After this ruling, Sharma launched a campaign to legislate this duty of care through the Federal Parliament, and successfully saw a bill for this tabled in the Senate. 

As a prominent voice for the climate rights of her generation, Sharma was recognised as the 2023 Emerging Leader in Climate & Sustainability at the Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards in October with judges noting her particular brand of “courageous leadership”.

Here, Anjali tells Women’s Agenda what this award and recognition mean to her, and why establishing a duty of care for young people is so critical for climate justice.

How does it feel to win?

It’s surreal to win and I feel so honoured! To win an award from Women’s Agenda, who has done such important work in the space of female empowerment, and with past Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards having been given to some of my role models, I feel really grateful to win. It’s a boost of motivation and reassurance that I’m on the right track, in a sector that can often feel quite devoid of hope and good news, especially as a young person.

You launched a campaign to establish a duty of care owed by politicians to young people, and successfully saw a bill tabled in the Senate to do so. Tell us briefly why this is critical for climate justice and how people can get involved.

We all know and honour our duties of care to each other in daily life. A road user has a duty to another, a doctor has a duty to their patient, a teacher to their student. But as the law stands, there is no policy mechanism that compels politicians to keep in mind the effects that their decisions will have on young people in the context of climate change. This duty does not exist, and this allows politicians to continue to make climate-wrecking decisions that aren’t in the best interests of young people, falling victim to short termism and election-cycle thinking, rather than adopting a long term view. 

Young people deserve to be handed a world in which to create our lives which is safe and liveable, and policy mechanisms should exist which facilitate that. That’s why this duty of care is so important! To pass, we have to show the government that there is a broad base of support for it from around the country, and so people can help us do that by signing our petition. 

Additionally, the bill is before a Senate Inquiry right now for review, and people can make a submission, and there are resources on our website to help people make a compelling submission. Lastly, call or email your MP and tell them you want to see this bill put into action!

The judges described your climate justice work as having “broad reaching and profound implications for the whole country”. What does this recognition mean to you?

The statement from the judges is recognition that this bill, if passed, could change the way that decisions are made around climate change. This is exactly what I want to see happen, because I believe that the decision-making process currently is not serving young people, and so this statement makes me feel really happy that my aim and work is being recognised.

What are you hoping to achieve in the next twelve months, and what do you foresee to be the greatest barriers you’ll face to accomplishing it?

I want this bill to pass when it’s brought on for debate mid 2024. But the obstacle is that it can so easily be voted down by the government, which holds a majority in the lower house. As the Australian public, we cannot let them feel comfortable enough to do this and must hold them accountable to making policy decisions that match their rhetoric on climate change. They’ve said that they want to secure a safe climate future for young people, and we must pressure them to take this opportunity to do it, rather than let them think that they can get away with voting the bill down.

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CEO of Media Diversity Australia, Mariam Veiszadeh was named the overall winner of the awards, now in its fifth year. 

The University of Melbourne’s centre for Asian capability, Asialink is a sponsor of the awards that recognise the Most Influential Asian-Australian across a wide range of fields, including  arts and culture, community and advocacy, corporate, education, entrepreneurship, legal and professions, media, public sector, science and medicine, and sport. 

CEO of Asialink Martine Letts, said the awards “shine a light on the incredible leadership talent and potential of Asian-Australians.” 

Mariam Veiszadeh is widely known for her advocacy in diversifying Australia’s media landscape, as well as her work setting up the Islamophobia Register Australia — a collective database of Islamophobic incidents experienced by the public. 

Veiszadeh, who began her career as a lawyer at Westpac, spoke about the importance of workplace diversity and inclusion in 2017 at a TED Talk in Sydney. 

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This week, she told the ABC (a media partner for the 2023 Asian-Australian Leadership Awards) that during the TED talk, she was “the only person on that stage that they hired a security guard for.”

“That was the extent of the risks that I was facing,” she said. 

“It really impacted me. I was physically sick, I had a lot of mental health challenges. It takes a significant toll on you as a person.”

“But I think it also cemented my determination to continue fighting against hatred. So I tried to raise awareness about it. I tried to tackle it head on.”

In 2021, she became the CEO of Media Diversity Australia, a not-for-profit organisation and the nation’s peak advocacy body for diversity and representation in media. 

In October 2022, the organisation partnered with eight inaugural newsrooms to offer them diversity, equity and inclusion expertise to help champion cultural diversity in their workplaces. 

At the time, Veiszadeh said she was “pleased to witness and help drive the palpable push from many newsrooms to have their journalists and commentators reflect the broader community and, by default, the wider national conversation.” 

This week, she told the ABC the organisation is still working tirelessly to create a media landscape that “looks and sounds more like Australia.” 

“That means holding up a mirror to an industry that doesn’t always want a mirror held up to it,” she said.

“My strategy is bringing everyone on the journey, because you don’t drive change through using a sledgehammer. We don’t want to just talk about the media, we want to talk to the media. We want them to be part of the solution.”

Asialink’s CEO Martine Letts said that even when one in five people in Australia have an Asian cultural heritage, only 3 per cent of senior management positions are held by them. 

“It’s not only in the boardroom where this bias exists, it extends across all industries,” Letts said. “There is still a long way to go, and there is a real lack in recognition of and focus on leveraging Asian-Australian grown talent.”

“If overseas markets are more attractive to talent from multicultural backgrounds we risk losing our best and brightest.”

Johnson Partners, a Sydney-based executive search firm affiliated with the Awards, released recent findings which revealed that 93 per cent of board members on ASX-listed companies have either an Anglo-Celtic or European background, while per cent of top CEOs are of white Anglo-Celtic or European heritage.

Jason Johnson, founder and CEO of Johnson Partners, believes that a significant shift needs to happen in corporate Australia’s approach to cultural diversity.

“We need to see a  It is not only the right thing to do but also critical to unlocking the full potential of our economy,” Johnson said.  

“Companies that embrace diversity and foster an inclusive culture will be better placed to navigate an increasingly globalised business environment and increasingly diverse customer sets and stakeholders.” 

Johnson, a former Global Chairman of the Association of Executive Search Consultants, believes that the ‘bamboo ceiling’ is preventing Asian-Australians from taking their share of top leadership positions.

“Our major companies, government departments and universities….[do not] reflect their staff, student populations or customer bases,” he said. 

“The pandemic caused many diversity statistics to go backwards, so we have some serious ground to make up to address the under-representation of diverse leaders.”

Other winners

Lifetime Achievement Award: Ming Long 

As the first woman with Asian heritage to lead a top 200 ASX listed entity, Long is a well-known corporate leader who was appointed Chair of the Diversity Council of Australia’s board in 2021. 

She has held a range of senior executive positions throughout her career, including CEO and CFO roles in both listed and unlisted companies, Chair of AMP Capital Funds Management Limited, and a non-executive director of QBE Insurance (Auspac), CEDO, Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand, and is an advisor on the University of Sydney Culture Council.

Under 25 Rising Star: Rhea Werner

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At just 17, year-old Rhea Werner has been using her platform on social media to talk about body image and mental health. 

In 2021, she co-founded the Body Confident Collective Youth Project, the first, national youth-led initiative supported by researchers from Melbourne University.

Arts and culture: Mindy Meng Wang

Mindy Meng Wang is a Chinese Australian composer and performing artist who specialises in the guzheng — an ancient Chinese zither. She is known for her cross genre collaborations with international artists including Gorillaz, Regurgitator and Paul Grabowsky. 

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This week, she spoke about her latest album collaboration, “Origin of You” which she recorded with fellow Chinese Australian Sui Zhen.  

The album, according to reviewer David James Young, is a musical exploration of their “personal experiences with death, grief, motherhood and diaspora.” 

“Every single time we play this music, it’s a way to help us process these things,” Wang told Young. 

“I want this music to remind people that we all have shared feelings as human beings. My goal in music is to make people realise that we’re inherently the same — no matter your cultural background, how you grieve, how you feel about love, how you feel about your family. If we knew how similar we all were, I feel like the world would be a better place. I want this music to be a sonic hug for people.”

Education, Science and medicine winner: Dr Celina Ping Yu

Having spent her career working towards cultural inclusion, diversity and relationship-building between Australian and Asian academic and business communities, Dr Celina Ping Yu was the clear winner in this category. 

She is the founder of the Global Business College of Australia and since 2014, has been the college’s managing director.

In 2017, she started Edvantage Institute Australia, an international higher education campus of the Edvantage Group, a Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency registered private higher education provider. 

Community & Advocacy/Not for Profit: Marjorie Tenchavez

Marjorie Tenchavez is the founder and director of Welcome Merchant, a social enterprise  supporting small businesses owned by refugees and asylum seekers.

Tenchavez, who is a former finalist for Emerging Leader in Non-Profit at the Women’s Agenda Leadership awards, was also a recipient of the NSW Humanitarian Awards in Business this year. 

