Ten technical professionals from the University of Kent have completed the 2026 Herschel Programme for Women in Technical Leadership, a six-month development programme designed to help women in technical roles strengthen their leadership skills, grow their confidence and connect with colleagues across the sector.
The Kent cohort represents Technical Services, IT Services and the Gulbenkian Theatre. Its members were Naomi Stead, Forensic Science Technician who has since become an Assistant Lecturer in Forensic Science; Diana Suciu, Technical Manager for Chemistry and Forensics who will be transitioning into a Lecturer in Forensic Science post soon; Laura Straton, Assistant Technician (Supplies); Tracey Davies, Senior Technical Services Manager (Facilities); Sasha Titus, IT Support Services Manager; Hazel Harris, Technical Specialist (Chemistry); Carys Williams, Assistant Technical Manager; Maggie Slabon, Creative Technologist; Georgia Mantle, Technician; and Jo Addison, IT Service Improvement Lead.
The programme combines online workshops and monthly Action Learning Set meetings, with modules covering leadership, workplace culture, influencing and negotiating, confidence and empowerment. Its 2026 in-person celebration took place on 2 July at Birmingham REP Theatre, giving participants the chance to meet their Action Learning Set colleagues and celebrate completing the programme together.
This year, 228 technicians from 77 higher education and research institutions completed the programme. The national network now includes more than 1,100 women technical leaders from over 120 organisations.
For Naomi Stead, the programme coincided with a significant step in her career:
“When I started the Herschel Programme, I was a Forensic Technician. From the very first session, it was wonderful to meet so many like-minded people from a broad range of different fields. Throughout the programme, it was especially rewarding to celebrate the successes of my Action Learning Sets team members, while also having open and honest conversations about the challenges many of us were facing or had overcome. Before the programme finished, I started my current role as an Assistant Lecturer in Forensic Science. This milestone was undoubtedly supported by the positive impact of the programme’s collaborative activities, which strengthened my leadership and communication skills while boosting my confidence.”
Laura Straton said the programme prompted her to rethink leadership and the assumptions that can hold people back:
“The programme was interesting and informative with monthly workshops and modules that really made me think, and my Action Learning Group a welcoming group of talented technicians. The course opened my eyes to different sorts of management from ones I have seen in the past and made me realise there is not one specific style to leadership and made me appreciate how much our past perceptions of our abilities and imposter syndrome can hold us back. A highlight was getting to hear from Helen Sharman at the launch event, as was Anita Coppock’s keynote at the end of the course, both of which have stuck with me.”
Tracey Davies valued the chance to learn from the experiences of others and build confidence in her own leadership:
“I really enjoyed taking part in the Herschel Women’s Programme. It was a great opportunity to connect with other women and discuss different experiences, challenges and career development topics during the action learning sets. Talking through real situations and hearing how others had approached them gave me ideas to reflect on in my own role. The experience helped build my confidence, particularly around networking, and gave me some new approaches to self-reflection and negotiating as a leader. The final in-person event was a great way to round everything off, as it was good to finally meet my teammates face-to-face.”
Thank you to T-PIKE (Technical Platform for Innovation and Knowledge Exchange) for funding the Kent colleagues to attend the celebration event. Congratulations to Naomi, Diana, Laura, Tracey, Sasha, Hazel, Carys, Maggie, Georgia and Jo on completing the programme and bringing new insight and connections back to Kent.
