provided the evidence to establish the Race at Work Charter and Ethnicity and Pay consultation announced by the Prime Minister in October 2018.
In 2019 Sandra was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours list for Services to Equality and Diversity.

Jordan Lewis
Race Equality Charter Adviser, Advance HE
Jordan Lewis is the Race Equality Charter Adviser at Advance HE; He is responsible for supporting institutions across the Race Equality Charter process from signing up to on-going support and organisation development. His work involves training and facilitating workshops to understand how racial inequalities manifest in higher education.
Before joining Advance HE Jordan was the Community Manager at Wonkhe and prior to this, worked across a number of students’ unions in both elected and full-time staff roles. Jordan has lead institutional strategies to improve student engagement and representation, as well as running a students’ union advice service and democratic processes . Jordan has served 2 terms on the Strategic Student Advisory Committee for the Quality Assurance Agency.

Professor Bhavik Anil Patel
Professor of Clinical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, University of Brighton
Bhavik is a Professor of Clinical and Bioanalytical Chemistry at the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences. Bhavik is a member of the race equality steering group that recently helped secure University of Brighton REC bronze award in 2019. Bhavik is deputy lead for equality and diversity for his department. Bhavik is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2017).
Bhavik’s educational research is focused on exploring inclusive practices of education, specially exploring how students access support services. Additionally he has focused on creating simple resources to raise awareness on race equality in higher education.
The event pricings are as follows:
Members: £30
Non-members: £40
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