In 2019, we launched our Social Inclusion Strategy to help deliver our ambition of ensuring Warwick is a place where everyone has the opportunity to reach their potential. One way for us to achieve this is to increase diversity, particularly at senior levels, by developing diverse and inclusive leadership to inspire our staff, students, and the communities we work with.

Accelerate - our talent programme for grades 7 and 8 staff - is a strategic initiative designed to bridge the diversity gap at grade 9. It has been developed to support the next generation of leaders who have traditionally faced well documented barriers developing into senior leadership positions. The programme offers a mix of in-person training, virtual coaching, and mentoring to accommodate diverse learning preferences and needs.

We believe that inclusive leadership and mentorship are essential ingredients in all career journeys and therefore inclusive leadership sessions for line managers and mentorship from our INspire alumni are key elements of this programme.

Accelerate is for women, disabled, LGBTQUIA+, and ethnic minority staff at grades 7 and 8, both in Academic and Professional Services, who have an ambition to reach grade 9.

"I believe universities will be improved by diversity of opinions, skills, histories, and experiences which is why it is important that we have diversity amongst our senior leaders. Our data tell us that diversity amongst our grade 9 population decreases, especially staff who are disabled, women, LGBTQUIA+, and/or ethnic minorities.

I want everybody to have the same opportunities and not to have doors closed because of personal or systemic barriers, which is why I am proud to be sponsoring our new Accelerate programme, preparing those traditionally under-represented leaders to progress to grade 9 positions.

This programme has been curated to enable our ambitious grade 7 and 8 talent to be authentic in the way they develop themselves and inclusive in the way they lead others; whilst creating a safe space for their managers to develop their own inclusive leadership skills. I look forward to seeing how our leaders progress as they develop through this exciting new programme."

Emma Flynn, Provost