Judith van Unen Melbourne Australia

© JERA (2012) unless otherwise stated on slide

Business and Government Boardrooms :Women Creating Value

2012 Leadership Conference

Voices of Pacific WomenOctober 2012


Judith van UnenMelbourne Australia

Joint CEO & Joint Founding Director Justice Equality Rights Access International ( JERA International ) Not for Profit NGO

BPW International Oceania Sub Regional Co-ordinator

National President, BPW Australia 2000 - 2004


MY JOURNEY

SERIAL ENTREPRENUER• 17 years old : Started 1st business while still at school• 20’s: Married, 3 businesses, 3 children, ran our rural

property• went on to own numerous businesses including

design, retail, wholesale, import, export, manufacturing, construction and a business performance consultancy

INQUISITIVE• Always like to know as much as I can about anything

that I am in any way associated with.• I Need to Know !!!


COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT• Panton Hill Pre-school Committee• Regional Board of Education: Works Priority Review Committee• Regional Board of Education: Cluster and Regional Board• Eltham Shire Community Care and Recreation Program• Crime Prevention and Education Project• Araluen Disabled Workshop Annex • Women’s Federal Constitutional Convention Planning Committee Member and Delegate• Federal Office for Women; Federation Conference Planning Advisory Committee• Probus Women’s Housing: Board of Management• Assisting Women from Isolated Indigenous Communities Program: Project Leader• Melbourne University, Office Gender & Health, MidLife Health Project• Combined Charities Association: NorthEast Region: President• Southern Cross Aged Care: Committee• Women for Workplace Justice: Committee • Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Society: Vice Chair• Red Shield Appeal: Regional Committee• Industries Review Team Leader, Office Regulatory Reform• Business & Professional Women Victoria: President• Entrepreneurial Women National Study Working Committee

Numerous local youth and community organisations


BOARDS & ADVISORY BODIES - PAST • Standards Australia: Small Business Advisory Panel• United Nations CSW Australian Government Delegation _ NGO Expert

Advisor on 3 occasions • Australian Tax Office: Personal Tax Advisory Group / Capitol Gains • Australian Tax Office: Advisory Group / Child Care Tax Rebate Group• Dept. Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Forum • Business & Professional Women Australia: National President• Federal Attorney General’s Human Rights Forum• Victorian Government: Work, Family and Community Life, Advisory

Committee• Fed Govt, Office for Small Business: National Small Business Forum• Employment Advisory Service• Affirmative Action Agency, EEO Industry Review Facilitator• Riding for the Disabled Victoria (RDAV)• Riding for the Disabled Victoria Foundation


BOARDS & BODIES - CURRENT

Voluntary:• Council of Small Businesses of Australia – COSBOA• National Foundation for Australian Women – NFAW• economic Security 4 Women: Founding Chair

Expenses Paid:• Australian Tax Office, Micro Business Partnership Forum -MEI

Renumerated:• Australian Defence Reserves Support Council

Retiring:• Asia Pacific Diversity Foundation • Riding for the Disabled Association Australia –RDAA, Chair


CERTAINLY NEVER IDLEBUT BE DISCIPLINED – DEVELOP GOOD HABITS

You can have everything you want …. Just not all at the same time


A SLOW START TO RECOGNISING VALUE

Last century the arguments focused on gender equality in the workplace and promotion by merit

Recent studies show a correlation between the proportion of women on boards or in senior management and an improved bottom line


The UN adds it’s weight

2010 United Nations publication

“Women’s Empowerment Principles:

Equality means business”

… commitment to the empowerment of women,

and the importance of diversity and inclusion to its

business strategy


AUSTRALIAN CONTEXTAustralian Government – (Labour Party)set targets to achieve greater representation of women on government boards and committees40% women appointment to government Boards and bodies

AppointWomen - is a free, confidential registration system for women for appointment to a variety of Australian Government boards and decision-making bodiesState Office for Women also have registers for women

Australian Stock Exchange Improve or else !!!ASX Corporate Governance Council Corporate Governance Principles and RecommendationsPublicly disclose Corporate Diversity Policy / Establish measurable objectives for diversity and report progress / disclose Board skill mix needed


QUOTAS: AS MANY GOOD WOMEN

The fear is that women who are appointed under quota systems will be under-qualified or inappropriate

In jurisdictions where quotas currently apply the evidence does not support those fears

LAWS:France: 2011 - establishing 40% of executive board of largest publicly traded will be female by 2016.Belgium: 2011 – 1/3rd male – 1/3rd femaleIndia: 2011 ratio of 1 woman to 5 menNorway / Malaysia / Italy / Nederland / Spain


‘Our Brains See Men as Whole and Women as Parts ‘Evolution might underlie the different processing of female versus male bodies. Both genders do it.University of Nebraska, LincolnStephanie Pappas and LiveScience


COMMON SENSE IS NOT THAT COMMON

Why it makes sense to include women;

• Half the population• Make most of the household purchasing decisions• They influence other customers • The more diverse the input into any debate – the

better informed decisions are made• Studies repeatedly acknowledge the ‘improved

bottom-line’ results


KNOW WHO YOU AREBE WHO YOU ARE


RESPONSIBILITIES


NEVER FORGET WHO YOU ARE THERE FOR … YOUR STAKEHOLDERS


PLAY TO STAYTHE ‘RULES ARE THE RULES’

You cant change anything if you are not on the team


GETTING STARTED – ADDING YOUR VALUE

Where do I begin … Making the choice:

Community / Business

Local - Regional-State or National Government Body

Group discussion

– purpose ; what is yours

– skill sets ; inherent or learned

– traits ; becoming invaluable

– values ; leading the way

– knowledge vs wisdom; knowing what you need to know

– how to choose where to start: advantages and disadvantageous


EVERY TRADE HAS ITS TRICKS

Group discussion

• Tips

• Ideas

• Challenges

• Opportunities


HAVING A GAME PLAN

• Not being noticed or heard• Someone presents your idea differently

and you are overlooked• Inappropriate discussions take place


FAKE IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT !!!

If you ….

Waddle like a duckQuack like a duckLook like a duck

………..Then you MUST BE a Duck !!!


You can never cross the oceanunless you first have the courage to lose sight of the shore

Christopher Columbus, Thank you for your gracious attention

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Judith van Unen Melbourne Australia

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