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Speaking to Women’s Agenda last year, Tenchavez said many migrants and refugees in Australia struggle to get bank loans “…because of their visa status and/or lack of financial history in Australia.”

“I’ve been in this sector for a long time and there were times when I thought about changing industries but hearing their stories and successes keeps me inspired,” she said.

“It’s really important for me to see them succeed without our help.” 

Legal and Professional Services: Mannie Kaur Verma

As a principal lawyer at Regal Lawyers, Mannie Kaur Verma empowers her clientele, who are mostly migrants, to fight for their rights. 

“This may include demanding a respectful relationship, employee entitlements or justice in a dispute,” she describes on her website. “I place intersectionality at the core of my practice.”

The former Labor candidate for Rowville in Victoria is also the co-Founder of the non-profit organisation, Veera – Brave Girl, an organisation that seeks to educate and empower migrant women to break the cycle of abuse. It also provides a network of resources for vulnerable women to leave violent relationships.

“A lot of women come here on partner visas, so they are dependent on their partners,” she told Women’s Weekly in 2021, when she was nominated for the Women of the Future Awards. “They have no networks. No support systems. No access to resources.” 

Read the full list of winners here. 

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This revelation was first ignited when Betts found lumps in her right breast and went to a breast cancer surgeon to investigate.

“She asked me if I had ever received a trauma, which I thought was a weird question at the time,” Betts tells Women’s Agenda, noting that she hadn’t immediately understood what the term meant.

“What actually happens, and why the surgeon asked me that question, is you can receive trauma to your breasts,” she says, adding that this kind of injury can present itself as fat necrosis in the breasts later in life, which mimics breast cancer cells.

This means that breast trauma may look similar to breast cancer even though it isn’t.

For Betts, the lumps in her breasts were a result of trauma rather than cancer but she had to undergo a fair few tests to uncover this– all of which added up in financial cost and could have been avoided. 

If she had known about breast trauma beforehand, Betts says she might have been able to save herself from a breast cancer scare and address her breast injury quicker. 

What came to mind next were her daughters– both of whom play contact sports. Betts didn’t want them or other female athletes to have to continue to go unprotected. 

“So I went looking into what actual research had been done on breast injuries, and what I found was only coming out of college sports,” she says. “Which basically showed that girls are getting injuries from playing sports and most of the time were just wearing a sports bra– no protection.”

This lack of research and protection for women in contact sports lit a fire in Betts, who got to work testing materials and creating protective pads that could easily be inserted into bras to fit breasts in their natural shape. 

The result is an innovative design that’s now gone through extensive medical research. Having had global reach, Boob Armour’s breast protection is truly changing the game for the unique needs of women and girls. 

Betts’ company has partnered not only with sporting organisations like the AFL/AFLW, but also the military, train drivers, mine worker and dog groomers– amongst many more– in order to increase Boob Armour’s impact to various occupations where breast injury could occur. 

Recognised for her incredible work bringing breast health into mainstream conversation, Betts was named Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2023 Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards, where she said that, with Boob Armour’s growth, she’s now “totally obsessed with protecting all girls and women in sport and in occupations where their breasts can be impacted and injured.”

As for what’s next, Betts says she and the Boob Armour team hope to see girls begin to wear the product as soon as they start playing sport, to protect their breasts from as early as possible. 

“We’ve had school chats over the years– we’ve also gone out to clubs and leagues,” she says. “We’re really creating a platform that is about long term breast health.”

The positive feedback is following Boob Armour’s success as well, with Betts receiving constant messages from women and girls who tell her how much of an impact the product has had on their confidence in general. 

Just that morning, while speaking with Women’s Agenda, Betts received a noticably heartwarming message from a girl in Ireland that said: “I’ve been using Boob Armour for about a year now. I’ve been recently noticing how much of a change it has had on my life.” 

“I play women’s rugby and for the last few years, I thought it was just a normal thing for me to have bruises and bumps on my boobs from playing matches. I’ve been noticing how I haven’t been suffering from any pain or bruising because of Boob Armour.”

“I just wanted to reach out and say that I’m really grateful for your product and the change you’re having on women’s sport,” the message reads.

The influence that Boob Armour is having on women’s health in general, isn’t going unnoticed either, and Betts says her “number one goal is to make this a mandated product”. 

“I want to advocate for this to the right people because we really do need to see [breast trauma] seriously considered as an injury that is totally preventable.”

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They are the ten winners of the 2023 Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards, named at a ceremony in Melbourne on Friday night.

This year’s celebrations were marked by the profound and powerful words of Professor Megan Davis — who spoke about the importance of courageous leadership at this time of “sensationalist campaigns of division.”

The evening’s celebrations ended with a heart-rendering set by Jack River. 

The 2023 Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards were made possible thanks to the support of our headline partner, Commonwealth Bank’s Women in Focus, category partners Charles Sturt University, MECCA M-Power, CSIRO, charity partner Plan International, venue partner Accor and gift partners at Loco Love. 

Winner of Emerging Leader in Tech
Luli Adeyemo

Luli Adeyemo is the Executive Director of the TechDiversity Foundation. As a fervent advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in technology workforces across different sectors, she is on a mission to illuminate the transformative power of DEI in boardrooms across Australia. 

Adeyemo’s compelling discussions with numerous executives have sparked a DEI revolution, showcasing its potential as a catalyst for innovation, competitiveness, cultural enrichment, and as a solution to bridging the skills gap. 

“Technology is the enabler that gives us health benefits,” Adeyemo said in her acceptance speech. “It gives us benefits in that area of our life. The thing is the thing that we need to be really aware of that there’s a very small proportion of our society that are involved in the design of technology. We need inclusive voices involved in the design of tech.”

“Luli is a standout applicant who is strategically effecting systemic change in the tech industry,” the judges said of Adeyemo. “Her three pillar approach puts education at the heart which is vital to driving systemic change.”

“She works at all levels of industry from grassroots through to business level. Her work to create business metrics is also key. She focuses on creating “Intentional Impact”, creating new programs, more than awareness and putting it all into action.”

Winner of Emerging Leader in the Private Sector
Cecilia Chiu

Cecilia is the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of New Aim. A trailblazer in Australian ecommerce, Cecilia introduced the dropship model to Australia with Dropshipzone. 

It’s her mission to empower more Australian SMEs to start and scale through ecommerce, by creating a more inclusive ecosystem that levels the playing field. In 2022, Cecilia transitioned Dropshipzone to a B2B2C marketplace helping thousands of retailers, which stands unique in the Australian market.

Accepting her award on Friday night, Chiu reminisced about the origins of her company.

“I started New Aim with my husband in 2005 from a garage store and today, it’s has a $300 million turnover,” she said. 

“We help more and more small business, especially woman’s businesses to set up their businesses in e-commerce. So this is what we are really proud of as well. A third  of our senior management is women. Thank you so much for this award.”  

The judges praised Chiu, saying she’d demonstrated her alignment to the values based on the evidence of her exemplary track record.

“It’s one thing to join an established company and take it to the next level, and a whole other to take an idea to a startup to a scale up and then into a corporate entity,” they said. 

“Achieving each new stage of of her business has made her an emerging leader each time in different types of businesses and where her company is now no longer a startup but a corporate entity in the private sector, she is clearly an emerging leader and deserves the recognition for her hard work.”

“The fact that a third of her company managers are female demonstrates evidence of integrity as does her desire to expand the company’s operations to make e-commerce more accessible to founders in particular women who make up 60 per cent of this founder community.” 

Employer Initiative of the Year
FUJIFILM’s Elevate program  

Accepting the award on Friday night was Rhys Huett, General Manager Customer Service Operations and Executive Sponsor of Fujifilm’s Elevate program

Huett admitted to feeling “a little bit out of place” on stage in front of a sea of women.

“A massive thank you to the Women’s Leadership Awards Committee and judges for recognizing our efforts and championing female leaders and supporting women’s success in the workplace,” he said.

“It’s a privilege as the executive sponsor for Fujifilm business innovation and the elevate Employee Resource Group. We’re incredibly proud to play a role in making a difference in the ICT sector for current and future generations.” 

Judges said that FUJIFILM’s Elevate program shows what is possible when women and men work in partnership – even in male dominated industries – to create positive pathways for emerging women leaders. 

“We were greatly impressed by FUJIFILM’s clear, measurable targets and long-term commitment, and that the program had already grown from an employee resource group to an employee owned movement.”

“This buy-in and shared accountability from the top down is core to a 31 per cent increase in new female hires year on year, totalling 86 per cent of new hires this year. Encouragingly, and despite this great progress, FUJIFILM is still keen to do more.”

Winner of Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year
Suzie Betts

Suzie Betts is the founder of Boob Armour, a sports bra brand specifically targeted at protecting women’s breasts during sports and exercise. 

