Why did you choose to become a member of CEOs for Gender Equity?

In my line of work at the RRR Network, I’m solely focussed on the rural regional remote (RRR) woman’s journey. Our organisation’s priority is to understand and advocate on key issues that affect RRR women across WA. We provide connection and empowerment that inspires leadership and supports women to achieve their goals and ambitions.

We are a small team, but we deliver a considerable gender equity impact for Western Australia. This is because we are a ‘network’ of women from the very north to the very south and our team communicates with thousands of women every week, creating opportunity to share important information and latest trends.

RRR people understand the concept of inequity very well. This is because they experience it in its various forms every day. From small markets, long distance travel, limited to no childcare and other lacking essential services. However, when it comes to gender inequity, the RRR women’s experience can be pronounced, and unfortunately very normalised. In saying that, many RRR women are resilient and robust when it comes to navigating gender inequities, but for many it is too common and we need to shift the dial.

I’ve learnt that operating in a silo when it comes to the pursuit of gender equity – meaning only working with women, is only going to take my work so far. Engaging with men and learning from our state’s leaders, I hope will strengthen our organisation’s purpose and ultimately our social impact. That is why I’ve joined CEOs for Gender Equity.

Why is it important for other CEOs to get behind CEOs for Gender Equity?

‘Change starts at the top’ is a powerful message and one that I need to be part of as a CEO in WA. As much as we encourage women to ‘lean in’ or get more qualifications to achieve equity, it is not addressing the systemic issues that keep inequity at bay. Leaders from all sectors, even myself, who only work with women, all can play their part, in achieving gender equity.

What are some of your latest gender equity achievements?

I have worked in the gender equity sector for more than five years, starting in state politics. I was led by an unwavering Affirmative Action policy, paving a way to increase women’s political participation. My work contributed to more women entering politics in the last WA election cycle than ever before. We understood that working at a grassroots level and inspiring women to have a voice in the political environment, would grow her confidence to nominate, and it did! Since 2020, I’ve worked on the regional women’s experience, working against metro-centric attitudes, by making the invisible (meaning regional women) – visible! As a result, I received the 2022 Western Australia’s United Nations’ Association Gender Equality Award.

What ideas are you working on to drive gender equity now and in the future?

By joining CEOs for Gender Equity, I expect to develop a greater understanding of the latest gender equity strategies. This will create opportunity for me to share these learning with our state-wide network of women, so they too can benefit, and apply these strategies in their workplaces. Whilst the motto is ‘change starts at the top’, empowering women to influence change in their workplaces regardless of their position or power will mean we are tackling both sides, particularly across the regions where it is needed most.