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‘Breaking Barriers and Smashing Glass Ceilings’, Insights from Professor Dilshad Sheikh’s Personal Journey
The Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine hosted its first EDI seminar on the 10th November with Speaker Professor Dilshad Sheikh, Arden University.
The seminar, titled ‘Breaking Barriers and Smashing Glass Ceilings: A Personal Journey for more equity, diversity and inclusion in UK higher education’, was attended by students and researchers working at the IDRM, the Department of Paediatrics, the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, and other institutes on Old Road Medical Campus.
Professor Dilshad Sheikh gave an enlightening talk on the personal and professional challenges she has faced as an Asian woman on her journey towards senior leadership roles in academia, how she overcame them and how she is using her experience to inspire women and others from ethnic minority backgrounds.
One of her standout points around breaking barriers and being able to progress was that she continuously works to make herself visible; asserting her worth, skills and accomplishments to be recognised within her sector. She encouraged the audience to do the same, to build a support network of people who can guide and support their careers, to seek out like-minded people from diverse backgrounds and to invest time towards continuous learning and professional development. Professor Sheikh shared that in her experience, the four people you need in your life to be successful are a coach, mentor, friend and ally, with the latter being incredibly important for affecting change and urged the audience to be proactive and ‘if change needs to happen, make it happen’.
This was Professor Sheikh's first visit to the University of Oxford, and it proved to be a very positive experience for all. The whole-day event included a lunch with IDRM and neighbouring institutes students and postdoctoral researchers, a Q&A session after the seminar, and a drinks reception where people were able to meet Professor Sheikh and chat about her experience and share their own. A good deal of discussion revolved around ensuring that EDI strategies had tangible outputs, something that the IDRM is committed to achieving in collaboration with its Home Departments. We are very grateful to Professor Sheikh for sharing her journey and insights with us.
About the speaker:
Professor Dilshad Sheikh is the Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) and Dean of the Faculty of Business at Arden University. She has over 20 years of experience in the Higher Education sector, from teaching to senior management roles, and is passionate about inspiring women, especially from ethnic minority backgrounds, to attain senior leadership positions. She was awarded the accolade of Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Companion, winning their Volunteer of the Year Award in 2022 and 2023, and was shortlisted in the Education Investor Awards as Business Woman to Watch (2021) and Business Woman of the Year (2022).