Sir Stephen Wall
LGBT Champion
Chair of UCL Council

I spent 35 years as a member of the British Diplomatic Service. For most of that time, to be openly gay was a sackable offence. Now, the Foreign Office is a Stonewall champion and gay and lesbian ambassadors and their partners represent their country overseas.

At UCL, there is still a gap between our commitment to equality and the reality. Some gay and lesbian staff members are wary about being open about their sexuality. Not all Departments are comfortable places to be gay. I chair the UCL Council, whose job is to set the university's strategic direction and make sure we govern ourselves effectively. For me, that means that UCL should be a place where all of us, whatever our identity or orientation, feel equally valued, respected and able to be open about who we are.

Professor Anthony Finkelstein
Race, Religion and Belief Champion
Dean of Engineering Sciences

I am the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Sciences and Professor of Software Systems Engineering . I am also the UCL Equality Champion for Race, Religion & Belief. This means I take responsibility for ensuring that issues relating to equality, are appropriately represented in UCL's decision making processes.

I believe that equal treatment and respect in regard to matters of race, religion and belief are the hallmarks of a civilised society. Mutual respect is the underpinning for scholarly discourse. Such mutual respect and tolerance can coexist in UCL with an open and challenging dialogue, indeed this is the foundation of the UCL tradition of secular liberalism. A diverse community, accessible and welcoming to people of all races and backgrounds is essential to fulfill our institutional mission and to support the best research, education, knowledge transfer and engagement.

Professor Mary Collins
Gender Champion
Dean of Life Sciences

I've worked at UCL since 1997, in the Immunology Department. I spend 1-2 days a week with my research team which engineers viruses to make better vaccines. The other days I'm based in Maple House as Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences.

To my mind equality at UCL will be achieved when everyone receives appropriate credit for their contribution to UCL. UCL also needs to make it easy for everyone to contribute. I think we have a way to go.     

Professor Stephen Smith
LGBT Champion
Dean of Social and Historical Sciences

I am a Professor of Economics, and Dean of the Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences. I chair UCL's Committee for Equal Opportunities, which covers the whole gamut of equalities concerns, and both staff and student dimensions: making sure that UCL is an equal opportunities employer, and ensuring that UCL lives up to its founders' commitment to open up higher education to all.

Championing LGBT issues at UCL has many different aspects: ensuring that LGBT concerns are represented when key decisions are taken that affect LGBT staff or students, ensuring that both LGBT staff and students can feel confident that they are valued and respected members of the UCL community, and ensuring that our education and employment practices treat LGBT staff fairly and equally. I am particularly concerned that we should do more to monitor LGBT staff and student perceptions and experiences, although I recognise the sensitivities around data collection on sexual orientation.

Dr. Gill Samuels
Age Champion
Member of Council

Baroness Diana Warwick of Undercliffe
Gender Champion
Member of Council

I am currently the Chair of the Human Tissue Authority. Before that I was the CEO of Universities UK, where I was responsible for representing the interests of 130 universities throughout the UK. My other roles have included CEO of the Association of University Teachers and Chair of Voluntary Services Overseas. I am a Member of the House of Lords and have been a Labour life peer since 1999. From my experiences working at UUK and in politics I know how much progress on gender equality has been made over the course of my career. However I am aware that there remain some significant challenges, for women in leadership positions in academia in particular.

Mr. Rex Knight
Disability Champion
Vice Provost - Operations

I was pleased to be asked to act as a disability equality champion. UCL depends on the excellence of its staff and students, and we should be supporting everyone to achieve at the highest level they can. A particularly important issue that we need to tackle is the relatively low levels of declaration of disability we have, especially for staff. Only when staff and students have the confidence to disclose disabilities can we engage most effectively in ensuring that their needs are fully addressed. 

Professor. Nick Tyler
Age Champion
Head of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering

I have always been excited by the prospect of enabling people to achieve their ambitions - it is why I work in academia. In ensuring that this sort of opportunity is genuinely available to all, I have also been involved in the past in statutory committees such as the Disabled Persons' Transport Advisory Committee and in my department's submission which won the Athena SWAN Silver Award and through my CRUCIBLE project I encourage UCL researchers to investigate matters affecting and affected by ageing throughout the lifecourse. In the role of Age Champion at UCL, I am keen to investigate the opportunities for rethinking working patterns so that these can achieve a more satisfactory approach to work throughout working life.

Ms. Katharine Roseveare
Race, Religion and Belief Champion
Member of Council

I have always been very aware of my mixed race roots and grew up surrounded by both Chinese and English customs, traditions and beliefs. My mother's Chinese background was undoubtedly a prompter in my having been brought up partly in the Far East, and my father's English upbringing equally responsible for my - Church of England - education in the UK.

So as a UCL Equality Champion for Faith and Race I am glad to bring together my personal experience, my interest in these areas and my support for UCL (as a graduate and lay Member of Council), and I hope to be able to contribute my professional experience in management, marketing, and communications.