Tania Struetzel
Head of Student Engagement & Services
University of Greenwich
How does it feel to be a woman in leadership here in Greenwich?
It is great to work at a place like Greenwich where we have many women in leadership positions inspiring us to push boundaries and to be creative and innovative in our roles. Greenwich supported me to complete the AdvanceHE Aurora Women in Leadership programme which created new networking opportunities for me within and outside of Greenwich and space to focus on my own development. I have worked in different teams since joining Greenwich and am always grateful for the support from colleagues and particularly my team to deliver so many projects and initiatives and continue developing in my role.
Tell us about your career journey, and how you ended up at Greenwich.
Student Engagement has always been my passion – you rarely catch me talking about anything else. ?? I was a Postgraduate Officer during my Master’s studies in bonnie Scotland and ever since then I’ve stuck with Higher Education – first working in Students’ Unions and then moving across to the University side working in various roles focused on student engagement in Quality Enhancement, and Learning and Teaching. For the last 18 months I have been lucky enough to lead our new Student Engagement and Success function working with my brilliant team delivering a wide range of activities from Welcome, peer mentoring schemes, Cost of Living support to attendance monitoring. I also teach in the Business School and really enjoy having this opportunity to engage with our students in a different capacity to my day job.
What tips would you give to the women at Greenwich today? Any top tips to empower women in the University of Greenwich community?
Very simple but: Believe in yourself! Whatever you think is holding you back or you can’t do, you absolutely can achieve it and find a way to overcome any obstacles. There is no right or wrong when it comes to careers and leadership can mean so many different things and take different shapes (you don’t have to be a manager!). And if you do feel stuck or have doubts, there’s always someone willing to support you with your ideas, plans and next steps - whether it’s more formally through the Women’s staff network, our coaching network or simply through colleagues and a chat over coffee.