Alex Prestage, Associate Director of Culture and Inclusion

9 January 2025

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve worked at Queen Mary

I originally studied linguistics, and the discipline really fostered my passion for addressing social issues and furthering social justice through academic research methods; applying theory to practice has been core to furthering my belief in a fairer world for all – and has been formative in my career as an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Practitioner.

I was proud to join Queen Mary as Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in April 2021 – coming up to four years ago now! I am even prouder to have been appointed as the University’s first Associate Director of Culture and Inclusion in October 2024.

Congratulations on your new role as Associate Director of Culture and Inclusion, what do you want to bring to this role? Can you tell us more about this role?

Thank you! It feels like a big step personally, and for the University. The role is a new leadership position responsible for developing the University’s vision and roadmap as we work to become the most inclusive of our kind by 2030 – a key commitment of our Strategy and one that so many of our community are passionate about. Given the passion and enthusiasm for realising this ambition across the organisation, I am excited to work with our staff and students to further develop, and deliver, our Culture and Inclusion Plan.

Can you share your top three priorities/focuses that you will be working on?

Certainly! Just three is a tough choice, and there’s always more to do, but I’ll do my best:

• A common theme when working across Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, whether talking to students, staff, our networks, or our senior leaders is a belief and desire to become a more diverse and representative organisation at all levels. We’ve made progress in terms of gender and ethnic diversity (particularly at middle and senior levels) but have further to go to reflect our ambitions. It’s a key priority for me, the team, and University!
• A sense of belonging underpins so much of the research, evidence base and benefits we want to see across staff and student life. We know that students who report a stronger affinity and sense of belonging are more likely to do well in their studies – with benefits in terms of satisfaction, progression between years and levels of study, and degree outcomes. The same is true of staff. A priority for me will be enhancing student and staff belonging across our diverse community, so that everyone can bring their best.
• This year is a really big year for Higher Education and addressing bullying, harassment and misconduct; there’s been a breakthrough in terms of our policy landscape with additional duties around the prevention of (sexual) harassment for Queen Mary, Higher Education and employers. The direction of travel is positive, but it does mean we have some work to do, building on our existing approach.

Are there any key projects you are currently working on that you’d like to highlight?

Yes, and a cheeky ask for anyone reading this:

We are improving and strengthening our equal opportunities data and need your help!

Please consider taking five minutes to complete or update your personal details so we can continue to design and develop interventions that reflect the true diversity and needs of our community. You can find out more on Connected.

Inclusion moves fast, what was most inclusive yesterday might not be today, what is Queen Mary as a university doing to stay up to date?

Don’t I know it! A good example is our Pay Gap Reporting; I’d love Queen Mary to be most transparent in the sector on Pay Gap Data (and what we are doing to close these gaps). We’ve gone beyond statutory compliance for years now, publishing our Ethnicity Pay Gaps (since 2019), an intersectional Pay Gap Metric (Gender and Ethnicity, since 2023), and our Disability Pay Gap (since 2024). Only one other university is as transparent as us on these gaps. A change in government, and a different climate around EDI and employment law, means the bar is only going to get higher and there’s plans to make our best-in-class the standard for all large employers. I’ll be looking at what other data is robust enough to be considered in our Pay Gap Reports going forward.

What do you see as your role in helping the University achieve its Strategy 2030?

Great question. I’d like to see myself as an organisational steward of our Culture and Inclusion ambitions. ‘Most inclusive’, ‘opening the doors of opportunity’ and the ethos behind both mantras inspire and motivate so many of our community to pick Queen Mary, for work or study. My role is bringing these mantras to life and off the page and providing opportunities for us to all work together in realising these philosophies and ambitions.

What’s your favourite place on any of our campuses?

Dept W roof gardens are a personal favourite, especially in summer – honourable mentions for the top floors of the Maths Building and Charter House Square Green. My favourite spots tend to be locations that put our wider context and community in perspective. Being able to see Tower Hamlets and east London sprawl around us reminds me why I am here and our purpose.

Do you have any hobbies, pastimes outside of work?

Absolutely, I even have a presentation on how my hobbies and interests have informed my leadership development and journey. I am, and always have been, an avid geek and nerd. I’m most at home in fantasy and sci-fi. I’ve been a historical reenactor, and more recently a Live Action Roleplayer – no judgment please! I am a firm believer that imagination, creativity – and play – are wonderful tools for dreaming and creating new, more equal worlds and ways of being.

Are there any Queen Mary activities you’d recommend staff getting involved with/is there any training you have done with Queen Mary or externally that you’d recommend?

I am one of the biggest advocates for our excellent Staff Affinity Networks as a means of meeting other likeminded and interested colleagues across Queen Mary.

I am also currently a member of the 2024-2025 ‘Transition to Organisational Leadership’ (delivered by our Organisational and Professional Development team). Through the programme I’ve met 14 other brilliant colleagues, academic, professional services and technical, to develop our leadership practice. I am a big fan and anyone interested in leadership and management development should consider Queen Mary’s Pathways to Leadership Programmes.