This two day in-person conference will provide space to rethink and refresh our approaches to equality, diversity and inclusion, share our successes, and contribute to a collective discussion about how we are shaping the future of EDI in higher education across the globe.

"There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives. Each one of us here is a link in the connection between anti-poor legislation, gay shootings, the burning of synagogues, street harassment, attacks against women, and resurgent violence against Black people." Audre Lorde 1982.

It has been over 50 years since US lawyer, scholar and activist Kimberlé Crenshaw first used intersectionality to describe the concept of interlocking systems of oppression experienced by Black women and the impact of interwoven marginalised identities. Since then, higher education institutions have begun to use intersectionality as a lens that can be applied to understand and address inequity – but to what effect?

Increasing diversity amongst students and staff is a measure of our success in increasing access and widening participation. It requires us to be even more successful in creating inclusive environments where everyone in the HE community is welcomed, respected and nurtured. This is particularly pertinent at a time when the challenges facing HE: financial constraints, global tensions, and fractured relations between different groups, form an increasingly important role in strategic leadership conversations.

The theme of the Advance HE EDI Conference 2025 reflects our need and intention to address the multiple and intersecting dimensions of identity, such as gender, race, class, sexuality, disability, and more, in policymaking, education, and innovation, whilst engaging with the reality of those challenges.

The conference will provide space to reflect and refresh our approaches to equity, diversity, and inclusion, share our successes, and contribute to a collective discussion about how we are understanding and working with intersectional identities and experiences in higher education across the globe. This conference offers an opportunity for delegates to address ways in which the equity agenda can be progressed in terms of financial and political challenges.