A MESSAGE FROM SEAN SUTCLIFFE, CEO OF OXFORD SPACE SYSTEMS

We are thrilled that many of our team are participating in events for International Women's Day. Oxford Space Systems is a global leader providing deployable antennas for Space provided by a highly committed workforce. We are supported by UK Government and private investors to help build a strong UK Space sector for security and prosperity. I am committed personally not just because justice and equity in career opportunities is right, but also because having a diverse workforce makes us a stronger company able to deliver the best solutions.

Focussing on gender equality on International Women's Day, we recognised that we had a lot of work to do to deliver gender equality, and it was not acceptable to use the deplorable gender bias in the overall aerospace sector as an excuse. We have put into practice some basic steps; ensuring our recruitment material is not gender biased; unconscious bias training; ensuring everybody regardless of their gender are properly recognised as great role models; ensuring our policies support gender equality; as a management we both act in a way to promote gender equality and are open to feedback when we get it wrong.

We know we still have a way to go, but our approach seems to be paying off in terms of an improved gender mix over the past two years at all levels of the organisation and some outstanding achievements by the women in our organisation that we can highlight for International Women's Day.

While some companies seem to be responding more to stakeholder pressure, for us in the Space sector, where talent is scarce, diversity is a key component of our strategy; we need to work even harder to attract the brightest and the best, so it is not just important but vital for us that we #BreakTheBias