Hi Misan, can you tell us about your PhD research and what it has revealed about the challenges women face in corporate spaces? Have any of these insights reflected your own experiences?

My research is exploring gender diversity in corporate events within the Nigerian oil and gas industry – which is the industry in which I worked for many years before moving to the UK to study. One of the things that jumps out from my interviews so far is that we don’t have a lot of women in the oil and gas industry – only around 20 – 30 per cent. What is consistent across the board is that when it comes to organising committees in events, there is a high presence of women – but in executive leadership in the oil and gas industry, in Nigeria and globally, it is male dominated. Although the industry is doing a lot to diversify, most people I have interviewed believe that there is still a lot to be done to achieve equity across the board.

I worked in the oil and gas industry for more than 20 years before I moved from Nigeria to the UK to study – and this is not far from my own experience. It is a male-dominated field. The problem with this – based on my own research and others’ – when the environment is not diverse, opinions are limited and therefore there is limited room for growth and varied ideas and strategies. You find that some women are promoted into leadership when there is a crisis or a risky scenario (known as ‘glass cliff’). Research shows that women are unlikely to turn down this type of promotion compared to men – as promotion opportunities are less widely available.

What has been your experience so far as a Black woman in the events management industry? What barriers have you faced and how have they shaped your approach to work and research?

In Nigeria, events management is one of the industries that is filled with women – so you do have good colleagues and it is a comfortable place to be in. In the UK, events management is not as diverse when it comes to race, but there are a lot of women in the field. In terms of research, I’ve not seen a lot of diversity and discussion around Black women in research and events. But there is progress being made.

How has your experience as a Black woman in research at LBU compared with your experience working in industry? Has anything from your industry experience shaped how you approach research?

My experience in research at LBU has been good so far – what makes or breaks your research career is definitely the university and school you are in, and the supervisors you work with. I’ve been so lucky with my supervisors – we quickly understood each other and it really works; they’re a great support system.

In the events research sector, there’s very little representation when it comes to Black women. When I was doing my Master’s degree here at LBU, my dissertation supervisor, Professor Thomas Fletcher, told me he thought my written work could progress to a PhD. Doing a PhD had never crossed my mind as I hadn’t seen anyone like me doing one! That is something that needs to change. I think we underestimate how having representation can affect people applying for roles – if you don’t see a representation of yourself in the role then you don’t see that it’s possible. A PhD felt very academic and I didn’t have any Black, female, and mature role models in that aspect.

What are some of the key lessons you've learned so far in your research career that have helped you navigate the challenges of being a Black woman in academia?

It’s so important to put yourself out there. I’ve always done this – but in the oil and gas industry environment, I am experienced and feel confident. It’s different coming into a research scenario but I’ve had so much encouragement from my supervisors to get out of my comfort zone and it has paid off. I’ve done things that I would never have thought I’d do, such as contribute to a journal article and an upcoming book, I organised the 2024 Leeds Beckett University Postgraduate Research Conference and am organising it again this year, and I’m part of the university’s SLWG (short life working group) ethics procedure committee. I keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone, understanding academia a lot more and enjoying learning.

How important is it for you to see Black and Global Majority women in senior research and leadership roles in universities? Have any role models or mentors helped shape your ambitions?

It is really important to have a diverse leadership pool – especially in academia, it is harder for supervisors to manage students with different lived experiences. Having mentors and role models - knowing that others have done it - can encourage people to apply for roles, such as PhDs. Representation matters!

At work, there are quite a few people who have affected my zeal to be successful – a few women who have been successful in the oil and gas industry have motivated me to do more and put myself out there. I’ve had sponsors in my career who pushed me in within the organisation to do more and stretch myself. I think sponsors are really important for any Black woman – here we talk about it as having an ally. It’s not easy for women to succeed in a male dominated environment without an ally – things can stay stuck in the status quo. With allies, they know your story and what you can do – and they advocate for you when you’re not in the room, which is very important.

It's the same thing in academia – for example Professor Fletcher telling me that he knows my writing and believed I could do the PhD. Sometimes we’re blinded to our own strengths and harder on ourselves than other people. You need to learn to be kinder to yourself, and it’s good to have that sponsor or ally that sees the strength that you take for granted or miss.

What advice can you offer to Black and Global Majority women starting out in their careers – whether in research or in predominantly white, male industries, to help them to achieve their goals?

For any minority – you have to be assertive, professional, and know your worth. Always be professional – even when things are thrown at you. When you have an opinion, let your voice be heard – be assertive and don’t be apologetic about your experience and knowledge. No one in the room is worth more than you – they are your peers. Say your views clearly and confidently.

How can LBU students and colleagues be anti-racist and anti-sexist allies on campus? Are there any examples of meaningful allyship that have stood out to you?

I haven’t had any negative experiences on campus - but what I would say helps is for people to be more enlightened, and be comfortable being around people who are different. A university campus is one place where people are very different – different races, religions and nationalities. Be open minded – we are all going through things and we’re all humans irrespective of race and gender. If you don’t understand or know something, then make an effort to understand other people’s perspectives. People are afraid of what they don’t understand, so this helps with whatever fears you have.

Within my school, my supervisor, Professor Kate Dashper, is a great ally for pulling me into opportunities to push myself. As a woman, she has helped me to see things from a different perspective; and I have male allies within the school as well. We’ve spent time getting to know each other so that they know my strengths and experience and help me to see how this can transfer into academia and how this can turn into a new opportunity. This has really helped me to build confidence and use what I’ve already learnt to make a difference.

What more can the university do to best support Black and Global Majority women to thrive and progress as researchers at LBU?

I think it’s important to do this through recruiting lecturers, research supervisors and students. We need to ensure we have diverse people – for example I wouldn’t be doing my PhD if it wasn’t for Professor Fletcher as I didn’t see any representation for myself around doing a PhD. How many more Black women don’t see that representation, so they don’t apply? There has to be an active way of recruiting a more diverse population – especially for courses with a lot of international students. We have to see representation – it matters. We have a lot of students at LBU who could go on to study more, but because they don’t see the representation, they don’t continue.

Doing research is demanding - but gaining knowledge is rewarding and I would recommend a research profile for just about everybody! It’s a skill you can use anywhere - it doesn’t start and end at university.

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