Professor Tanya Fitzgerald, University of Western Australia

This first session will focus on the origins on IWD, how women in global contexts have historically challenged the status quo, and then discuss how the challenge to ‘accelerate action’ might offer a focus on equity, diversity and inclusion for the higher education sector.

Professor Sarah Jane Aiston, Teesside University, UK

Sarah will present the findings from her SHRE-funded research. In 2021 the Singaporean government launched a White Paper aimed at identifying and tackling issues concerning women in Singapore, including facilitating greater representation for women in leadership roles. In the absence of publicly available data, this session will present for the first time a gendered profile of the public universities in Singapore, which indicates women’s lack of representation in higher education leadership. The findings from qualitative interviews held with academic women in Singapore will also be shared.

Su Myat Noe, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (SEAMEO RIHED)

Su will discuss the impacts of the leadership initiative by the British Council and SEAMEO RIHED, titled Strengthening Leadership with Gender Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (GEDI) in Higher Education Institutions in Southeast Asia. She will highlight the project's key activities across its two phases, emphasising its role in fostering transformative leadership and building cross-cultural collaborations for GEDI.  Additionally, the session will also discuss the development and implications of the visionary white paper, Envisioning GEDI for Southeast Asian Higher Education, which outlines actionable strategies to promote gender equity, diversity, and inclusivity within the region's higher education landscape.