The Athena Swan Silver Award marks a significant milestone for Imperial Business School, following a decade as a Bronze award holder. It recognises the School’s sustained commitment to embedding gender equality across its policies, everyday practices and culture.

Established in 2005 and run by Advance HE, the Athena Swan Charter is a globally recognised framework that supports universities and research institutions to identify and tackle barriers to gender equality.

The Business School has made notable progress in female academic representation, inclusive student recruitment practices and workplace culture. Strengthened leadership and governance, including the appointments of Professor Sankalp Chaturvedi as the Associate Dean of People & Culture and Rebecca Smith as Head of Culture & Inclusion, have also helped coordinate these efforts and maintain accountability for progress.

Professor Sankalp Chaturvedi said: "Achieving the Athena Swan Silver Award is both an honour and a responsibility. It recognises our progress towards gender equity, while reminding us that meaningful change requires a structured approach, collective effort, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

“We see gender equity as both a value and a guiding principle. It matters because talent is distributed equally, but opportunities are not always. When everyone has the opportunity to progress, contribute and be recognised, our whole School benefits: our research is richer, our teaching stronger and our decisions more thoughtful. Our ambition is to embed equity and respect into the fabric of our School’s culture, in an attempt to increase accountability.”

Improving representation at every level

Since the School’s Bronze renewal in 2022, the proportion of female faculty representation has increased from 26% to 32% in 2026, reaching its highest recorded level. The proportion of female applicants for faculty positions has also risen from 31% to 48%.

Progress has extended to senior academic roles. The number of female full professors has more than doubled, from five to 13, with women’s representation at this level increasing from 14% to 22%.

Strengthening the pipeline of female students

Improving gender balance across academic programmes has been another key priority, particularly in areas where women have historically been underrepresented.

Through targeted marketing and applicant engagement, increased visibility of female role models, women-focused student networks and expanded scholarship provision, the School has worked to attract and support more women across its academic programmes.

These efforts have delivered measurable improvements. Female enrolment on MSc Finance increased from 33% in 2022/23 to 41% in 2025/26. On the Executive MBA, female participation rose from 35% in 2022 to 46% in 2025, before stabilising at 41% in 2026. Overall, women now account for 52% of enrolment across all academic programmes.

Scholarship investment has also grown substantially. The value of scholarships awarded to women increased from £624,000, supporting 70 recipients in 2015/16, to £2.3 million, supporting 154 recipients in 2025/26. This investment helps reduce financial barriers to entry and widen access to business education.

Building a more inclusive culture

Alongside representation, the School has focused on improving staff experience as well as addressing bullying and harassment.

Initiatives have included the introduction of annual monitoring of staff experiences, awareness-raising activities, unconscious bias and active bystander training, mandatory sexual harassment awareness training, clearer guidance on formal and informal channels for support and escalation, and confidential channels through which staff can raise concerns via the University’s Report and Support system. Leadership development and strengthened governance have also supported this work.

Bi-annual staff survey results increasingly indicate progress in the right direction. Whilst these results suggest improvements in staff experience, tackling bullying and harassment remains an ongoing priority. The School will continue to strengthen confidence in reporting concerns and in how they are addressed, whilst increasing accountability for behaviours that undermine inclusion and respect.

Flexible working has also improved, with staff satisfaction with working arrangements rising from 46% in 2020 to 78% in 2025. The assessment panel has specifically commended the School’s culture-taskforce model to embed fairness and respect in Selection, Performance, Promotion and Development, and Inclusive identity processes.

Continuing the work

The School’s 2026–2031 Athena Swan Action Plan will focus on improving the recruitment, progression and retention of women at all academic levels, increasing female representation among full professors and in senior leadership, ensuring accountability, and strengthening career development and promotion practices.

Further priorities include addressing bullying and harassment, promoting staff wellbeing, improving equity in workload allocation, and ensuring an inclusive learning environment for students.

Karen Tweddle, Director of Education Quality, who played a key role in leading the application, said: “It has been a privilege to lead our Athena Swan Silver application. I’m delighted that the panel has recognised the considerable work colleagues across the School have put in over many years, as well as the strength of our plans for the future. This award celebrates how far we’ve come and provides a valuable opportunity to build on this progress and continue supporting our whole community.”

Professor Peter Todd, Dean of Imperial Business School, added: “Achieving the Athena Swan Silver Award is an important milestone for Imperial Business School and recognises the collective efforts of colleagues across our community to advance gender equality. While we are proud of the progress made, we know there is more to do. We remain committed to sustained, evidence-based action to build a truly inclusive environment where everyone can thrive, regardless of gender or background.”