Contributor(s): Professor Ruth Simmons, Dr Purna Sen | This event is part of the Above the Parapet project, which seeks to capture the experiences of high profile women who have shaped public life. Ruth Simmons was the 18th president and first female president of Brown University and the first black person to be head of an Ivy-League Institution. Purna Sen (@Purna_Sen) is Deputy Director of the Institute of Public Affairs. Marie-Pierre Lloyd is the Seychelles High Commissioner to the UK. The Institute of Public Affairs (@LSEPubAffairs) is one of the world's leading centres of public policy. We aim to debate and address some of the major issues of our time, whether international or national, through our established teaching programmes, our research and our highly innovative public-engagement initiatives.