Betts is on a mission to redefine safety and empowerment for girls and women, not just in sports but also in occupations where breast injuries are a concern. 

Her innovative breast protection solutions are reshaping the landscape, empowering females to pursue their passions with confidence, whether on the field or in their workplaces. 

Betts’ values-driven leadership and her commitment to addressing this critical challenge make Boob Armour a transformative force for girls and women, ensuring their well-being and confidence in all aspects of life.

On Friday night, Betts admitted that the award was her first. 

“I really started as a business for my daughters when I had a breast injury that presented itself later on in life and my mission became to protect them at the foremost.”

“Obviously it grew from there and now I’m totally obsessed with protecting all girls and women in sport in occupations where their breasts can be impacted and injured.”

The judges described Betts’ journey as one that “represents everything these Awards were designed to celebrate.”

“Through Boob Armour, Suzie’s has shown her dedication to truly serving the unique needs women have, and a willingness to partner with organisations well beyond her sporting origins – including the military, train drivers, mine workers, and dog groomers to name just a few – to increase her impact as a courageous, inclusive and values-driven leader who is at the start of a truly positive growth story,” they said. 

Winner of Small Business Leader of the Year
Lacey Webb

Lacey Webb is the Founder & CEO of Resource Hub, defining efficiency and best practice for the Waste Management and Resource Recovery sector.

With over 15 years experience in industry, Webb is the foremost authority on waste levy regulation and gatehouse operations in Australia, she is a winner of the 2022 Women in Industry Awards. She is committed to supporting the growth of women across traditionally male industries, including in the Waste Management and Resource Recovery sector.

Although Webb was unable to attend on Friday night, the judges praised Webb’s passion, determination, and commitment.

“Lacey is solving a clear and substantial problem in changing the measurement and management of Australia’s waste, as the founder of the country’s only waste levy specialist, Resource Hub.”

“She had clear passion, determination, and commitment to making the country more sustainable as well as her genuine leadership in supporting her own fast-growing team to work flexibly within an inclusive environment.”

“Lacey has also seen rapid revenue growth with judges noting the expected scalability of Resource Hub given its unique gap in market, free from competitors.”

Winner of Emerging Leader in Science
Dr Hayley Teasdale

Dr Hayley Teasdale is the Manager of Science Policy Projects at the Australian Academy of Science. She works at the interface science and policy, making science accessible to policymakers and helping shape policy to support science in Australia.

Dr Teasdale also develops innovative methods for producing science policy advice, including new methods for the inclusion of Traditional Knowledges in science policy processes.

Accepting the award on Friday night, Dr Teasdale said the award was “an absolute honour”.

“The project that my colleagues nominated me for was a really unique process in that we believe, it was the first time a science policy process has been inclusive of traditional elder voices,” she said.

“I just feel like science policy is here to help inform evidence informed decision making. It’s so important that decisions are based on evidence. Everything I do is absolutely because of my team. I have the most incredible team and colleagues and scientists that we work with every day.” 

“Hayley’s unique trajectory in both business and science has equipped her with impressive skills, already enabling significant policy cut through,” the judges said. “She is clearly an astute collaborator, working and leading multidisciplinary teams with determination and passion. She knows the value of listening to diverse perspectives to maximise outcomes and has demonstrated incredible capacity to problem-solve complex issues.”

Winner of Emerging Leader in Climate & Sustainability
Anjali Sharma

At just 16, Anjali Sharma was the lead litigant of Sharma vs Environment Minister, a legal case which, in 2021, successfully established that the environment minister owes all young people a duty of care to protect them from the impacts of climate change. 

After this ruling was appealed, Sharma launched a campaign to legislate this duty of care through Federal Parliament, and has successfully seen a bill tabled in the Senate to do so. 

Although Sharma wasn’t able to make it on Friday night, the judges praised her for her leadership and boldness. 

“Anjali has demonstrated courageous leadership in advocating for climate justice,” they said. “Her self awareness, strategic thinking and bold action impressed the judges and her work has broad reaching and profound implications for the whole country. It is for this reason that we award her this category.”

Winner of Emerging Leader in Health
Sonita Giudice

Sonita Giudice is a proud Gunggari and Wakka Wakka woman who is passionate about providing holistic and culturally appropriate care to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander women and their families. 

As a Clinical Midwifery Consultant within the Office of Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, she provides her expertise with clinical and cultural knowledge to support the co-design of these models of care.

“It’s an absolute privilege to be in the office surrounded by wonderful leadership and mentors,” Giudice said.

Thanking her sister, who is also a midwife, Giudice said she was surrounded by strong women, and thanked her family and partner. “They support me in this journey of midwifery.”

“Sonita exemplifies the ethos of thinking globally and acting locally,” the judges said. “She was able to paint a clear and achievable vision of the changes she wants to see delivered in women’s health. The impact of her work transcends the individual to improve health for families, the community and future generations.”

Winner of Emerging Leader in the NFP Sector
Katherine Berney

Katherine is the Executive Director of National Women’s Safety Alliance (NWSA) with a membership of over 400 individuals and organisations she is determined we will end violence against all identifying women, non binary people and children. 

NWSA is a trusted government advisor, and under Katherine’s leadership, it has influenced major federal policy reforms in Domestic, Family and Sexual violence. 

“We have a real problem in violence against women and children in this country,” Berney said upon accepting her award. “My fundamental belief is that if we are to end violence against women and children in a generation, as our government has suggested, we need every single person who wants to positively contribute that to be part of the conversation. I need to acknowledge this is a room of remarkable women. And there’s so much lived experience in this room.”

“Katherine is the true embodiment of what the Women’s Agenda Emerging Leadership Awards seeks to recognise,” the judges said. “As the Director of the National Women’s Safety Alliance (NWSA) she is a fierce and passionate campaigner to end violence against women.”

“She demonstrates strong systems thinking, the ability to bring like minds together to solve complex challenges, and has a demonstrated passion to ensure that her work is inclusive and raises the voices of those who need to be heard.” 

Winner of Agenda Setter of the Year 
Angelique Wan and Sam Payne

Angelique Wan is the co-founder and CEO of Consent Labs, a youth-led not-for-profit that is working to reduce the prevalence of sexual violence in Australia through education programs delivered to high school students, their educators and parents.

To-date, Consent Labs has delivered programs to more than 50,000 people nationally. Previously, Angelique has been recognised as the 2022 NSW Young Woman of the Year and a 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australian in the same year. 

Sam Payne is the co-Founder and CEO of Pink Elephant — a charity organisation that aims to support parents through early pregnancy loss. She is on a mission to ensure that no one faces the journey of pregnancy loss alone and that they receive the support they need and deserve. In 2021, Payne changed federal legislation to include miscarriage. She continues to challenge cultural norms, breaking the silence, and initiating much-needed change in the space of pregnancy loss. 

Wan was unable to attend the awards evening, but Payne attended, and made a heart-wrenching speech.

“This [award] isn’t for me,” she said. “This is for the nearly 300 women today who will have heard the words from Sorry, there is no heartbeat or the 100,000 estimated women and partners every year, who will lose their much loved unwanted baby during pregnancy.”

“It’s all about putting a voice to our experiences. Telling our stories on purpose, so that every person who goes through the experience of losing their baby during pregnancy is met with the validation empathy and understanding they deserve.” 

The judges commended both winners’ “dedication, courage, persistence, passion.”

“Angie and Sam exemplified all these things. Tackling big issues we are lucky to have you both put your energy into education, awareness and advocacy that will help millions of people.”

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But with projections for another 100,000 engineers needed by 2030, it’s clear much more needs to be done to address this massive gender imbalance.

Dr Morley Muse is one such engineer, and much more. And she is currently addressing the lack of diversity in STEM head-on, through a wide range of initiatives, including tech, advocacy, and even careers fairs.

In 2022, Dr Muse was named the Emerging Leader of the year in STEM, at the Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards in recognition of her efforts to transform an industry.

In the year since, she highlights some of the further, incredible work she has done — including launching a new platform for eliminating bias in recruitment and hosting a careers fair promoting opportunities for women in STEM.

We asked Dr Muse to share more on the year since she won the award, including some of her best advice to those aspiring to break through and her chief concerns around representation in STEM and entrepreneurship in Australia.

What’s been happening since you won the Emerging Leader in STEM award in September last year? 

I am absolutely thrilled to share some exciting updates on my journey since receiving the award. 

We’ve launched the DEIR platform, a game-changer in eliminating recruitment bias using specific elements like anonymous recruitment, job benchmarking, and ethical job and interview guidelines. 

It’s incredible to see companies like Arup, Westpac, Telstra, and Worley already embracing this platform to recruit diverse talents. Best part? It’s currently free for both women and employers, using our trial packages. 

Another proud accomplishment was the 2023 Women in STEM Careers Fair hosted by iSTEM Co. It’s now in its second year. 

