Sharmishta Chatterjee-Banerjee comes from an intergenerational large joint family in Kolkata where the women from every generation of the family inspired her in many ways. She learned to believe in equity and live by this belief in both her work and family life. Her parents raised her and her sister emphasising the importance of independence and encouraged them to be financially independent from a very early age. This was further supported by her husband, a Professor of Econometrics at Durham University, who believes and lives by the principle of equal partnership. Sharmishta attended Loreto House and then joined Jadavpur University. “As a first-generation immigrant, my roots were always important, and I am especially so grateful that this is appreciated by my 25-year-old son, who is currently visiting my city, my home and my mother and enjoying everything that Kolkata, the city of joy has to offer,” she told Asian Voice.
Here’s her exclusive interview with the newsweekly:
What inspired you to pursue a career in higher education, particularly in leadership roles, despite the challenges you faced as a first-generation immigrant and a woman of colour?
Universities in the early part of the 2000s were looking for professional marketers to join HE. HEFCE was offering a scholarship to pursue formal qualifications in Marketing and a job at a University for those with professional marketing experience. By this time, I had this experience where I had been working with Carnival Corporation having mobilised both my experience of working in marketing in the Indian travel sector plus the professional government-funded business qualification I had attained. I always wanted to do a Master's in Marketing and therefore this seemed like a perfect opportunity to do this in U.K. whilst gaining valuable work experience. The process was hugely competitive and I was one of the 3 that gained the position, and certainly the only immigrant, and a young mother.
Can you elaborate on the importance of intersectionality in addressing gender and racial inequities in academia, and how your work reflects this perspective?
In Higher education unfortunately, intersecting inequalities continue to exist resulting in staff and students, where we see gaps between experience, to gaps in awards, retention and success. Though Universities are trying hard to harness community engagement in their bid for inclusion, without actually understanding and embedding intersectionality in policy and practice, we may not be successful in engaging those who face multiple disadvantages. In my work, rather than focusing on one aspect or action, I look at inclusion as a collective and develop institutional-level strategies that address this via collaboration through the 3 pillars of research, teaching and engagement.
As the only first-generation immigrant from India on the 2024 Northern Power Women POWER list 2024, how do you hope to inspire other women, especially those from similar backgrounds, to pursue leadership positions in their respective fields? What does this honour mean to you?
When I looked at the power list, it felt so overwhelming to be in the company of those who have achieved so much more than I have. Whilst I was proud to see others of Indian origin and women of colour on the list, I felt very excited, privileged and humbled to see that I was the only first-generation Indian Immigrant on it. This honour was preceded by me winning the Inspirational Professional Award from Northern Asian Power, which I hope will inspire others from similar backgrounds. My goal is to continue working for equality and justice. I will strive harder to highlight, accelerate and encourage a more inclusive and representative society. I am incredibly proud of my Indian upbringing, education and culture, and despite that in several situations even now I succumb to code-switching. I did not have as many role models in the UK within the HE sector which is still struggling with senior-level representation gaps, especially from the BAME community. So I hope I can in some way be a role model for those who, like me in my younger days, are struggling with identity issues, especially pertinent to migration, where we lose our privileged status at home to becoming a minority suddenly.
You mentioned your involvement in creating the Inclusive Futures leadership program for the BAME community in universities. Could you share some success stories or tangible outcomes resulting from this initiative?
I left Newcastle University to take up a job with Radboud University by the time the programme was implemented. In its 3rd year now as a collaboration between Newcastle University and Common Purpose, I believe it has resulted in several positive outcomes. The programme has been the recipient of the CIPD North East Award for Excellence in Inclusivity and Diversity in 2022 and also shortlisted for the Times Higher Education Award for Outstanding Contribution to EDI
Looking ahead, what specific strategies do you plan to implement to further promote diversity and inclusion, both within academia and in broader societal contexts?
Networks can be catalysts for change and I am looking forward to working with Northern Power Women Awards, Northern Asian Power Awards, Asian Business Connexions and several others to mobilise positive change in addressing sectoral and systemic inequalities through more board and senior-level participation in higher education and beyond. This isn't just about optics or tick boxes. If the Higher education sector's leadership bears no resemblance to the UK or to global or student demographics, how can universities effectively meet the needs of society? As a woman, and a woman of colour I aim to work to address these systemic inequalities, and part of that is by developing institutional strategies and collaborations that are a result of 'lived experiences' to ensure that future generations find more representation in leadership positions to inspire change. This is still very much a work in progress and I will keep working at it.
