Professor Damien Page on Leading Change and Redefining Inclusion in Higher Education

In this insightful and action-focused episode of Voices of Resilience, host Mary Mosoeunyane speaks with Professor Damien Page, Vice Chancellor of Buckinghamshire New University, whose career spans decades of work in education, leadership, and social justice. From his beginnings as a working-class student who nearly dropped out of university to leading one of the UK’s most inclusive higher education institutions, Professor Page’s journey is both personal and political — a testament to persistence, purpose, and progress.Together, Mary and Professor Page unpack what true inclusion looks like in higher education today. He reflects on the structural barriers that continue to limit access and representation — from the underrepresentation of Black professors to the challenges facing working-class and disabled students — and why policies alone are never enough without action and accountability.Professor Page shares the initiatives shaping change at Buckinghamshire New University, from mandating diverse hiring panels and co-creating research with communities to embedding inclusion into every level of teaching and leadership. He also explains how the newly launched Centre for Excellence in Health Inequalities is redefining what community-led, impact-driven research can achieve.With candour and conviction, Professor Page challenges the myth of meritocracy, calling instead for courage, pragmatism, and a commitment to social mobility that extends beyond words. This is a powerful conversation on what it takes to lead with equity — and why stubbornness, empathy, and purpose remain the most underrated tools for lasting change.