Last year, we created 20 new employment opportunities for women in STEM, and this year, with over 250 attendees, we’ve already sparked 50 new opportunities. It’s not just about mentorship alone; it’s about real opportunities for women to thrive and be retained in STEM.

I’m also excited to share my involvement in groundbreaking initiatives like the RISE Expert Panel with Diversity Council Australia, the Executive Committee of Science Technology Australia, and the Energy Reference Group with Jemena Energy. 

These roles allow me to contribute my leadership expertise across STEM, Energy, and Women Leadership, breaking down systematic barriers and providing pathways to leadership positions.

The RISE project aims to break down systematic barriers and provide pathways to leadership positions for CARM women. 

Joining the RISE Expert Panel is highly prolific for me as it enables me to contribute more broadly to empowering CARM women into senior leadership, which in effect will promote retention within their organisations and reduce attrition.

I have also been appointed to the Executive Committee of Science Technology Australia and the Energy Reference Group with Jemena Energy. 

I am also glad to be a mentor for STA’s superstars of STEM program, an opportunity to elevate the work of senior and executive women in STEM. 

On accepting the award, you noted that you entered into workplace environments and you don’t see women who look like you, other female engineers. Has this still been the case over the past 12 months? 

Well, obviously that is changing with the initiatives we have launched at iSTEM Co., as well as other initiatives like STEM sisters, DCA CARM program, etc and the awareness we are generating in the STEM community, but we still have a long way to go. 

The current statistics for women engineers in Australia have grown from 11.2 per cent in 2022 to 16 per cent in 2022 according to Engineers Australia. So, there is some progress but the key issues are employment and retention, which we should focus more on. 

To solve the under-representation of women in STEM, we need to tackle 4 fundamental areas: Education, Employment, Retention/Leadership and Entrepreneurship. Most of the initiatives have since focused on education, which is great. 

However, if we encourage young girls to study STEM and yet they can’t see their role models with STEM qualifications working in STEM, then there is a big problem. 

Currently, only 15 per cent of women with STEM skills are in STEM-qualified jobs. The others have either left STEM post-qualification or working elsewhere. This shows that we have a big retention issue which must be tackled with a sense of urgency.

What are you most concerned about now in 2023, regarding challenges facing women (or others) in your industry? 

In 2023, my main concerns revolve around the lack of retention of women with STEM skills in the industry and insufficient funding for startups. 

Only 3 per cent of women startups received funding from the $10 billion VC funds in Australia in 2021, despite having a startup ecosystem where 22 per cent of founders across all firms identify as women according to LaunchVic. 

We can do better. We’re open to collaborative opportunities for our upcoming program to help women in STEM turn their ideas into startups.

Best piece of advice you’ve learned when it comes to leadership?

When it comes to leadership, the best advice I’ve embraced is to be visible and use your privilege to advocate for positive change. Remember, there are no real failures—only opportunities to learn, grow and improve.

Any quick tips for those who might be hesitating about putting their hand up for an opportunity – whether it’s for a promotion or something else?

And for those hesitating to seize opportunities, my quick tip is simple: Don’t be afraid of what might go wrong. Embrace the possibilities of Yes, No, or Maybe. If it’s a Yes, fantastic! 

If it’s a No, move forward without hesitation. If it’s a Maybe, invest more effort; it could very well turn into a Yes. The journey is all about learning, growing, and making a positive impact.

So, here’s to breaking barriers, creating opportunities, and building a future where everyone, regardless of gender or background, can thrive in STEM!

Dr Muse’s iSTEM Co. is currently set to engage in a STEM commercialisation program to enable women to commercialise their research into startups and is taking expressions of interest. She encourages interested individuals to reach out to her directly for further information on how they can get involved. 

The winners of the 2023 Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards will be announced on Friday the 12th October.

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Founder and Executive Directive of public interest litigation incubator, Grata Fund, Reinecke has written a new book, Courting Power, which will be released as part of Monash University Publishing’s In the National Interest series on 1 October. The book tells the story of the Grata Fund’s work and the importance of open access to the courts to fight systemic injustice.

“Just look at how defamation law is being used to silence women who have spoken out about sexual assault and harassment,” says Reinecke on stamping out injustice. “It’s going to be slow and difficult to change this system. But I believe we have to engage with the system to change it – and one way of doing so is by using litigation to hold even the most powerful in our society accountable to the law.”

We followed up with this powerful advocate to learn more about the critical work she’s been doing with Grata Fund as well as advice she has for effective leadership.

Can you share a key career highlight from the year, since winning the WALA Award?

Grata Fund is supporting Uncle Pabai Pabai and Uncle Paul Kabai’s groundbreaking Australian Climate Case, a class action led by these two community leaders and Traditional Owners from the Torres Strait Islands. They have turned to the courts in the hope of protecting their communities from escalating climate disaster. 

In June this year I had the enormous privilege of attending the case’s On Country hearings held in the Torres Strait. It was steamy and overcast on the morning a fleet of small charter planes arrived at Boigu island, carrying more than twenty lawyers, court staff and the Justice of the Federal Court of Australia. I felt so lucky to experience the thrill of watching history in the making. The court came to hear the community give first-hand evidence of their connection to their islands, the reality of how climate change is impacting their lives, and the consequences if their homelands are lost.  

Uncle Paul and Uncle Pabai are arguing that the Federal Government has a legal responsibility to ensure Torres Strait Islander Peoples are not harmed by climate change. This is the first time that anyone in Australia has argued that the whole of the Federal government has a duty to protect people from climate change. It could force the government to reduce its emissions in line with what the science tells us is necessary to stay within 1.5 degrees of warming and make all Australians safer from climate harm.

The case is a powerful example of how strategic litigation can work. Over several years the Grata team have collaborated closely with communities in the Torres Strait, international partners and local legal experts to build an innovative case that has the power to bring about broader social change. We’ve removed financial barriers to ensure the Uncles have the opportunity to have their case heard, and we are working closely with their communities, documentary filmmakers, and major Australian advocacy organisations, including Greenpeace and Amnesty International, to ensure the case has impact beyond the court – regardless of whether the judge ultimately agrees they should win. It’s a hugely ambitious case and campaign, but I believe the Uncles will win in the end.

On accepting the award you noted that law has typically been used to oppressed women and First Nations people — have any of your ideas around this point changed in the past 12 months? Is it getting better at a satisfactory pace? 

Frankly, it’s not getting better fast enough. Just look at how defamation law is being used to silence women who have spoken out about sexual assault and harassment. It’s going to be slow and difficult to change this system. But I believe we have to engage with the system to change it – and one way of doing so is by using litigation to hold even the most powerful in our society accountable to the law.

You can feel a bit like sisyphus sometimes, pushing a rock up a mountain for it to only roll back to the bottom, but I saw a guy wearing a t-shirt recently that said “One has to imagine sisyphus happy” – a line from French philosopher Albert Camus – and I love that. We’ve got to keep trying (and learning), and find ways to enjoy it along the way.

What are you most concerned about now in 2023, regarding challenges facing women (or others) in your industry? 

I recently realised how radicalising motherhood can be for women. One lovely mum in my local mothers group told me at the playground one day that she hadn’t been a feminist before she had her son, but now understood how unequal men and women are in society.

I spent a lot of my maternity leave thinking about how our economic system sets parents – particularly women – up to fail.

Aside from the fact that many people work far more than eight hours a day, the concept of 8 hours work / 8 hours play / 8 hours sleep, assumes that someone else, who isn’t being paid, is doing everything else necessary to keep the world turning – growing and birthing babies, raising children, looking after elderly, cooking, cleaning, the list goes on. 

Even if we as a society achieve parity in the workplace, attain equal caregiving responsibilities in the home and bring about improved pay overall in female dominated industries, primary carers – usually mums – are going to be fighting an uphill battle for as long as 8 hours work, 8 hours play and 8 hours rest is the standard that our system is built on. I’m really interested in how a 4 day work week could change this. I’ve been watching with excitement as the data piles in and it consistently shows productivity can increase at work, along with things like domestic responsibilities for men and – the holy grail – leisure time for women.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve learned when it comes to leadership?

“Don’t demotivate people.”  I’ve found that a lot of time can be spent talking about how to motivate people. But the best advice I’ve received is to get great people on the team and then work really hard to not demotivate them. Provide enough support, don’t micromanage, listen, be human. That’s what I strive to do at Grata.

Any quick tips for those who might be hesitating about putting their hand up for an opportunity – whether it’s for an award, a promotion or something else?

Back yourself. Sometimes you can see your own worth, but it’s not always easy to put yourself forward. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and see your worth, and they will lift you up. Sometimes it takes someone else to suggest you nominate for an award, go for that promotion or even start your own organisation. I’ve just written my first book about using the law to make change through the Australian courts system, which was a daunting undertaking. I’m glad I took the chance. You just have to go for it.

