We provide a selection of interviews, videos, stories and podcaststo to celebrate culturally diverse women in board and leadership roles; highlight important issues and provide information to inform your thinking.
Presented
by proud Yorta Yorta woman, Claire Beattie:
As Australia celebrates NAIDOC week - an historically important celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and connection to Country - WOB Cultural Diversity Member and proud Yorta Yorta woman Claire Beatty discusses what steps First Nations allies can take towards reconciliation - from helping more Indigenous women into leadership positions to buying from Aboriginal businesses. LISTEN
As a special episode we have reproduced a webinar that Women on Boards co-hosted with the Governance Institute of Australia titled Diversity is half the circle. Culture, equity and inclusion are the other half. Moderated by Catherine Fox, Journalist and Author.
Panel Members: Megan Motto FGIA, Chief Executive, Governance Institute of Australia; Dr Marlene Kanga AM, Non-executive director, Sydney Water Corporation; Claire Braund, Executive Director, Women on Boards; Introduced by: Catherine Maxwell FGIA FCG, General Manager, Policy & Advocacy, Governance Institute of Australia. LISTEN
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ersation with Shirley Chowdhary and Claire Beattie
Women on Boards marked UN World Day for Cultural Diversity with a panel discussion about cultural diversity and inclusion in board and leadership roles, with guests
Shirley Chowdhary, AAP Board Member; and Women on Boards' Cultural Diversity Committee member and proud Yorta Yorta woman,
Claire Beattie.
LISTEN
Stay authentic, gain experience and network.
That’s the advice from Sangeeta Venkatesan to anyone looking for board roles.
In this interview WOB Cultural Diversity Committee member Malina Raj talks to Indian-born Sangetta - an experienced board member with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry - about her diverse portfolio and her advice to other migrants striving for a board career. Sangeeta is an Investment Director of real estate fund manager EG’s $100m technology incubator EGX, Chair of RSL LifeCare aged care, President of Women in Banking and Finance, Vice President of the Australia India Business Council and NED with CancerAid. In 2018, Sangeeta co-founded FairVine Super and was Chair until May 2022. WATCH. READ Sangeeta's Lessons from the Boardoom
To mark NAIDOC Week WOB shared this interview with WOB’s Cultural Diversity Committee member Belinda Howell and Darwin’s Citizen of the Year 2022 - changemaker, women’s advocat and Indigenous leader and experience board member Nicole Brown. Nicole is a proud Aboriginal Australian woman whose genealogy is diverse originating from Aboriginal (Larrakia, Malak Malak and Yanyuwa), Chinese, Filipino, English and American bloodlines. In this interview Nicole talks about how the birth of her son ignited a spark to be a strong leader for her people, "to be that voice for those that didn't have it". She describes herself as a "leader with a strong voice, someone that people want to hear from, to listen to, to walk a journey with, alongside, together, holding hands”. Hear Nicole talk about her board journey - from starting out in the resources sector in the Top End and starting out on Women in Resources Northern Territory then the Minerals Council of Australia Northern Territory to being named Darwin’s Citizen of the Year for 2022. WATCH
Understand your unique value proposition and life long learning
Zimbabwean born and educated, Joshua Chikuse followed a career in strategy, policy and development, which also led him into digital transformation and governance. He currently sits on two boards in the healthcare and education sectors, but Josh says his journey took both time and self reflection. After completing a Board Stratety program, it then took Josh another five years to find his first board role – he said others in the program started on boards straight away, which showed him that all journeys are unique and different. WATCH & READ
“Don’t wait at the door for someone to let you in - every space is open to you.”
As a mentor, Pearl Proud’s advice to anyone wanting a seat at the table is simple: Don’t wait for permission. “The world is for all of us - I’m in the world, therefore it’s for me.” Speaking in an interview with WOB’s Cultural Diversity Committee member Bernadette Masbayi, Perth psychologist Pearl shared her experiences and many "pearls of wisdom" on her board and leadership journey, including her perspective on the double jeopardy of culturally diverse women being under-represented, her mindset approach to leadership, the reasons she joined a board in the first place, her thirst for knowledge and her sage advice to non Anglo-Celtic women looking to join a board. WATCH & READ
Cultural diversity on boards needs to be more than just a box-ticking exercise
Zimbabwean-born HR leader, and experienced board director Florence Mauwa, says her rich cultural heritage - coupled with her passion for helping marginalised and underrepresented communities - has been a positive influence on her board journey. Speaking to Women on Boards Cultural Diversity Committee member Sara Pantaleo, Florence said while she acknowledges that there is some discrimination when it comes to board selections, in her own experience her Zimbabwean background has worked in her favour.
WATCH & READ
Interview with Assistant Principal Advisor with Victorian Multicultural Commission, Celia Tran, who shares her passion for social policy and working to support our diverse communities. READ
Family, persistence and a 'burning desire to succeed
'Indian-born Bhavika Unnadkat is Head of Data Governance and Knowledge Management at Energy Australia and is Chair of the Board of Women's Association South East Melbourne Australia (WASEMA). She is also on the Board of the Australian Parents Council and a member of VIC ICT for Women's MentorShe program. "These are both areas close to my heart: women's empowerment and children’s education", says Bhavika. Here Bhavika talks about how WOB has helped on her Board journey, and made her realised pursuing a Board career is a realistic goal. READ
Farinne Georgeopoulos is the Managing Director and Founder of Exelix, an advisory management consulting company which operates across Australia and Asia. She has over 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur, senior executive and advisor to company directors and C-suite within private, public and not-for-profit sectors in Australia and Asia Pacific. Farinne is also a Non-Executive Director of the Museum of Chinese in Australia and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee. She is also an Independent Member of St Vincent’s Health Network Audit and Risk Committee. Farinne speaks various Chinese dialects and has travelled extensively in China and throughout Asia. READ
Indigenous Business Australia CEO Kirsty Moore says it is clear that better decisions are made when a broader spectrum of backgrounds are represented in the decision-making process. "For this reason, it is critical that Indigenous and culturally diverse women are given every opportunity to develop board skills and participate at the highest level." READ