By joining Women in Aerospace Europe (WIA-E) as a corporate member, the UK Space Agency has committed to playing a leading role in supporting the progression and visibility of women in one of the UK's fastest growing industries.
Half of the UK Space agency's Executive Board are women, as well as 46% of all staff.
Dr Alice Bunn, International Director, UK Space Agency said:
Leading the new space age and maximising the potential of the UK sector can only be achieved if we stimulate diversity and ensure that we are as open to talent as possible.
This is essential if we want the UK space sector to be filled with the best and brightest people, driving new ways of thinking and cutting-edge innovation.
Women are under-represented in aerospace, so it gives me great pleasure for the UK Space Agency to lead by example in working towards achieving gender balance and joining Women in Aerospace.
Women in Aerospace Europe was founded in 2009 as a professional association dedicated to increasing the leadership capabilities and visibility of women in the aerospace community, and is a sister organisation to Women in Aerospace (WIA) founded in the United States in 1985.
Liz Seward, Executive Secretary of WIA-E and chair of the UK Local Group said:
I am delighted to welcome the UK Space Agency to Women in Aerospace Europe. It shows the strong commitment of the agency to supporting women in the space industry and will strengthen and support the local group activities.
The corporate membership programme is internationally recognised, with national space agencies, International Governance Organisations and industry subscribers. Individual membership is open to both women and men.
In July 2018 the UK Space Agency signed the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter which commits organisations to:
- support the progression of women into senior roles in the aviation and aerospace sectors by focusing on the executive pipeline and the mid-tier level;
- recognise the diversity of the sector and that organisations will have different starting points - each organisation should therefore set its own targets, where appropriate, and implement the right strategy for their organisation; and
- publicly report on progress to deliver against any internal targets to support the transparency and accountability needed to drive change.
