A culture of inclusivity

Our student population is 90% international, with representation from over 100 countries, from Liechtenstein to the Northern Mariana Islands. We were one of the first Business Schools to achieve an Athena Swan award when the Charter was expanded in 2016, and we carry Disability Confident accreditation as well as a Bronze Race Equality Charter award. Our partnerships with Forté and Dior have helped us grow our female student numbers by almost 25% in the last four years. Scholarships, initiatives and networks support a wide range of student and staff groups who might otherwise be disadvantaged, and in 2023 we set up four Cultural Taskforces to co-create consistent mechanisms for clear, fair, respectful and inclusive processes across the whole School community.

Our aim is to ensure that every individual has equity of opportunity, is not disadvantaged in any way, and is able to speak up if this is not their experience. A raft of support makes this possible for students and staff, both within the Business School and throughout the university, ensuring that every student and member of staff feels part of a like-minded community and is recognised for their contribution to others. Initiatives such as our Pronoun Drive and careers clubs such as Black in Business remind students and staff of the important of gender and race equality.

Enabling equity of access and opportunity requires both investment and commitment.  In the most recent academic year the School offered over £2 million in scholarships, complemented by additional School budget and external giving, alongside initiatives such as providing financial assistance for student trips abroad, our EDI Mentoring Programme and our partnership with the Empathy Museum around Bullying and Harassment. The Business School community has its own Inclusivity Fund, Dean’s Fund and Advisory Board Scholarships, and benefits from university-sponsored initiatives such as the EDI Seed Fund and Excellence Fund for Learning and Teaching Innovation.

We run a large number of events throughout the year that ensure equal representation, supported by groups such as Imperial 600 and Able@Imperial. Some, like our 'What the Tech?' initiative which offers tech support to older residents, allow us to support our local community. Others, such as the Menopause Workshop (run as part of Women@Imperial Week 2024), raise awareness of women’s health issues and provide an opportunity to learn how to support colleagues experiencing perimenopause and menopause symptoms. The most successful then become best practice, embedded in daily life, such as the year-long equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) course which is compulsory for all students and which won the Best Culture, Diversity & Inclusion Initiative at the 2021 AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards. 

With an extensive community of students, staff, faculty, and alumni spanning more than 150 countries, our internal networks play a key role in the culture of the School. Whether current students sharing a blog post about their involvement in a specific career or regionally focused business club, an alumni providing concrete examples of relatable role modelling to others, a member of faculty featuring in our Women@Imperial profiles, or demonstrating that connecting with students has a direct impact on academic results and teaching scores, we want every part of our School community to live and breathe a culture of integrity, fairness, and respect.

The School and wider university have a number of assets which are unique in Higher Education – for example, the IDEA and Enterprise Labs, the Centre for Responsible Leadership, the Ghandi Centre for Inclusive Innovation and the Leonardo Centre on Business for Society – all of which develop thought leadership through their research activities and provide a platform for internal and external engagement. We leverage these assets to propel the drive for equity and inclusivity through initiatives such as the 'Black & Found podcast' and WE Innovate, which is led by the Enterprise Lab to help a new generation of female entrepreneurs accelerate their startups.