EDI Governance | Northumbria University

Northumbria University has a strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion and this is reflected in our governance and management arrangements.

Our approach to delivering our EDI agenda necessarily combines wide staff engagement, network support, and programme delivery, overseen by Executive leadership and Board level security.

Responsibility for overseeing, monitoring and reporting on the progress of EDI matters lies with the EDI Committee which is chaired by Professor Andy Long, the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Northumbria University, and is supported by four Equality Forums for Gender, Disability, LGBTQ+ and Race Equality.

The EDI governance structure is below:

Organisational chart showing the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) governance structure. EDI Committee, chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, feeds into the Board of Governors. Three branches extend from EDI Committee: (1) Equality Actions Self-Assessment Team chaired by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor; (2) Four Equality Forums chaired by the Senior Sponsors for Equality - these are the Disability, Gender, LGBTQ+, and Race Equality Forums. A colleague equality network feeds informally into each Forum – these are the Disabled Staff Network, Women’s Network, True Colours Network and the BAME Network; (3) Faculty EDI Operational Groups chaired by Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellors - there is a group for each of the three Faculties: Health and Wellbeing, Science and Environment, and Society and Culture.

Each focus area of inclusion at Northumbria has a Senior Sponsor. Senior Sponsors are members of the University Senior Leadership Group who willingly give their support, time and commitment to an area of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI).

Senior Sponsors are expected to be active in their support for inclusion and will be required to help to give EDI the visibility it requires at the University to make change happen. As a significant supporter for the inclusion agenda, sponsors will be willing to have challenging conversations on behalf of, and in support of, individuals from underrepresented groups.

The Senior Sponsor for Gender Equality is Professor Lisanne Gibson, Pro Vice-Chancellor in the Faculty of Society and Culture.
The Senior Sponsor for LGBTQ+ Equality is Professor Chris Ashford, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange.
The Senior Sponsor for Disability Equality is Professor Louise Bracken, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange.
The Senior Sponsor for Race Equality is Professor Matt Baillie Smith, Dean of Research Culture.