3 minute read
Blowing our own trumpet
The Mansfield community knows what an inspirational, inclusive College we have. Now, two new teams have been created to proclaim our message far and wide, and to fully support our academic and administrative communities.
The communications team…
Jane Waghorn Head of Communications
Mansfield is known for its progressive ethos, and its contribution to positive change in the world. Nevertheless, our achievements are not as widely reported outside Oxford circles as we might like.
To remedy this, the College has developed a strategy to elevate its profile – which led to my appointment as Mansfield’s first Head of Communications in January 2023. Thanks to generous funding from Jan Fischer (VSP, 1989), a dedicated communications team is now in place, including Communications Officer, Shukria Rezaei who was appointed in 2021/22.
The past 12 months have seen the comms team work hard on creating a consistent look to Mansfield’s brand identity. We have also unveiled the College’s new website, again designed and built with thanks to Jan Fischer’s generous support.
Alongside these major projects, the day job continues. Shukria works her magic in social media, with her creative content often being picked up by the University to share on Oxford’s channels.
But the big story of 2023 was our announcement of the appointment of Professor Matt Cook, the first Jonathan Cooper Chair of the History of Sexualities. This achieved enormous attention in June across print, digital and broadcast media.
…and the HR team
Daphne Gasana Head of HR
More than a year after the establishment of Mansfield’s new HR department, I reflect on how warmly we have been welcomed into College life and been inspired by the passion and vision of our Governing Body. Our first year was one of listening, learning and, we hope, making progress in the following key areas:
Inclusion – embracing difference
Driving engagement – fostering a culture of integrity and transparency
Recruiting, developing and retaining key talent
Creating an employer brand to be proud of
Investing in reward and recognition.
At the same time, we continue to strive to make Mansfield a great place to work and an environment where our students can thrive.
I am supported by the formidable Emma Steane. Together we have had many laughs, cries, and ‘aha’ moments, but have regrouped to ensure that we deliver an HR service of which our colleagues can be proud.
Our focus as we move into the future is to continue analysing all the good things already in place and, together with our colleagues, find areas for improvement to make our work easier, more efficient and compliant.
