Charter for UK Women in Aerospace and Aviation takes off
In May this year at an IAWA event at Kennedys law firm, Mary Macleod from Kornferry suggested that the Aviation and Aerospace sectors create a Charter, similar to the Women in Finance Charter which was launched in 2016, to help improve gender diversity in the industry.
By July the Charter was ready for launch and already had 50 companies and organisations as initial signatories. At Farnborough Airshow the UK Prime Minister announced that as part of a UK aerospace sector deal, “HMG will seek to embed a UK Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter, to build a more balanced and fair industry for women.”
The Charter was then launched at the ‘Ballot Box to Wing Box’ event later on in the week of the Airshow by Baroness Sugg, Aviation Minister. There was a lot of excitement and eagerness for involvement, with Boeing tweeting: “#Boeing is committed to gender balance across our global enterprise. We’re a proud signatory of the UK Women in Aviation & Aerospace Charter, a pledge to work together to build a more balanced & fair industry for women” and Airbus tweeting that “Airbus was delighted to be a founding signatory of the Women in Aviation & Aerospace charter with @VirginAtlantic @HeathrowAirport @RollsRoyceUK and many more.”
The charter now has 62 Signatories and counting and a Council has been established to drive the Charter forwards. A Seminar event will be taking place on 24th September where representatives from signatory companies and others will come together to discuss the next steps for the charter and gender diversity in the industry in general. Click here to learn more.
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IAWA is a non-profit association providing a worldwide network dedicated to promoting the advancement of women in the aviation and aerospace industries at all levels across the globe. IAWA sponsors informative meetings, hosts receptions and connects, publishes newsletters, and keeps its members updated on the latest industry developments.
