Salford Business School awarded Athena Swan Silver for gender equality

Salford Business School, the University of Salford, has been awarded Athena Swan Silver, in recognition of its sustained commitment to advancing gender equality and inclusive practice across higher education. 

The Athena Swan Charter is a globally recognised framework that supports gender equality and inclusion within universities and research institutions. Silver Awards are granted to organisations that can demonstrate meaningful, evidence-based change embedded in culture, governance and everyday practice. 

Achieving Silver places Salford Business School among a relatively small number of business schools nationally to hold the award and builds on the School’s Bronze recognition, achieved in 2019. 

The award reflects several years of focused work to embed equity, diversity and inclusion across leadership, policy development and decision-making, alongside a strong emphasis on staff and student voice. The submission also highlighted ongoing work to address inequalities where gender intersects with ethnicity and other lived experiences. 

Professor Katy Mason, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Salford Business School, said: “This award recognises sustained cultural change and the collective commitment of colleagues and students to building a more inclusive and supportive School. Equity and inclusion are central to who we are and how we operate, and the Athena Swan Silver Award is an important marker of the progress we have made and our ambition for the future. 

“Our inclusive culture is central to driving positive change towards a more sustainable economy. Inclusivity practices need to run through everything we do. That’s why we’re consistently using our research to develop our business, management and law degree programmes; to equip future leaders with the critical skills to seek out opportunities and collaborate in the creation of an everyone economy. Building an ‘everyone economy’ is a big ambition, but it’s achievable if everyone’s effort counts.” 

The Athena Swan Silver Award is held for the next five years, during which time Salford Business School will deliver its action plan, embedding inclusive practice across teaching, research and professional services activity. 

About Athena Swan Charter
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. Established in 2005 to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment, the Charter is now being used across the globe to address gender equality more broadly, and not just barriers to progression that affect women.

Advance HE members can apply for institutional and departmental Athena Swan awards recognising their gender equality efforts.