Nottingham Trent University (NTU) was proud to host a week-long programme of free events for colleagues, students and members of the public to mark International Women's Day.

From guest lectures by inspirational NTU alumni and local legends, to workshops and creative activities, there was something for everyone, both women and men.

Here's a taste of what went on during the exciting week-long programme of events.

Celebrating women in the beer industry

NTU invited Nottingham local and Wildcard Brewery Head Brewer Jaega Wise to host a public lecture about her mission to change sexist labelling practices and banish antiquated stereotypes and misogynistic beer labels. She also hosted an interactive workshop to teach NTU students and staff to recognise different types of beer.

"A massive thank you to Nottingham Trent University for having me as part of their International Women's Day celebrations. We did a very fun hop workshop and call me seriously impressed! By the end of it most of them could tell eight different hops apart by smell alone," said Jaega.

Increasing diversity in sport 

NTU welcomed inspirational alumna and professional racing driver Charlie Martin, who is on her way to becoming the first transgender driver to compete in the 24hrs Le Mans race. As a transgender woman in motorsport, she occupies a unique role within her sport and the LGBTQ+ community, having faced adversity to become her true authentic self.

Through a special workshop and lecture, Charlie spoke about being a Stonewall LGBT+ Champion, the power of diversity, and her personal journey to success.

"Great to be back at Nottingham Trent University today to speak for International Women's Day. Having a fab day seeing how the university has grown since I studied Graphic Design here," said Charlie.

"Fantastic workshop with Charlie this afternoon. Pleasure to hear about her personal journey and highlighting the importance of initiatives including Racing Pride UK in supporting diversity in motorsport," added NTU's Department of Sport Sciences.

Challenges of Muslim women in modern society

Meanwhile, drawing on her own research, Senior Criminology Lecturer Dr Irene Zempi discussed the complex challenges faced by Muslim women in modern society in a public lecture.

Irene's research areas focus on hate crime, intersectionality, victimisation, policing and ethnography.

Celebrating women in Social Sciences

Anyone interested was invited to find out about inspirational NTU alumni from Social Sciences. An event saw them share their stories about how they've created their careers and the challenges they've faced along the way.

Three minute thesis

In an informal version of the 3MT format, NTU offered a platform to the next generation of academic and professional services colleagues.

Guests could hear from female PhD students alongside colleagues from NTU’s Graduate Development Programme, as they explained their research and work against the clock.

NBS Business Leaders Lecture Series

Nottingham Business School (NBS) hosted the next talk in its series of Business Leader Lectures, where it welcomed Mary Hunter from Columbus to share her insights, learning and practices.

Women in the digital world

NTU also hosted Cherie Pitcher, who has seen her career evolve through technology into the field of talent, holding a well-founded belief that diversity, equality, and inclusion is not just the right thing, it achieves business growth, sustainability and positive social impact.

In her talk, Cherie shared insights from her journey so far and her observations of the wider diversity and inclusion agenda in the tech sector. She also explored why digital technology presents a great opportunity for women entering or already within industry, and how this opportunity can be realised to help build a gender equal world.

International Women's Day Civic Showcase

Female experts from NTU and the University of Nottingham gathered in Nottingham's Old Market Square to offer a series of fun activities for the whole family.

Conversations on women in leadership

Nottingham Trent Students' Union hosted a multi-part event focusing on women in leadership in STEM, academia, sport, creative industries and business.

This event was open to all students and staff at NTU and consisted of a keynote, themed discussions and a panel Q&A.

Workshops unpicked the barriers that exist to women in getting into leadership roles, and how to overcome them. The event was also open to men to help everyone understand these barriers, and how they can diversify in the future to ensure gender equality in senior roles.

Women's Staff Network breakfast and pledges

NTU's Women's Staff Network also hosted breakfast clubs across campus, an event opened up for everyone to network over food and drink.

The Network additonally invited colleagues to make pledges for #EachforEqual throughout the week.

Trailblazing Women of Nottingham exhibition

Meanwhile, people were invited to check out NTU's ongoing exhibition Trailblazing Women of Nottingham which celebrated women across the ages from NTU and Nottingham itself. 

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