Isabelle Reinecke is Founder and Executive Directive of public interest litigation incubator Grata Fund. Her new book Courting Power will be released as part of Monash University Publishing’s In the National Interest series on 1 October. You can read more about the Australian Climate Case here.

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The program recognises an exceptional cohort of women blazing a trail across a variety of sectors, paving the way for future generations. This year’s awards focus on integrity, highlighting the work of emerging women leaders who stay true to their values and principles in the face of key challenges and change. 

We’re thrilled to be able to shine a light on their work and help build their profiles and platforms as they continue their changemaking work.

The 2023 Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards are made possible thanks to our excellent partners including the Commonwealth Bank, MECCA M-POWER, the CSIRO, Charles Sturt University and Loco Love.

Tickets are still available to the gala dinner announcing the winners here where Professor Megan Davis will give a keynote address on the eve of the referendum and legendary singer/songwriter, Jack River (AKA Holly Rankin) will perform.

Without further ado…

Small Business Leader of the Year

Michele Miller

Michele Miller is the founder and CEO of Robokids and a self-admitted tech nerd! Robokids was conceived in 2012 when Michele brough robotics into her teaching program. She saw a gap in the curriculum and started servicing her local primary schools and community, offering robotics workshops as an integral part of the schools digital technology program. The multi award winning program facilitates development of teacher digital capacity as well as addressing the gender gap in STEM careers. Robokids has worked with over 300,000 teachers and students with growing operations in NSW, Victoria and Queensland

Lacey Webb

Lacey Webb is the Founder & CEO of Resource Hub, defining efficiency and best practice for the Waste & Resource Recovery (WARR) sector.  With over 15 years experience in industry, Lacey is the foremost authority on waste levy regulation and gatehouse operations in Australia, she is a winner of the 2022 Women in Industry Awards, and is a leader committed to supporting the growth of women across traditionally male industries, including WARR.

Div Pillay

Div Pillay leads MindTribes and Culturally Diverse Women. For 10 years she has been advocating for safer workplaces for women and racially and ethnically diverse people. Div and her team have co-created evidenced based solutions with clients and partners; to reduce and eliminate institutional racism and sexism at work. Div has influenced some of Australia’s largest employers at Board and Executive level to invest in inaugural initiatives, changing the game for employees traditionally missed.

Rachelle Towart

Rachelle Towart, a Wonnarura woman from Blacktown, is a beacon of Indigenous leadership in Australia. Acclaimed nationally, she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2018. In 2016, Rachelle founded Pipeline Talent, an Indigenous executive recruitment agency. As its Managing Director, she consistently champions and places Indigenous leaders in key roles across various sectors, reinforcing her commitment to elevating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander talent nationwide.

Helen Whait

Helen Whait is the founder of Australia’s first and only occupational therapy franchise business, ActivOT. She has been a powerful contributor and change-maker within and for her profession throughout her 30-year career. She is widely recognised for challenging the status quo of community based occupational therapy service provision in Australia. Helen’s kind, holistic and innovative leadership style continues to empower allied health professionals nationwide by supporting their success as private practitioners

Emerging Leader in the Private Sector

Georgia Lutvey

Georgia is a passionate and values-driven HR leader at Downer, where she is contributing to their purpose of enabling communities to thrive. In the last year, Georgia has mentored young professionals, managed a program that saw 400 influential leaders undertake a journey of inclusive culture, developed an automated kudos portal fostering peer-to-peer recognition, increased belonging and relationships nationally through her Downer Social Networks passion project, and has seen employee engagement increase across all target metrics. Georgia arrives at work every day with positive energy and a focus on foundational excellence.

Lucy Du

Lucy is the Director of Community & Investor Relations at BFA Global Investors and is the Founder of the BFA Women’s Club. Her vision is to empower women and reshape an industry dominated by men by promoting female-led capital. In the past year, Lucy has created tailored events to educate and mentor female investors, helping them navigate the intricacies of private asset investing and enabling BFA Women to confidently assert themselves at the investment table.

Brittany Johnston

Brittany is a landscape architect and design integrator at Aurecon. Working across multiple sectors of the built environment and construction industry, her leadership and advocacy is driving change in Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity, Designing with Country, Climate Positive Design and Green Infrastructure.

Charlotte Pascoe

Charlotte Pascoe – Director and CEO of Stockdale & Leggo – is a dynamic leader who is passionate about creating an inclusive culture within the real estate industry where respect and a healthy work/lifestyle balance is key. Charlotte has driven strong conversations at State government level regarding real estate policy – particularly land tax. She is also an advocate for disadvantaged youth partnering Victorian youth charity “Bridge Builders” to help improve the lives of young people. 

Cecilia Chiu

Cecilia is the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of New Aim. A trailblazer in Australian ecommerce, Cecilia introduced the dropship model to Australia with Dropshipzone. It’s her mission to empower more Australian SMEs to start and scale through ecommerce, by creating a more inclusive ecosystem that levels the playing field. In 2022, Cecilia transitioned Dropshipzone to a B2B2C marketplace helping thousands of retailers, which stands unique in the Australian market.

Emerging Leader in Science

Dr Tiffany Phillips

Tiffany Phillips is a research fellow and epidemiologist for Monash University and Melbourne Sexual Health Centre. Dr Phillips has a passion for health equity and promotion and believes strongly in the value of research co-designed with communities.  She utilises and teaches mixed-method study designs to produce and inspire outputs that have a positive impact on priority populations for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV.

Dr Katherine Livingstone

Dr Katherine Livingstone is leading a program of research to improve the diet and heart health of young Australians living in regional communities. Her research is funded by peak national government and non-government organisations, including the National Health and Medical Research Council and the National Heart Foundation. Her team are using state-of-the-art tools and techniques to support young people to live healthier and happier lives.

Amani Abusafia

Amani is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Sydney. She received her B.Sc degree in 2009, and an M.Sc. degree in Computer Science, in 2013 from the University of Sharjah, Sharjah, Unite Arab Emirates.She is currently a recipient of the Research Training Program (RTP) Stipend Scholarship by the Australian Government (2022-2023). Her research interests include wireless sensor networks, data mining and distributed systems.

Dr Hayley Teasdale

Dr Hayley Teasdale is the Manager of Science Policy Projects at the Australian Academy of Science. Hayley works at the interface science and policy, making science accessible to policymakers and helping shape policy to support science in Australia.  Hayley also develops innovative methods for producing science policy advice, including new methods for the inclusion of Traditional Knowledges in science policy processes

Dr Devanshi Seth

Devanshi is the founding Head of a unique research program in Australia focused on the molecular and clinical aspects of Alcohol-associated Liver Diseases. Her inclusive leadership style has led her multinational GenomALC Consortium to international recognition by pioneering the genetics of this disease and bringing precision medicine for treatment of patients. As long-time champion of women in STEMM, she leads the DEI at her organisation for cultural change promoting women in their scientific careers.

Emerging Leader in Health

Associate Professor Meru Sheel

Associate Professor Meru Sheel is a globally recognised infectious diseases epidemiologist and vaccine researcher at the University of Sydney. Meru uses population health tools to understand and prevent the spread of diseases and how vaccines programs can prevent diseases. Meru works in the field, in partnership with countries in the Asia-Pacific region to shape policies and practices in global health. Meru is passionate about improving diversity and gender representation in leadership, and actively promotes and trains next generation of global health leaders.

Dr Olivia Ong

Dr Olivia Ong is an esteemed pain and rehabilitation physician, and an expert in burnout and resilience. As a healthcare thought leader in the burnout space, Olivia is passionate about helping doctors and healthcare professionals thrive after burnout. In the past year Olivia has been working with hundreds of doctors, healthcare professionals and leaders in healthcare organisations to improve their mental health and wellbeing in her role as the founder and CEO of Heart-Centred Method institute

Sonita Giudice

Sonita Giudice is a proud Gunggari and Wakka Wakka woman. Sonita is extremely passionate about providing holistic & culturally appropriate care to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander women & their families. Sonita continues her strong passion & commitment as a Clinical Midwifery Consultant within the Office of Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer. She provides her expertise with clinical & cultural knowledge to support the codesign of these models of care. Sonita acknowledges it has been an honour & privilege to be closely involved in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander woman’s care, their families, and the community.

Dr Tess Huynh

Dr Tess Huynh is a highly respected Sydney based cataract and laser refractive eye surgeon. She is the founder and director of iVision Clinic Inner West and co-founder and director of South West Vision Institute. She is on the RANZCO Board of Examiners and has been a lecturer for the Masters of Refractive Surgery at Sydney University. She is highly sought after for her expert clinical experience and involvement in technological research for ophthalmic industries.

