A graduation event was held to celebrate the latest cohort of the Calibre leadership programme.

“It is a privilege to celebrate the graduation of this year’s Calibre leadership programme delegates. The commitment, insight and authenticity of the cohort reflects the true essence of leadership". Professor Ian Walmsley CBE FRS FCGI Provost

Calibre is Imperial’s flagship development initiative designed to support disabled staff in achieving their full potential and addressing systemic barriers to inclusion. The programme was created by Dr Ossie Stuart, an international disability consultant and former academic, and has been delivered in partnership with Imperial's Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Centre since 2012. This year the graduation celebration took place during Disability Pride Month.  

Provost Ian Walmsley CBE FRS FCGI, who attended the graduation event, said: “It is a privilege to celebrate the graduation of this year’s Calibre leadership programme delegates. The commitment, insight and authenticity of the cohort reflects the true essence of leadership and demonstrates how disability and neurodiversity can be sources of strength, innovation, and integrity.    

“Programmes like Calibre are essential to empowering our immensely talented disabled staff and dismantling systemic barriers to inclusion.  

“Thank you to all participants for leading with purpose and inspiring the Imperial community.”   

We hear from two participants on their experience of the programme. 

Alex Mulley, Strategic Programmes & Change 

Alex is a Project Management Office Manager in the Strategic Programmes & Change team. She said the programme taught her how to address disabilities using leadership techniques and focusing on the barriers. She said: “A disabled person sees the world through a different lens and can help remove barriers that non-disabled people may not recognise.”  

She added: “Calibre is one of the best learning experiences of any course I’ve ever attended – it’s extremely supportive and the people you get to know in your cohort have incredible stories.  It has also been a pleasure to expand my own network via the connections in this group which, as a collective, I know will champion continuous improvement long after the completion of this course.” 

Her final project focused on her vision for improving the systems we currently use, particularly those for implementing workplace adjustments. Alex is working on the Great Service Programme and is interested in exploring how technology like Oracle Fusion, the replacement for ICIS, can be used to support requests for workplace adjustments and ensuring a seamless transition if management changes. 

Angela Kingman, Research Office  

Angela is Head of Funding Strategy in the Research Office. She shared how Calibre gave her the dedicated time and space to explore the concepts of the medical and social disability more deeply, on both a personal and professional level. She said: “While organisations may need to apply the medical model for certain administrative or governance purposes, it’s essential that a Disability Confident Leader like Imperial fully embraces and integrates the social model into its culture. 

"The fact that Imperial offers Calibre sends a strong message of commitment and collaboration in addressing and overcoming barriers. As a manager, the programme reaffirmed my commitment to compassionate leadership and helped me better understand how to support myself and others more effectively.” 

She also valued the connection with others that the course enabled. “One of Calibre’s greatest strengths is the opportunity to connect with other disabled staff. These relationships are powerful, and Calibre provides a unique space to foster them. I met inspiring colleagues from across Imperial and beyond, and those connections have been incredibly meaningful.” 

Personal and professional growth 

Dr Ossie Stuart said: “The journey of personal and professional growth that I witness through Calibre is inspiring, and it would not be possible without Imperial’s commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace. 

“Too often, the career development of disabled staff is limited not by talent or ambition, but by structural barriers and unconscious bias. Calibre is one way Imperial is addressing this—by equipping disabled staff with the confidence, tools and leadership skills to navigate their careers and by amplifying their voices to drive positive cultural change.” 

Learn more about Calibre at Imperial.