Jenny Marie
Pro Vice Chancellor Education
University of Greenwich
How does it feel to be a woman in leadership here in Greenwich?
I feel very supported in my leadership role at Greenwich. This is really helped by our values, which make Greenwich a collaborative and inclusive environment in which to work. I haven’t always felt empowered in life and so I feel passionately about empowering others through education. This really motivates my work and hopefully makes me a better and more authentic leader.
Tell us about your career journey, and how you ended up at Greenwich.
When I left university I couldn’t get a permanent job, so I temped for a year, saving up to do a Masters degree. I was lucky enough to get funding to do a PhD and while I did it I taught on skills development courses. That got me into the world of learning and teaching and I worked as an academic developer for about 15 years. About ten years ago I got the opportunity to lead an institutional Student Partnership scheme. Taking that from a small pilot to a scheme with international impact meant that I started to get noticed and new opportunities opened up. One of them was a post at Greenwich, leading a team to enhance the quality of education. The time felt right for me to make a change, and I’ve never looked back. I absolutely love working at Greenwich and the opportunities that everyone has to make a difference here.
What tips would you give to the women at Greenwich today? Any top tips to empower women in the University of Greenwich community?
My top tip would be that not everything has to be perfect. We can be immobilised by our desire to be our best if we overthink things. Action enables us to review, revise and make things better. I think it’s worth remembering that while everyone is fallible, we are all capable of making a positive impact on the world, especially if we work together.