Dr Ashna Basu

Ashna Basu is a Sydney-based doctor working in a Mental Health Intensive Care Unit. She is an award-winning advocate for gender equity and serves as Chair of the Young (under 40) branch of the Medical Women’s International Association. Locally, as President of the Medical Women’s Society of NSW, she established a Job Share Registry to increase access to part-time work. Her leadership experience is complemented by a GAICD and Master of Health Leadership and Management.

Emerging Leader on Climate and Sustainability

Anjali Sharma

Anjali Sharma is 19 years old and was the lead litigant of Sharma vs Environment Minister, a legal case which, in 2021, successfully established that the environment minister owes all young people a duty of care to protect them from the impacts of climate change. After this ruling was appealed, Anjali launched a campaign to legislate this duty of care through Federal Parliament, and has successfully seen a bill tabled in the Senate to do so.

Laura Parr

Laura Parr is a trustee with The Nature Conservancy Australian Advisory Board.  She also works in technology at Google, and recognises that nature needs technology. She believes that technology is the lever that helps solve our biggest challenges we’re facing around sustainability.  Through her unique combination of visionary and participatory leadership, Laura has advanced the sustainability and conservation agenda at both The Nature Conservancy and Google. Laura drives change as a fundraiser, advisor, ambassador and advocate.

Alison Kelly

Alison is the Farm Emissions Specialist for Agriculture Victoria, and has dedicated more than 20 years to the agriculture and climate change sector. During this time, she has delivered various projects that translate science into practical on-farm action. Alison is passionate about meaningful conversations to drive climate change action. In the last 18 months, she has engaged with farmers across Victoria to demystify emissions and help them identify options to achieve emissions reduction goals.

Associate Professor Lihong Zheng

A/Prof Lihong Zheng leads the Imaging&Sensing team at Charles Sturt University. She has delivered $ 7.4 million value by leading 12 multi-disciplinary projects to provide innovative and sustainable solutions to digital agriculture.  She was a national winner of the Academia Award as part of the Women in IT Awards, Cisco in 2019. Recently, she has concentrated on increasing public awareness of STEM skills through various promoting, organizing, and mentoring activities.

Dr Breanna Roque

Dr Breanna Roque is the Animal Science Research Manager for FutureFeed. The company was established by CSIRO to commercialise the use of Asparagopsis seaweed as a livestock feed ingredient that can reduce methane emissions by 80%. Dr Roque is the lead or co-author on several groundbreaking Asparagopsis studies. Thanks to her work (and that of her colleagues), Australia is leading the world in its use of this powerful methane supplement.

Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year

Katrina Van de Ven

Katrina is CEO and Co-Founder of LükBook, a company that’s revolutionising fashion for the 66% of all Australian women who are plus size. Since launching in early 2022, LükBook has demonstrated rapid growth, and has to date reached around 3 million Australian women and experienced ~60% MoM growth in sales. A compelling storyteller, Katrina draws on her decades of lived experience as a plus size woman to advocate for a more inclusive fashion industry.

Suzie Betts

Suzie Betts, the founder of Boob Armour, is on a mission to redefine safety and empowerment for girls and women, not just in sports but also in occupations where breast injuries are a concern. Her innovative breast protection solutions are reshaping the landscape, empowering females to pursue their passions with confidence, whether on the field or in their workplaces. Suzie’s values-driven leadership and her commitment to addressing this critical challenge make Boob Armour a transformative force for girls and women, ensuring their well-being and confidence in all aspects of life.

Tara Croker

Tara, a proud Wiradjuri woman, is a successful marketer and entrepreneur. She founded Yaala Sparkling to share the delicious tastes of native plants and to increase First Nations representation in the native food industry which is currently less than 2%. Tara believes in sustainable growth, from the supply chain to business practices. She works with Indigenous wild harvesters and local farmers to create healthy beverages that honour the true flavours her Ancestors have enjoyed for generations.

Helena Turpin

Helena is the Co-Founder of GoFIGR, a venture-backed tech startup blending AI, behavioural science, and human-centered design to revolutionise talent development and retention. Supported by investors from Australia to the US who champion women-led businesses, she’s dedicated to ensuring individuals remain employable and excel, while also helping businesses achieve their goals.

Emerging Leader in Tech

Dr Susan McGinty

Dr Susan McGinty is an award-winning scientist, global STEM leadership development expert, speaker and author, and the founder/CEO of Aya Leadership. Susan is passionate about uplifting STEM women as leaders and transforming the profile of STEM leadership. Susan’s tailored leadership development for STEM women is expanding the number of female leaders in technology and cyber and changing the profile of leadership in these industries. Susan is a Board Director and Advisory Board member of Women in STEM Leadership.

Pearl Li Ng

Pearl is the Head of Smart City, Innovation & Improvement with the City of Casey. With a future-focused agenda, Pearl leads the integration of smart technology, collaboration, and innovation to enhance sustainability and resilience in the local region. Named as one of the Australian Superstar of STEM, she is passionate about promoting women in STEM and harnessing technology for positive impact.

Mayase Jere

Mayase is a seasoned Agile Product and Project Management practitioner with experience mentoring individuals, coaching and leading software development teams. She has worked in B2B and B2C companies developing platforms and digital products. Her mission is to develop Agile practitioners by empowering individuals to change their organisations through co-design, collaboration, value creation and rapid experimentation. She is passionate about making education accessible and increasing women leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Laura Hill

Laura Hill is the Managing Director, International and Global Chief Partnerships Officer for Sendle, Australia’s first 100% carbon neutral shipping service and first technology B Corp. In this role, Laura leads Sendle’s Australian and Canadian businesses, and oversees all of our global partnerships – challenging postal monopolies around the world to bring simple, reliable and affordable shipping to millions of small businesses.

Luli Adeyemo

Luli Adeyemo, the Executive Director of the TechDiversity Foundation, is a fervent advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in technology workforces across different sectors. She is on a mission to illuminate the transformative power of DEI in boardrooms across Australia. Luli’s compelling discussions with numerous executives have sparked a DEI revolution, showcasing its potential as a catalyst for innovation, competitiveness, cultural enrichment, and as a solution to bridging the skills gap.  Luli’s unwavering commitment to DEI continues to shape the tech landscape.

Emerging Leader in the NFP sector

Geena Dunne

Geena Dunne (G.D Anderson) is the founder of menstrual health non-profit, The Cova Project, which provides sustainable solutions to people experiencing period poverty around the world. The Cova Project has provided menstrual cups and MHM education to over 24,000 women in Liberia, Ghana, Uganda, South Africa and Malawi to date. Geena believes in creating locally led initiatives with global impact and leveraging emerging technology to make positive change wherever possible

Evie Wood

Evie Wood is the Co-Founder and President of Coolamon Community, a registered charity based in Northern NSW. Her purpose is to make a real difference at the very start life for an Aboriginal child and mother. Evie seeks to keep babies with mothers and family, improve pregnancy, birthing and infancy health outcomes, actively support the unique Aboriginal mothering experience and empower First Nations women to make informed, respected decisions about their pregnancy and child rearing.

Katherine Berney

Katherine is the Executive Director of National Women’s Safety Alliance,  with a membership of over 400 individuals and organisations she is determined we will end violence against all identifying women, non binary people and children. NWSA under Katherine’s leadership is a trusted government advisor, and has influenced major federal policy reforms in Domestic, Family and Sexual violence; There is nothing more important than making Australia a safer place for all who make their home here.

Carla Raynes

Carla is the Founder and CEO of Bridge It, a new youth homelessness organisation in Melbourne. She’s worked in the homelessness field for nearly 2 decades and draws on this wisdom to create high impact housing programs. Carla is a trailblazer in trialling creative approaches to homelessness to make the solution lasting. Carla launched The Cocoon which is a youth supportive housing program for young people who have existed the out-of-home-care system in 2022 which had the potential to be scaled across Australia.

Employer Inititative of the Year

FDC

FDC is a leading Australian building delivery partner with an annual turnover of circa $1 billion, employing 600+ people, with a reputable client and project delivery reputation and industry leading NPS rate of 75+. They have been acknowledged with over 110 MBA awards and drive the Women in Construction Movement, changing the conversation to and the knowledge of females around the construction industry.

Telstra

Telstra is Australia’s leading telecommunications and technology company, offering a full range of communications services and competing in all telecommunications markets. They believe it’s people who give purpose to technology. That’s why they build technology and content solutions that are simple and easy to use. Telstra’s Women in Tech program was developed with the aim to empower women in tech roles, at all stages of their careers.

Private Media

Ai Mawdsley  is COO of Private Media – a 20 year old publisher of independent journalism. Through a deep passion for equity & inclusion, relentless execution of strategy, and implementing the Juniversary Performance Program,  Ai has transformed the business – promoting emerging female leaders to represent 60% of management (from 36%), profoundly evolving company culture and ultimately supporting the business’ to achieve record revenues (CAGR of 24%).

