50/50, If Not Why Not?

Representation of Women in Leadership Roles

Join us as we revisit this topic 5 years on 

 
There has been much discussion on gender equality in the Australian workplace - the debates have focused on quotas, unconscious bias, cultural change, assertiveness and hidden barriers, but has there been real progress towards change?

Ensuring women's and men's equal participation in the workforce and in leadership positions is as paramount as ever and, although we have made considerable effort towards equality, just how far have we really come and how much more is there to do to remove that illusive glass ceiling?

The questions we asked five years ago included:

• Do governments need to develop legislation to enforce gender equality in public and private sectors?
• Should there be a target of 50% for all senior positions to be filled by women?
• Is there a scarcity of skilled women to fill these positions or is this just a business excuse?
• How hard is it for women to return to the corporate world after a leave of absence, i.e. for children?
• Why is there still a difference on pay rates between men and women in senior positions?
• How can companies shift their culture to be more inclusive of flexible working arrangements and flexible careers?

Join us as we revisit this topic five years on and learn how some companies are succeeding and the benefits of making this a top priority for all businesses.

Panel of speakers:

Melissa Wong – Medibank
General Manager, People & Culture
  
Melissa Wong is a general manager of People & Culture at Medibank. She’s passionate about supporting employees to feel engaged, purpose-driven and able to bring their whole selves to work. With a background in organisational psychology, Mel wants to create exceptional experiences for Medibank employees, customers and communities. As mum of two young boys, Mel is particularly proud of Medibank’s award-winning support for parents and families, which has seen Medibank recognised as an ‘Employer of Choice for Gender Equality’ as well as ‘Australia’s best workplace for dads’ in 2018. Prior to joining Medibank, she was part of the HR team at NAB. 


Hannah Piterman PhD - Deakin University
Professor of Practice

Hannah Piterman PhD is Professor of Practice at Deakin University.  Professor Hannah Piterman is a strong advocate for gender diversity and the benefits that flow from its achievement. Hannah is the author of ‘Unlocking Gender Potential; A Leader’s Handbook’ a two-year research initiative sponsored by big business, government and academic organisations launched by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) in 2010. She is now leading a research team at Deakin University to follow up on her previous research to enable a better understanding of dynamics in Australian organisations: what is working, what barriers still exist and what can be done to enhance women’s experience and opportunity.
Hannah consults to an eclectic client base in the corporate, public and not for profit sectors in the areas of governance and leadership. She publishes in the areas of governance, leadership, health care reform and diversity and contributes to public debate in academic journals, the print and on line media, including The Age and the Conversation and as a presenter at business forums including the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) and for major corporates. 
Hannah is a member of community and business boards.  She is a member of the Victorian/Tasmanian advisory Committee for CEDA and a member of the corporate committee of the Jewish Museum of Australia. She is a past Chair of the Advisory board of Project Deborah, an education initiative for women in leadership, past member of the Strategic Advisory Committee for InTouch supporting culturally and linguistically diverse women who are experiencing family violence, member of the Domestic Violence Partnership Committee at Monash University and past member of the Advisory board of the Anti Defamation Commission.
Hannah has previously worked in the corporate, government and university sectors.


Stephanie Brebner - Altablue
General Manager, Australia
 
Stephanie Brebner serves as General Manager, Australia at Altablue, a Wood Plc business.  With over ten years of experience supporting international engineering projects, Stephanie has established workforce solutions in the United States of America, Australia & New Zealand.  Her global career began in Houston, Texas focused in Executive Search.  With her specialty in the Energy sector, Stephanie accepted an expatriate assignment in 2009 supporting the recruitment for major projects.  Stephanie believes in creating new possibilities through developing strategic partnerships and delivery.  Stephanie attended Texas A&M University to receive her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science.  
Related to this topic:   As a mother of two, Stephanie is determined to create flexible careers for parents.  When her daughter was born premature at 28 weeks and Stephanie experienced life threatening complications, she was unable to work.  Eighteen months later returning to the workforce in an executive level position created more challenges than anticipated.  Working for a company that cares about their employees to offer flexible working arrangements attracted her to the wider Wood organisation. 

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