Dean Q&A: Making Durham a business school where everyone can thrive

Over the past decade, we’ve seen the number of women holding positions of power in business and education rise, but gender equality remains a central issue in business and business education. And although data gives us hope that the business world is changing, there’s still a lot to do ensuring women get a seat at the table.  

Susan Hart (pictured) is one of many women paving the way for the next generation, having held the position of Executive Dean at Durham University Business School for nearly five years. With a background in languages, Hart says her education didn’t prepare her for her role as executive dean in a direct way, but that studying literature indirectly gave her rich sources of ideas and ways of seeing. 

She said: “Learning a language different to your mother tongue is a very striking reminder of how different people see and think in various ways – this is immeasurably helpful to working life – life in general.

“Also, a love of books was developed through education, and that does help in reframing and re-examining human behaviours, which helps self-reflection, and, with that, one hopes, improvement.” Hart’s education and subsequent career path only demonstrates that you don’t need a background in business to succeed in the industry. 

When asked if she found it challenging moving up the career ladder as a female academic, Hart admits she didn’t find it challenging early on. She said: “I was hugely helped by seniors in academia, who encouraged me to reach much further than I would have otherwise.

“They provided a ‘glass step’ – I was very lucky, because not all women have had this help.” But Hart realised later on that the glass ceiling still existed, adding: “Only for me it was a little higher than for the generation before me.”