Fujifilm Business Innovation Australia

Elevate is FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia’s Employee Resource Group supporting female employees through programs and tools to offer a space for personal and professional development, empowering and encouraging success and influencing positive change. This initiative is proudly making strides to enable unprecedented growth in female leadership and new female hires – serving as an inspiration to all those within FUJIFILM BI Australia and across the ICT industry.

Paypa Plane

Paypa Plane is a fintech revolutionising the world of payments across Australia and the US. Paypa Plane has made a commitment to team members to increase paid parental leave for both parents to 12 weeks. This policy removes the traditional concept of ‘primary and secondary parents’ and allows both parents to take leave flexibly. Paypa Parents gives parents equal access to paid parental leave, including super contributions during this period, in a bid to increase equality.

Agenda Setter of the Year

Charmaine Hunzwi

Charmaine is a Changemaker as President of Incubate Foundation, an organisation supporting young African Asutralians to reach their fullest potential; and Founder of Safe Space Media which creates content that challenges the narratives of under-represented communities. From designing and delivering the first ever African Australian Student Conference for over 350 students to challenging status quo through her Can We Talk About It?! Podcast, Charmaine’s passion is creating safe spaces for the Black community in Australia.

Angelique Wan

Angelique Wan is the co-founder and CEO of Consent Labs, a youth-led not-for-profit that is working to reduce the prevalence of sexual violence in Australia through education programs delivered to high school students, their educators and parents. To-date, Consent Labs has delivered programs to more than 50,000 people nationally. Previously, Angelique has been recognised as the 2022 NSW Young Woman of the Year and a 2022 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australian.

Ashi Bhat

Ashi Bhat is the founder of INSIDER, where she’s revolutionising brand loyalty programs, using blockchain technology. INSIDER enables brands to deliver highly personalised customer experiences, while giving consumers enhanced control of their data. In the past year, she’s spoken to thousands of audiences on emerging technology for social impact, through her TEDx Talk, keynote speaking, mentorship and columnist roles for leading publications.

Jean Linis-Dinco

Jean Dinco stands at the forefront of unmasking governmental propaganda, especially surrounding Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis. Driven by a burning passion for justice, she earned the esteemed title of Peace Ambassador by the European Commission and One Young World in 2022 and was spotlighted in Vanity Fair’s February 2023 edition as a global beacon for the UN’s 2030 Agenda. Beyond accolades, like the YoungChangemaker award, Jean’s heart beats for the voiceless—championing stateless and migrant rights with an unyielding spirit. Her impassioned open letter addressing freedom of expression led her to be a Nobel Peace Prize Challenge finalist in 2022, while her human rights gamification project secured an award at the United Nations- Oxford Competition.

Dr Parwinder Kaur

Dr Parwinder Kaur is an award-winning scientist, a passionate leader and positive role model as a mother, and a professor in science for the next generation of diverse scientists to pursue their passion for science and discovery. Her work addresses Earth’s biodiversity for sustainable solutions, uniting disciplines and empowering individuals. Recognized as the Australian Sikh Woman of the Year in 2023, she’s a renowned community leader, author, and speaker, contributing to policy committees and STEM initiatives. She inspires through dedication, innovation, and a commitment that transcends boundaries, leaving a lasting impact on science and society.

Sam Payne

As the Founder and CEO of the Pink Elephants Support Network, Sam is on a mission to ensure that no one faces the journey of pregnancy loss alone and that they receive the support they need and deserve. Sam is an empathetic, engaging, knowledgeable, and impactful advocate for those experiencing early pregnancy loss. She challenged and changed federal legislation to include miscarriage in 2021 and she’s not stopping there. She is challenging cultural norms, breaking the silence, and initiating much-needed change. 

The post Announcing the finalists of the 2023 Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards appeared first on Women's Agenda.

They’ve commenced the litigation against Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek for failing to accept the climate harm of new coal and gas to the environment, pursuing it as the latest step in legal intervention compelling the minister to reconsider the climate risks from nearly all coal and gas proposals currently awaiting her approval.

They’re representing a small volunteer environment group in the process, the Environment Council of Central Queensland, and together argue that the science is clear: with new coal mine expansions posing serious and irreversible threats to the climate and thousands of threatened animals, plants and places.

They pursue this action as part of a broader fight for climate justice, which Kerwin says sees them mostly working at the intersection of climate harm and social justice.

Kerwin’s team at EJA is part of a rising global trend in global climate change litigation that is pushing governments and corporate actors to pursue more ambitious climate change mitigation and adaption targets, with the women-led EJA pursuing multiple cases in Australia.

If successful in the above litigation against the Minister, the effects will be game-changing, likely transforming how the current environment minister and future such ministers will assess climate risks.

Kerwin is Principal Lawyer with EJA, working alongside Co-CEOs Nicola Rivers and Elizabeth McKinnon, as well as Chief Operating Officer Thea Lange, and a diverse board.

“It is an absolute highlight to see the bravery of our client and the skills of the climate team at work,” Kerwin said.

“Backed by thousands and thousands of community voices and organisations — they raise crucial legal questions in Court about whether our Federal Minister for Environment is required to recognise the asserted climate impacts of new gas and coal on thousands of protected places and species in Australia.”

We checked in with Kerwin, one year after she was named the Emerging Leader on Climate Action winner at last year’s Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards.

On accepting the award you noted that “…we all benefit from women and non binary folk in our lives who hold us up and make us stronger and encourage us on to new things”. 

Has anything changed or strengthened your feminism in the last 12 months? 

I guess there are two strands to this. In my personal life, we are in the process of building a new kitchen. 

My partner, our kids, my Mum and a team of mostly women and non-binary tradies are working together to turn a corner of our little flat into a place to make food for many years to come! It is an inspiring thing to watch – creative, collaborative, problem solving with mutual respect. A model for all our different ways of living full lives!

The other pressing thought for me is about the ongoing need to reject increasing harmful transphobia. A combination of witnessing this bigotry, and its effects, has made me think hard about how I show up in my workplace, at home and as a citizen. 

For me, too, mostly working at the intersection of climate harm and social justice, Judith Butler’s analysis that the renewed rising moral panic about gender and identity reflects (among other things) a misplaced anxiety about different, truly destructive, forces that do exist and need our attention, including climate change, resonates strongly.    

What are you most concerned about now in 2023, regarding challenges facing women in law? 

Increasing meaningful representation of affected communities in climate advocacy and policy roles, including First Nations people and people of colour.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve learned when it comes to leadership?

I think this might change week by week! But, over the last week I’ve had three conversations with people about our different experiences of imposter syndrome. 

Something I’ve been thinking about, which is a piece of advice from earlier this year, is to be very conscious of where our inputs come from at work about our different strengths, especially when I’m finding leading challenging.

Any advice for those who might be hesitating about putting their hand up for an opportunity – whether it’s for an award, a promotion or something else?

Do it! Also, don’t feel like you have to do it! Opportunities will come around again and you might very sensibly choose to wait this one out including so you can have richness in another part of your life.

Photo credit: Emma Byrnes

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In 2022, Murthy Mittinty was named the Emerging Leader in Health at the Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards. Since then, she has been further advocating for addressing the stigma associated with chronic pain, and has also shared her insights with Sandra Sully and Ali Aitken on the Channel Ten podcast Short Black, speaking about ways of staying true to one’s values.

As the Senior Lecturer at College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University, she has also recently completed an advanced translational global research fellowship program with Harvard Medical School – a 12-month program designed to enhance the expertise of researchers across multiple disciplines.

We check in with the scientist and asked her a few questions about her latest thoughts around leadership, pain science and putting yourself forward. 

On accepting the award you noted that mental health and chronic pain were two factors you urged people to talk about more, and to read up on — have any of your ideas around this issue changed in the past 12 months?

In the last year, I have been invited to present at various forums, meetings and seminars. This has led to deeper conversations around the need to focus on pain and mental health together for enhanced wellbeing of the individual living with pain.

Working alongside industry partners such as Wellbeing SA, ReturntoWorkSA and ANMFSA (Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation) and family forums through Arthritis NSW has further validated the need to intervene early to support individuals engage meaningful in work, social and family life to manage pain.   

This important work requires organisational-level support and can be achieved with meaningful integration with organisations with employer wellbeing at its core agenda. I am available and looking for synergistic collaborators to drive this work further.

What are you most concerned about now in 2023, regarding challenges facing women in science and academia? 

Due to the immense amount of work put in by organisations such as Women’s Agenda championing women’s leadership, there is certainly more invitation to be seated at leadership tables that previously women, especially women of colour, did not have access to. 

However, what I see and what concerns me a great deal is that there are still discrepancies in the opportunities these appointments lead to. Women often feel confined due to lack of support for scholarship in these roles. A lot of talent and drive is unutilised when it does not get supportive environment.  

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve learned when it comes to leadership?

