Matthew Gooch
Matthew is the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer for ODID, working Monday - Tuesdays. This is a shared role with the Department of Politics and International Relations (DIPR), where he works Wednesdays - Thursdays.
Matthew is an alumnus of the Open University, having earned a Cert HE in Business in 2009 and a Dip HE in Business in 2011. Over the past 25 years, he has held various roles in the higher education sector at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, primarily focusing on assessments, admissions, student disclosures, and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI).
In his previous role as Head of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), he oversaw a broad spectrum of responsibilities. Located within the People and Culture Division, he collaborated closely with HR Business Partners, supporting casework as required whilst also providing EDI-related advice based on legislation. As an example, this could be around the implementation of reasonable workplace adjustments or adjustments required during the recruitment and onboarding processes.
He also oversaw the project management with the Athena Swan Charter, and was instrumental in supporting all 21 schools at the University in obtaining, renewing, and upgrading their Athena Swan awards, alongside the institutional award. He also serves as a national panel reviewer for Advance HE’s Athena Swan Charter.
Other aspects have included developing and introducing a university-wide system for conducting Equality Impact Assessments.
He also has experience of supporting various employee networks, and advocating for campus accessibility improvements including acting as an EDI consultant on new build and campus refurbishments.
In collaboration with communications, he has experience of promoting awareness days and events for various protected characteristics, including Black History Month, LGBT+ History Month, Disability Pride, and Disability Awareness Month. Such days often leveraged academic research to enrich these events.
He is planning to put this experience to good use as he supports the two departments at the University of Oxford.