Future Women + Leaders Live Brief Project

A small group of underrepresented students from UAL recently took part in the Future Women+ Leaders live brief project. This project was led by Creative Shift, part of UAL Careers and Employability, in partnership with leading publishing company, Raconteur. Students were set a brief by Raconteur to produce a mock commercial business report on a subject of their choice.

“This has been an unforgettable experience I’m so glad to have been a part of. What stuck to me is the way we all supported each other through unforeseeable circumstances. It is a testament to how important it is to tackle issues such as gender inequality at leadership positions through empowering the next generation.”

Mayesha Choudhury, Student, 2020

“75% of UAL students identify as female but less than 33% of the managers in the cultural industries are women. Here in the Creative Shift team, we’re proud to deliver great projects like this to empower our female+ students to break through the glass ceiling and become the creative leaders of the future.”
Sat Sehmbey, Employability and Industry Manager, UAL Careers and Employability.

The live brief project ran from February to October 2020 – this was extended beyond the planned timeframe due to the coronavirus pandemic. During the project students took part in workshops and leadership coaching with Jannett Morgan from JM Learning & Skills, to develop their leadership skills.

“It was my privilege and pleasure to work with the students on the Women’s Leadership Programme. Each week, we watched them grow in confidence and stature as women leaders: stepping out of their comfort zone to participate in leadership activities, remaining positive in the face of setbacks beyond their control, finding new ways to collaborate remotely and managing the demands of the creative brief alongside their studies and other responsibilities. I have no doubt these women will continue to make their powerful presence felt in the creative industry.”  
Jannett Morgan, Director, JM Learning & Skills Limited

“As a publisher and agency, we believe in creating avenues of access to support underrepresented people to secure career opportunities within the industry and become creative leaders of the future. Being able to collaborate with UAL Careers and Employability and offer female students a dedicated programme working on a live brief, with leadership coaching, interactive workshops, support and touch points with Raconteur staff throughout proved to be invaluable.”  
Sagina Shabaya, Head of Talent & Inclusion, Raconteur

Read the Students' full reports

Check out our stories below to see how the students progressed week by week.