Athena Swan has many benefits to the School and its community. It shows our commitment to move forward with a gender equality and diversity agenda and fully embed Athena Swan principles into the culture of Bangor Business School. Working towards Athena Swan bronze has highlighted our strengths including internal promotional successes for Bangor Business School females. It has also helped us set new targets for improving inclusivity e.g. we aim to have a more equal gender balance throughout the School’s leadership and organisation. The Athena Swan Charter is a framework which is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education (HE) and research.
Bangor Business School received the bronze award from Athena Swan in November 2019.
About Athena Swan
Athena Swan charter was established in 2005 and is based on ten key principles around the equality agenda. The charter was initially set up to encourage and recognise the commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) but now recognises work undertaken to address gender equality more broadly.
Athena Swan is awarded by the Advance HE, Equality Challenge Unit and the award is valid for five years. The submission was prepared and submitted by the School’s Athena Swan Self Assessment Team (SAT).
The Bangor Business School Self Assessment Team include academic staff members shown here.
The Bangor Business School Self Assessment Team include academic staff members shown here.
Self Assessment Team Students Members
Alongside academic members of staff the Self Assessment Team also includes our current students Chiara Lo Re and Rebecca Bowyer.
Rebecca Bowyer
I am a Business School alumni, having studied Business Management and Marketing. I joined the Athena Swan team in my 1st year. I joined the team as gender equality in wider society is of importance and can affect growth and scalability in many organisations, in order for the world to become more equal we need to start by educating and demonstrating such an environment in higher education. I was pleased to have been involved in the Athena Swan female entrepreneurship programme, which enabled me to develop the confidence and skills to set up my own business. My mentor also encouraged me to attend networking events where I met two role models including Karren Brady and Sara Davies.
Chiara Lo Re
I am a second year PhD candidate in Finance at Bangor Business school and am currently working on the impact of banks regulations on banks' deposit ratings. It's great to be a member of the BBS Athena SWAN team and represent the student body on gender equality matters. The issue is also important in terms of my research area (Banking Sector), in which leadership roles tend to be dominated by men.
Female mentorship programme at Bangor Business School
Bangor Business School ran a female mentorship programme which saw female students being mentored by female entrepreneurs. Here is Rebecca Bowyer talking about her experience of the programme and how she went on to start her own business.
0:00 Hi my name is Rebecca, I'm a third year business management and marketing student who lives on
0:05 Anglesey just the other side of Menai Bridge. I was involved in the Athena Swan
0:10 female mentorship program where I was partnered with a local entrepreneur who encouraged me and
0:15 helped me set up my own business. Julie Williams she runs the Coaching Den 4 Life and works
0:19 with Big Ideas Wales. Julie gave me the skill set to start networking more effectively and
0:25 using my passion to make a difference um involving setting up on my own, yeah it was quite eye-opening
0:32 to the opportunities that are around and the support that is there in the local area and
0:37 from the government in terms of setting up your own business. She gave me the confidence to take
0:42 the next steps that I wouldn't have done on my own without her I wouldn't have started going
0:46 to massive networking events in London and such which is quite a big leap from a local girl on
0:52 a small island and she also gave me the really the toolkit to start and allowed me to expand
1:00 on those skills slowly over time and so I've set up a company and it's called behead raising
1:05 awareness of neurodiversity and I primarily work to raise the profile neurodiverse and differences
1:11 in healthcare and education while mentoring young people who perhaps don't have the support system
1:16 like I benefited from when I was younger. Say yes to every opportunity that comes your way as much
1:22 as it's out of your comfort zone because your comfort zone will stay small if you don't keep
1:27 expanding it slowly and slowly and slowly and you'll be amazed how far you can actually come.