Former No10 senior civil servant, who played a key role in shaping the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic legacy, joins us for International Women's Day.
The world of professional sports is one where gender bias exists on and off the field, so for International Women's Day 2023 Emma Boggis, currently a non-executive director at the English Institute of Sport and formerly of the University of Oxford Women's Boat Club and The Boat Race Company, joined us to discuss Embracing Equity in the Leadership of Sport.
Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Sue Dopson, hosted the panel and Emma was joined by two other fascinating speakers from the world of professional sports:
- Jennifer Bishop, a business law partner at Aird & Berlis LLP. She is the founder and chair of the firm’s Sports, Media & Entertainment Group.
- Zainab Alema, a neonatal nurse by profession and a rugby player by passion, playing rugby for over ten years
Ahead of the event, Emma talked to us about her career, her views on gender equality in sports and gave her hot tip on whether it will be Dark Blue or Light Blue at the world’s most famous boat race later this month!
What’s been your experience of gender equality in sport, and how far are we from gender equality across the industry?
I have always had a positive experience of gender equality in sport, but I am very aware that that is not the case for everyone. Given my background, in the army in particular, I am very comfortable in male dominated environments which perhaps helped and I also don’t have children which I recognise makes a difference.
There is still work to do to make sure sport is truly equitable. I think that one of the positive learnings from the recent Covid pandemic was that working more flexibly – which is something that can be particularly beneficial to women with children or others caring responsibilities – is still consistent with doing a great job.
What’s been the proudest moment of your career?
I am fortunate to have had a varied and interesting career (to date – its not over yet!) so it is really hard to pick just one moment. I was very proud to be commissioned into the British Army and equally proud to be appointed the UK’s Deputy Ambassador to Spain.
In terms of specific bits of work I remain very proud of the work we did at the Sport and Recreation Alliance around mental wellbeing and creating the Mental Health Charter for Sport and Recreation which helped our member bodies talk about the mental benefits of sport and activity.
As a leader, how do you protect your wellbeing and stay resilient?
Getting out for a run is important for me, giving me space to think and reflect. I have been fortunate enough in some of my roles to be able to ‘run commute’ to and from work which is a great way to start and end the day.
I have also benefited from the support and advice from a variety of mentors over the years. Sometimes these have been formal arrangements, other times more informal, but I have always valued being able to have an honest and open conversation with someone whose judgement I trust, particularly when facing a tricky issue or situation.
What are your memories of Oxford, and what impact did it have on your life and career?
Sport paid a large part in my time at Oxford. I chose Oriel as a college partly because I wanted to learn to row and I was aware it had something of a reputation! I learned to row in my first term and discovered I liked it and rowed for the College in Torpids and Eights. I was encouraged to trial for the university squad but almost didn’t go to the trial as I was worried I wouldn’t be good enough. Thank goodness I went….I rowed for Osiris (the reserve boat) in 1994 and in the Blue Boat in 1995. Although we lost to Cambridge it was a fantastic experience and my crew mates from 1995 have become lifelong friends – we are still in regular contact and meet up when we can. Rowing taught me a lot – not least good time management and how to push yourself beyond what you thought was possible – invaluable life lessons!
It was standing in the Porters Lodge at Oriel that I found out I had a place at Sandhurst and Oriel is also the place I got married so Oxford really has played a huge part in formative parts of my life.
Who’s your money on for the women’s (and men’s) boat race later this month?
The Dark Blues of course! The profile of the Womens’ Boat Race has developed significantly since I rowed in the 1990s. The move of the race to London in 2015 and putting it on an equal footing with the Mens’ Race has been a very positive experience.
I was on the Board of the Boat Race Company, from 2019 to 2022, so as well as my own experience, I know how much hard work the student athletes (from both universities), the teams behind the crews and the race organisers put into this very special event.
The 2020 race was cancelled because of the Covid pandemic and the 2021 race had to run ‘behind closed doors’ at Ely in Cambridgeshire so it was great to be back on the Championship Course last year.
Any advice for current students looking to make their mark on the world?
Take every opportunity that comes along and believe in the beauty of your dreams.