We’ve been celebrating ‘Women Setting the Agenda in Humanities’ with a series of events spread over three days. The events bring together inspirational women with talks and panel discussions about the lives and experiences of women in various humanities-related professions.
Jessica Hobbs spoke about her career as one of the most successful drama directors working in the television industry. Her credits include The Crown and Broadchurch, and in 2021 she was awarded an Emmy.
We also heard from Kit Goldsmith, who has had various roles in Government and is currently Head of International Capability Strategy in the Ministry of Defence.
Arabella Preston, who runs luxury skincare brand Votary and its sister brand Verden, encouraged the audience not to assume that STEM was the only route for entrepreneurs who take the natural environment seriously. She said: “You hear a lot that it’s STEM that will save the world but you need creativity too and you get that with the Humanities offer.”
Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the Church of England’s first Black female bishop, told students to challenge the status quo in all that they do and urged them to embrace the global lessons of Humanities subjects.
Baroness Coffey, a former Government minister who served as Deputy Prime Minister, later urged young women to set high aspirations, citing the example of Britain’s first astronaut travelling to space being female. In an interview with students Ava and Claudia, she covered topics including MPs making a difference, Britain’s first-past-the-post electoral system, whether the House of Lords should be an elected chamber, and having managed Liz Truss’s leadership campaign.
Afterwards, Baroness Coffey said: “It’s wonderful to meet the future female leaders of our country, with an ethos of good values, drive and preparation.”
