Advance HE is joining forces with Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) to host a free of charge, two-hour event exploring ways of boosting women leaders’ impact and progression within the country’s higher education sector.
Advance HE and SAGE are long-standing partners and share extensive expertise in the field of gender equity. The event is being hosted by Edith Cowan University and is available to attend in person or online.
Ready to lead
Earlier this year, Advance HE published a report showing that 78 per cent of women who were already informally leading in higher education worldwide felt ready to step into formal leadership roles within their organisations, raising the question of how universities might foster growth and enable talent development for their emerging leaders. With a strong focus also on gender equality and progression through both its equality charters and global women’s leadership development programmes, Advance HE sees this event as a starting point for deeper collaboration with partners in Australia to develop and support solutions.
Both the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes and SAGE have also produced reports and action plan analysis further highlighting gender disparities in representation of women in STEMM and research senior leadership roles and a lack of diversity amongst those in decision-making roles.
Women's leadership
In response, this session will act as a stimulus event for both women leaders and their allies in the Australian higher education sector to consider the role they can play in progressing women’s leadership. Through dialogue and thought leadership, the session will offer an opportunity to explore strengths and barriers around their own personal journeys, and how collectively we can influence and nurture the development of future female leade.
“Everyone has their own internal story to tell about what drives them to want to make a real impact in their field,” said Advance HE chief executive Alison Johns, pictured above left.
“The big question this event will address is how we collectively support women to succeed and fulfil the leadership ambitions our research shows they clearly have. Our theme of ‘leading with purpose will allow us to explore critical aspects of leadership, addressing the challenges and opportunities specifically faced by women leaders and the roles we can all play in influencing change and shaping the future. “
Purpose behind leadership
Alison will join SAGE’s chair Libby Lyons, pictured above right, to get the event under way and they will discuss what motivates them as leaders and gives them a sense of purpose within their work.
In the second half of the session, Advance HE Lead Consultant, Leadership, Research and Organisational Development, Fiona Lennoxsmith, will lead an interactive session with delegates to reflect on their own unique sense of purpose and options for change to bring about meaningful impact for higher education in gender equality and women’s leadership.