Wed, 07 August, 2024
We are pleased to announce that Samantha Thomas has been appointed as the new Chair of TWI’s Tipper Group. Having joined TWI in June, Samantha is our Technology Roadmap and Investment Manager.
Named for metallurgist and crystallographer Constance Tipper, who became the first female full-time faculty member at Cambridge University Department of Engineering, the Tipper Group was originally created in 2016 to support and encourage female talent in the scientific disciplines.
However, this remit expanded in 2019 after the Group was invited to join the Royal Academy of Engineering’s diversity and inclusion progression framework implementation steering group. At this point it was decided that the Group should encompass a wider range of diversity issues, bringing everybody together under one umbrella to create and promote an inclusive culture to inspire, attract recruits and support career development of people irrespective of gender, ethnicity, age, sexuality, beliefs, (dis)abilities, and socio-economic background.
The broader objectives of the Tipper Group now include creating awareness of unconscious bias, developing confidence, supporting career progress and peer-to-peer learning, as well as supporting and improving work / life balance, mentoring, peer support, and seeking quotas in shortlists for senior roles.
Speaking on her new position as Chair of the Tipper Group, Samantha said, “I am delighted to assume the role of Chair for this essential group. Diversity and Inclusion is fundamental to us all and I look forward to being part of TWI’s ongoing journey.”