On the passing of WRC Chair, Rupa Sarkar

Rupa Sarkar, 23.01.1976 to 25.02.2023, was our visionary Chair of trustees since 2014 and supporter of WRC for two decades.

Rupa’s chairship of WRC marked a significant turning point in the direction and leadership of our board for the better. Rupa brought vision, full commitment to our values and bravery.

She spearheaded our work on the vision for a Women’s Building and our ethos of substantive equality for women, with a focus on women from the most marginalised and impoverished communities.

She resourced staff away days and outings and made time to meet and get to know our whole staff team. 

She understood that our staff deserve recognition and support. She organised and funded our overnight trips to convene, share and learn from our frontline members across the regions of England as she understood that collective work and advocacy were the most critical action for social change. 

Rupa also understood that a high-functioning organisation demands a close and mutually respectful relationship between the Chair and CEO. She generously gave our CEO her time, thought, feedback and support.

Rupa also developed our small but effective board, recruiting women based on their values first,rather than a skills gap analysis. 

Rupa understood that values, commitment and analysis to addressing structural inequality must be the priority. Like so many things, she was right and unusual in this.  

So, the legacy she leaves is immense; a board that holds the framing of all that we do in a clear analysis of inequality on the key axis of sex, race and class. 

Her humour, compassion and clarity of vision. 

She supported WRC and our sector to be better financed, independent and collaborative for social change because “we are the ones we have been waiting for”.

May she rest in eternal peace and power.