Women making their mark in leadership roles will be the focus of Macquarie University’s Women, Management & Work Conference, which will return in 2011 over 28-29 July, following more than two decades of the successful annual event.
“Debate continues to circulate around management circles as women start taking more positive and active leadership roles. But it isn’t enough. We need to ensure that the corporate landscape continues to change for the better,” said conference co-director Melanie O’Connor.
According to research conducted by Macquarie University’s Faculty of Business and Economics’ Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency Census 2010, women are still underrepresented within key decision maker roles within Australia.
The Australian Institute of Company Directors reported that in 2010 women made up about 25% of board appointments in Australia, but it slipped to 11% for the top 200 companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.
“It is clear that we still have a long way to go to fully integrate talented women into leadership roles. We hope that this conference will continue to spark the conversations needed to make cultural change a reality,” said O’Connor.
The 2011 Women, Management & Work Conference will feature a number of women already thriving in leadership roles, including Lynelle Briggs (CEO, Medicare Australia), Anna Booth, (board director and policy developer, CoSolve, Industry Holdings and Slater & Gordon), and Margy Osmond (CEO, Australian National Retail Association).
Melbourne Business School’s Mara Olekalns will speak on ‘The art of negotiation: Strategies for success’, while Helen Conway, director of the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency, will present the ‘Leadership Success Stories’ segment.
Date: 28–29 July 2011, 9am – 5pm
Where: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 61-101 Phillip St, Sydney
For more information, program details & registration: www.lmsf.mq.edu.au/womenandleadership
