Annual business lecture to focus on equality, diversity, and inclusion

This year's lecture on Monday, November 30 will focus on equality, diversity and inclusion and is by a British Council regional director who is also an alumna of the university.

Helen Silvester, regional director for the Americas at the British Council, graduated in 1985 with a BA (Hons) European Studies degree. She is now based in Buenos Aires where she leads the British Council’s cultural relations work across 13 countries in North America, South America and the Caribbean.

In her Crystal Lecture, entitled ‘Inclusivity in a Post-Covid World’, Helen will reflect on the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion to her personally and the role it has played in her international career.

Before moving to Buenos Aires, she lived in Mumbai where she had been the British Council’s director for West India and deputy regional director for South Asia. Prior to this, she was the regional director education for Wider Europe, based in Istanbul.

She has also worked as an academic in the Czech Republic, a teacher and teacher educator in Portugal and Thailand and worked as a holiday representative in France.

As well as her undergraduate from Wolverhampton, she has a Master’s with Distinction in Education from the University of Leeds.

In her senior leadership posts, she has overseen the establishment of numerous government to government agreements, more than 100 new partnerships between UK higher education institutes and those in other countries, and the engagement of millions of people with arts and education content in more than 20 countries.

Professor Clare Schofield, director of the University of Wolverhampton Business School, said: “The Crystal Lecture is the highlight of the Business School's calendar and it is a celebration of our long standing relationship with the CMI.

“In this, our 27th year, we are delighted to have such a distinguished speaker, Helen Silvester.

“Helen has had a long and successful international career and her lecture will cover one of the most important subjects in management.

“Equality, diversity and inclusion is vital to effective organisations so we can look forward to essential insights from a highly experienced global leader."

As well as Helen’s lecture, the online event will also see the CMI Rosebowl Award presentation which is presented to the best performing student on the university’s MBA programme.

Places for the lecture at 6pm can be booked via EventBrite.