The best piece of advice I believe that has resonated with me for years is to stay true to your core values. Life and work can sometimes present you with unfathomable challenges, but if you manage to stay true to your core values, you will find your way.

Also, surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you.

Do you have any advice for those who might be hesitating about putting their hand up for an opportunity – whether it’s for an award, a promotion or something else?

I would truly encourage you to apply for any opportunity. I don’t deny that it can lead to heartache and disappointment, but courage is like a muscle that needs exercising to fully flex. 

The post ‘Stay true to your core values’: Health leader Dr Manasi Murthy Mittinty appeared first on Women's Agenda.

She won the award for her work in developing cultural inclusion across Corporate Australia, including NAB where she is the Chair of Cultural Inclusion Employee Resource Group. 

“It was a recognition that helped me finding and defining my identity beyond my career,” says Yuen. “The visibility and opportunity from this award had me ponder about who I really am.

I was very good at compartmentalising various part of me but I have now found the courage to just be me with all my differences.”

A risk management expert solving societal and business problems, Yuen says owning her identity has allowed her to focus on her strengths and work that align with her values, energy and expertise.

“I am now confident to authentically influence communities, C-tables and boardrooms,” she adds.

Generously taking time out of her busy schedule, Yuen caught up with us to share with us her thoughts on diversity and inclusion progress in corporate, unintended polarisation in the fight for equality and being your own cheerleader.

On accepting the award, you noted that a lack of celebration of diverse leadership styles has made it hard for culturally and racially diverse leaders to progress into leadership roles — have any of your ideas around this point changed in the past 12 months? Is it getting better at a satisfactory pace?

Thankful to all the activists advocates and experts in shining the spotlight on ESG which undoubtedly has also accelerated the progress on intersectional inclusion and progression, especially for culturally and racially diverse women. It is commendable to see more researches and reports from WOCA, DCA, WOB, Lowy, APS, CEW, Macquarie and EY naming just a few. The focus is pleasing, momentum is great but the data is disheartening and the actual progress is slow. We all need to play a part for ALL women which takes ownership. The question is what you can individually do to make it happen, a little faster. I am advising on and co-creating a few projects in fixing the systems, not the women.

What are you most concerned about now in 2023, regarding challenges facing women (or others) in your industry?

People risk – and I define that as a risk of people giving up on people, with high likelihood and extreme consequence. Every step we take and every change we create will face into unintended polarisation and division, especially in the fight for justice and equality. How can we best manage it?

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve learned when it comes to leadership?

‘Clear is kind’ by Brene Brown and I apply that from within. Provide absolute clarity to self and to others. Be clear on the why, the what and the so what in all conscious decisions.

Any quick tips for those who might be hesitating about putting their hand up for an opportunity – whether it’s for an award, a promotion or something else?

You have to be the biggest believer and cheerleader for yourself. You will be surprised and amazed how your action can create life-changing moments for yourself and inspire so many others. Keep going and go bigger!

The post Five minutes with 2022 WALA private sector leader winner Gloria Yuen appeared first on Women's Agenda.

Jack River, known as Holly Rankin off stage, has featured on Australian radios, playlists and festival headlines for a decade.

A performer, song-writer, mother, activist and more, Jack River has made waves in the Australian creative industry and shows no signs of slowing down.

Born and raised in Forster, NSW, Holly Rankin has been writing her whole life. She moved to Sydney and launched her first extended play (EP) in 2013 under the stage name Jack River, titled On Nature Part One.

In 2016, Rankin released her first single ‘Talk Like That’ and her next EP Highway Songs No. 2.

But it was her single ‘Fool’s Gold’ in 2017 that really set her career off. The same year, she opened for Aussie rock band Midnight Oil and set off on her own solo national Fool’s Gold Tour.

The song was described as “dreamy as hell” in The AU Review, “lit up through a beautifully-crafted haze of a narrative”. ‘Fool’s Gold’ has been played more than 26 million times on Spotify.

The following year, Rankin dropped her debut album Sugar Mountain. The album peaked at number 11 on the ARIA Albums Chart and received nominations at the 2018 ARIA Awards for Breakthrough Artist, Best Pop Release and Engineer of the Year.

Rankin’s latest album, Endless Summer, was released in June 2023. Ellie Robinson from NME described the ten-track record  as “a psychedelic cruise through streams of pop influenced by surf-rock and shoegaze, carried by lyrics that paint an oddly alluring picture of an apocalyptic hellscape.”

Jack River has more than 350,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and more than 51,000 followers on her Instagram account. This year, she performed at Splendour in the Grass in Byron Bay and she is set to perform at Summer Salt in Victoria the Cry Baby Fest in South Australia later this year.

At the end of 2022, Rankin announced she was taking some time off to welcome her baby girl, Maggie, into the world. She finished the final leg of her national tour 35 weeks pregnant.

In an interview on The Project, Rankin said it was a much needed break.

“I was quite a workaholic beforehand and it’s been nice after COVID and a few insane years in our industry to just have a complete break and go back to basics,” she said.

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A lot of Rankin’s writing and approach to motherhood comes from a place of grief and trauma. She has openly spoken and written about the impact of her sister’s tragic accident that led to her death. Rankin was 14 years old when she lost her sister, who died at the age of 11.

“For anyone that has been through a traumatic life event, you will know that the brilliant highs in life gallavant so closely to death, in that everything that is beautiful is often measured alongside everything that is missing, or lost,” she wrote in an Instagram post, reflecting on “matresence”,  the physical, emotional, hormonal and social transition to becoming a mother.

“It is a curious thing, and despite how tragic that last sentence sounds, knowing loss and grief supercharges the experience of life, and makes me so grateful for life’s beautiful things every single day. 

“That feeling, combined with the experience of seeing everything for the first time again, through Maggie’s eyes, is magical af.”

In between performing, writing and being a mother, Rankin is also actively engaged in politics.

Recently, she joined fellow Australian singer-songwriter Josh Pyke, Senator David Pocock and Senator Sarah Hanson-Young to advocate for the Fair Pay for Radio Play Bill.

The proposed legislation would overturn a cap on royalties commercial broadcasters pay singers, enshrined in the 54-year-old Copyright Act. No other country in the world has a similar cap on royalties.

Rankin explained the impact of this proposed legislation and what it would mean for the future of Australian radio in an Instagram post.

“Right now, the Copyright Act (our piece of federal legislation that determines rights and protections for works of any kind) states that Artists and their rights holders (labels) can’t be paid above 1% of gross annual commercial radio revenue for use of sound recordings,” she wrote.

“BASICALLY our own Copyright Act places a cap on what Artists can be paid for use of their sound recordings. No other creator or piece of work has this cap. It was introduced in 1968 when the price of bread was 20c! Things have changed.”

Rankin said all artists are asking for in this Bill is for the cap on royalties to be removed so they can negotiate their value when their song is played on commercial radio stations.

“It’s honestly pretty damn simple, it’s not a ‘big change’ it’s just a spring clean of a 55year old relic in the Copyright Act,” she wrote. 

“Without changing this – more use of Aus music on radio won’t make financial sense down the line.”

This is not the first time Rankin has been a political advocate. She has previously been involved in championing causes for climate change, Indigenous rights and more.

Jack River will join Women’s Agenda in Melbourne on October 13, performing live at the Leadership Awards. You can purchase your tickets to the event here.

The post Australian singer-songwriter Jack River to perform at the Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards appeared first on Women's Agenda.

Roy received the award last night, securing first place in the IAPA’s Top 25 Analytics Leaders award program and becoming the first woman to be ranked first place since the program’s inauguration six years ago. 

The judges commended Roy’s forecasting and pricing models, which ‘enabled the Kmart merchandising team to deliver better business outcomes as a ‘everyday products at low prices’ retailer,” a statement read. 

Roy was join by two other women in the Top 5 — and another six women in the Top 25. 

Duhita Khadepau, Director, Analytics and Data Science at Assignar, placed third, while Elizabeth Moore, Head of Audience Data and Insights at the ABC placed fifth. 

Annette Slunjski, IAPA Managing Director, said that this year’s award was “marked by a maturing and genuine acknowledgement of the value of analytics to business.”

“This year’s Top 25, and especially the Top 10, have true c-suite support as analytics delivers real-world outcomes that move the needle in terms of revenue, cost containment or better business models,” she said. 

IAPA Chair, Antony Ugoni agreed, adding that this year’s list “saw a greater focus on impact and outcomes of analytics effort and the implementation of sophisticated analytics-driven solutions to business problems.”

“Selecting the Top 25 from the extremely strong field was challenging for the judging panel but also showed the maturity of analytics and data thinking in so many organisations,” Ugoni said.

It’s a promising win for women as they remain minorities in the field of analytics. One study from 2019 found that women occupied roughly 30 per cent of data and analytics roles across all industries— a figure that appears to be declining since. 

The post Women top Analytics Leaders Award for 2023 appeared first on Women's Agenda.