Sustaining Inclusive Progress in Higher Education
Creating inclusive environments in higher education has never been more critical.
Higher education is being challenged to become accessible, inclusive and representative of the society we live in. The voices calling for change are many and strong, the opportunities, energy and urgency likewise.
We partner with institutions to strengthen equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategies, ensuring they align with organisational priorities and meet the evolving expectations of staff and students. Our evidence-based support helps institutions sustain progress and embed inclusive practices that deliver impact.
We support your institution to create places of learning and employment that welcome diversity, nurture talent and make sustainable change. We can help you remove barriers to education, employment and success, so that higher education can reach its full potential, and your diverse staff and students can benefit equally from the opportunities it affords.
Our work can focus on issues surrounding specific protected characteristics but will always consider intersectionality with other protected characteristics.
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Why work with Advance HE?
Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values as an organisation and provide the framework for the work that we do with our members and clients.
Our work on equality, diversity and inclusion:
- is evidence-based and draws on a wide range of academic thinking
- is informed by good practice from across and beyond the higher education sector
- is in synergy with and support of Athena Swan and the Race Equality Charter
- understands that inequalities are not limited to overt, isolated incidents, but are also an everyday facet of society, situations, processes and behaviours
- focuses on institutional as well as individual change
- foregrounds the voices and lived experiences of students and staff from marginalised groups
- creates a safe space for honest and transformative conversations
- understands that engagement, confidence and skill levels in relation to EDI differ between and within institutions so we pay attention to the context, needs and well-being of those we work with.
Our experts
Working with us means drawing on the expertise of highly experienced colleagues who are active leaders in their fields with significant track records in supporting institutions to deliver their objectives. We also work with a vast group of highly experienced and skilled associates.
Our experts
Working with us means drawing on the expertise of highly experienced colleagues who are active leaders in their fields with significant track records in supporting institutions to deliver their objectives. We also work with a vast group of highly experienced and skilled associates.
David Bass
Director of EDI
David is responsible for providing organisational leadership in Advance HE’s work on EDI, both internally and externally.
Dr Ruth Gilligan
Deputy Director of Inclusive Institutions
Dr Ruth Gilligan is Deputy Director of Inclusive Institutions at Advance HE. She is responsible for the strategic leadership of the Athena Swan Charter for gender equality and the Race Equality Charter which operate in the UK and internationally
Baljit Birring
Senior Consultant, Inclusive Leadership
Baljit Birring is a dynamic and values-driven Senior Consultant for Inclusive Leadership at Advance HE, where she leads flagship programmes including She Leads, the Diversifying Leadership Programme, and the Inclusive Leadership Programme. A creative strategist, experienced leader, and executive coach, she is committed to transforming leadership cultures and embedding equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) into the heart of organisations.
Sally Baden
Interim Head of Athena Swan
Sally Baden is currently interim Head of Athena Swan at Advance HE, where she supports higher education institutions in the UK and globally to advance gender equality, working with sector stakeholders. She joined Advance HE’s Equality Charters Team in October 2021 as Senior Adviser.
Dr Elliott Spaeth
Senior Consultant in Inclusive Education
Dr Elliott Spaeth is a visionary leader in the field of Inclusive Practice in Higher Education, with a particular focus on empowering staff to create psychologically safe environments for disabled and/or neurodivergent students.
Project Success Stories
Useful resources and links
- Equality in higher education: statistical reports
Every year, Advance HE’s Research team produces a series of statistical reports on equality for staff and students in UK higher education. - Disabled Students’ Commission
This independent and strategic group takes responsibility for advising, informing and influencing higher education providers to improve support for disabled students. - Advance HE Member Project: Good Campus Relations and Freedom of Speech
Helping members to create inclusive institutions and improve campus relations between different groups, whilst supporting and protecting freedom of speech and academic freedom. - Diversity of governors in higher education 2022
The second report into the diversity of HE governors in the UK published by Advance HE reveals insights from our analysis of HESA data looking at the diversity characteristics of governors in UK higher education. - Board Diversity Toolkit
The Toolkit is designed to help member institutions to improve the diversity and inclusivity of their governing bodies, whether as a Secretary, Chair of Governors, Governance and Nominations Committee member, or anyone interested in tackling under-representation and aiming for inclusion at the Board level in the higher education sector.
