Gender-inclusivity: A Catalyst for Innovation

Oxfordshire is recognised as one of the UK’s leading innovation engines. Yet its science and technology companies are still male dominated.
Only 18% of these companies have at least one woman founder and only 19% have achieved at least 30% representation of women in leadership roles.
For further information, please see Oxfordshire’s Innovation Engine: What contribution is Gender Diversity making to the scientific super-cluster?

Through a three-year PhD research study at Oxford Brookes Business School, in collaboration with Advanced Oxford, we have examined the context, culture and practices in which employees innovate. The conclusion: the ecosystem and its companies are not sufficiently inclusive in terms of culture, structure, and practices to ensure the equality, diversity and inclusion that is needed for innovation.

Through this event, we will share findings from the research, consider how they can be applied, and critically, explain how creating and promoting a culture of inclusive-innovation benefits not only employees, but also innovation outputs.

Provisional agenda:

We encourage arrival at 16:30 for a 17:00 start.

• Introduction: Professor Simonetta Manfredi, Director Research, Innovation and Enterprise Oxford Brookes University and Sarah Haywood, Managing Director Advanced Oxford
• Hannah Isabelle Tornow, PhD student sponsored by Advanced Oxford at Oxford Brookes Business School, will present this new report, recommendations for action, guidance and tools, informed by her research, to increase the innovation potential of science and technology companies, regardless of their heritage or location
• Q&A
• Networking drinks 18:30-19:30

This event is powered by Oxford Brookes Directorate for Research, Innovation and Enterprise in collaboration with Advanced Oxford

Website: www.brookes.ac.uk/rie

Contact: rieenquiries@brookes.ac.uk