Wilma has done an outstanding job in this position over the past two years and she played a key role in the drafting of the UvA EB Diversity Action Plan. This plan, endorsed by the dean and the representative bodies, contains the focus areas and scope of the faculty’s diversity policy, as well as the concrete measures to be taken. Siri has an affinity with the topic of diversity from an academic perspective and she will further shape the diversity policy at the faculty.

Taking diversity seriously

Her main research area is Strategy, where diversity is increasingly examined from a business case perspective. During her research, Siri Boe-Lillegraven was exposed to operational challenges associated with diversity through her field work at two large multinationals. She is also involved in two different projects focused on diversity-relevant themes in the context of higher education. The first is about student assessment practices and the second deals with inclusive practices at universities.

Boe-Lillegraven: ‘Wilma de Kruijf, has carried out a lot of foundational work and this has resulted in a Diversity Plan with a number of goals for the next few years. In my view, diversity is not a job that can be allocated to a single person, or to a handful of managers. Taking diversity seriously will require that we all get out of our comfort zone and work to overcome our biases. I look forward to starting conversations and encouraging initiatives that will help achieve this!’  

Vision

The aim is to create a climate and culture where the faculty is enriched by its diversity, where all staff and students, regardless of their differences, are included as part of the academic community.

A cultural shift was needed to bring about a situation where all voices are heard and everyone at the faculty feels at home. UvA EB has had a Faculty Diversity Officer (FDO) since 2017 and a Diversity Committee since 2018. The FDO’s role is defined through aligning input from the dean, the representative bodies, the Central Diversity Officer (CDO) and the Diversity Committee.