WiSET steering group meets Gill Rider, Chair of Council

Members of WiSET steering group were delighted to meet with Dr Gill Rider OBE who was appointed to the University Council in 2012 this month.

Council is the governing body of the University, responsible for the overall planning and management of the University and it derives its existence and authority from Article 11 of the University Charter. Gill took time out of her busy schedule to meet WiSET and we had a lively and wide-ranging discussion.

Gill told us a bit about herself – she is a graduate of Southampton who had a long career in global management consulting with Accenture, becoming the first female Director there, and working as Global Chief Leadership Officer. She then worked as Director General in the UK Government’s Cabinet Office and as Head of the Civil Service Capability Group so she brings a wealth of experience to her new role as Chair of Council.

WiSET steering group members spoke about our roles and experiences as women scientists at Southampton,  and our concerns about development and leadership in science. Gill talked about her own experiences of being asked and expected to be a role model for women in organisations, and of different programmes and strategies for improving gender equality and working lives in organisations. She spoke passionately about her ideal of ‘stewardship’  – that in each role she has taken her ambition is to leave the organisation better than she found it. This certainly chimed well with our WiSET goal to make the university a better place to work and our sense that gender equality was worth pursuing.

Gill also shared ideas about the need to ensure that values, intentions (attitudes) promises (incentives and reward) and behaviour all link up – and this gave us food for thought about how we might address issues within this organisation.

WiSET want to build on this connection with Gill and we hope that we can entice her to have an informal ‘Audience with’ the wider WiSET network  very soon  (so watch this space for more news).

Catherine Pope (on behalf of the WiSET steering group)