Tackling race inequality: business schools and the Race Equality Charter

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.