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Meet Alice Chilver, one of Astrea's co-founders. We chat to Alice to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Astrea network.
To mark Astrea's 10-year anniversary, we catch up with one of the co-founders, Alice, to reflect on the inspiration for setting up the network and the journey over the past decade.
What inspired you to set up Astrea?
At first, it was the motivation to learn from the experiences of other women at UCL who undoubtedly would have already overcome some of the obstacles that we were identifying at that stage in our lives. Then, it was a lack of visible women role models. The third motivation came from frustration to learn that although the majority of professional services (PS) staff at UCL (and indeed the sector) were women, PS leadership roles were dominated by men.
Whose is your most important female inspiration?
Trying to answer this, the faces of so many women I know flash before my eyes. Most important, though, would have to be my mum, who taught me the values of justice, learning and determination.
Is the Astrea network today what you envisioned 10 years ago and if it is different in what way?
Our vision was for it to be sustainable, lasting well beyond us and to benefit women at UCL in years to come. Following the work of the network is a real joy and there’s no doubt it’s a beacon of best practice within (and beyond) the sector. It’s far exceeded my expectations and I’m so proud of it and all of the women who’ve been involved in steering it.
What are you currently reading/listening to/ watching?
I’m currently in a time warp on maternity leave and mostly listening to podcasts. I like the drama and inquisition of The Diary of a CEO, which in in-depth interviews with all sorts of people. I love Desert Island Discs and of course, Woman’s Hour. If I need to laugh, I’ll listen to The Guilty Feminist!
What’s the best piece of advice you have been given?
Where attention goes, energy flows. Where energy flows, life grows!
Do you have any secret talents or fun facts about yourself?
I would love to re-learn the trumpet and be in a band such as Lucky Chip, playing funky cover songs. Maybe one day…
What do you see as the biggest impact of Astrea/ what are you most proud that Astrea has achieved?
It instigated the founding of WHEN, a network uniting nearly 9,000 women from across the breadth of the sector and boldly pushing boundaries to change the status quo for all women by dismantling systemic sexism and racism as well as supporting women to thrive.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A seamstress with my own small clothes shop.
Who would you most like to have a conversation with at an Astrea Happy to Chat bench and why?
There are so many! I’d start with Adwoa Darko [Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (Behaviour and Culture Change)] because she’s not long joined UCL, plus it would be great fun. I’d want to ask her about how’s she’s settling into UCL and her new role. I’d ask her about the cultural differences between UCL and her old institution. I’d ask her about a fantastic initiative she founded called Brown Girls Lunch and whether she has plans to do something similar at UCL, I’d ask her about gal-dem and her influencer work! I’d need at least a whole afternoon!
Where would you like to see Astrea in another 10 years' time?
I’d love to see the network taking on specific intersectional issues that affect PS women and their careers, so that all PS women are thriving at UCL.