Join our Westminster Conversation between Dr Randhir K. Auluck, Professor Alex Hughes and Dr Deborah Husbands on identity and resilience!
About this event
We welcome all students, colleagues and guests for a lived-experience based conversation on the role of identities, resilience, and leadership in academia and beyond. On March 8 2022, to mark International Women’s Day, Dr Deborah Husbands (Co-Chair, BME Network; Senior Lecturer in Psychology) will facilitate a conversation between Dr Randhir Auluck (Head of the School of Organisation, Economy and Society, University of Westminster) and Professor Alex Hughes (Deputy Vice Chancellor Global Engagement, University of Westminster).
The session will open with brief presentations from the two speakers followed by a conversational exploration of the interplay between personal and professional identities, and resilience. Specific strands of the conversation will include how identities forged through cultural connection, difference and border crossings contribute to the construction of a professional identity, build and sustain professional and personal development, and engender resilience. The conversation will be followed by audience discussion.
The event is part of “Westminster conversations: Toward an Anti-Racist University” series supported by the University of Westminster and QHT. Please contact Grace Egbewole-Adereti at [email protected] for any further question about the event as well as the series.
About the speakers
Dr Randhir Auluck
Dr Randhir Auluck is Head of School (SOES), Westminster Business School at the University of Westminster in London, UK. Previously, she was Associate Head of School: Enterprise & Innovation in the School of Leadership & Strategy at Coventry University where she led the School’s Executive Development and CPD programmes (value over £11M) and partnerships. Also, she is a City Councillor for Coventry City Council and is Vice-Chair of the Planning Committee. Randhir has specific expertise in local government, public service reform, leadership development, human resource management and diversity management and has led various leadership development projects in the public sector and the corporate sector.
Prior to this, Randhir held a number of roles in the Centre for Management and Policy Studies (Cabinet Office) including Head of International Projects – Africa, and in the National School of Government. She has led a large number of institutional strengthening and capacity-building programmes internationally and has been on secondment to both the South African Public Service in Pretoria and to the French Ministry of Industry, Finance and Economy in Paris. She has acted as advisor to a variety of international governments including India, Bangladesh, Namibia, Malawi, Uganda and South Africa, and led on a capacity-building project with the Government of Ethiopia/the Ethiopian Management Institute/the Civil Service College.
Professor Alex Hughes
Professor Hughes is a highly experienced University leader who has worked in institutions across the spectrum of UK HE, building and delivering strategic priorities. As Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement and Employability at the University of Westminster, Professor Hughes leads the University's internationalisation activities, working with colleagues across the institution. Our global engagement agenda is key to our vision, embracing areas from overseas student recruitment and partnerships to the internationalisation of the student and staff experience and relations with overseas alumni. She also leads our employability strategy, placing it at the heart of student experience priorities. She is co-Chair of the University’s EDI Committee.
Previously, Professor Hughes was Pro-Vice Chancellor External at the University of Kent, where she led the University’s Internationalisation Strategy. Her remit also included the non-academic student experience and the employability agenda. The student experience was a focus of Professor Hughes’ work at Birmingham University, where she was Pro-Vice Chancellor for Quality and Students.
Chairperson: Dr Deborah Husbands
Dr Deborah Husbands is a Senior Lecturer and Chartered Psychologist. Her expertise lies in using critical race theoretical frameworks such as intersectionality and qualitative research methods to explore the experiences of minoritised groups. As a sociocultural psychologist, Deborah is involved in several research projects that include academic identity construction, achievement, success and belonging in minoritised students in higher education. Her most recent advisory role was as a member of the British Psychological Society Presidential Taskforce for Diversity and Inclusion, where she led the Collaboration workstream. She is Co-Chair for the BME Colleague Network, Lead for the Black History Year programme and Outreach Lead for Psychology at Westminster.
