As part of this year’s International Women’s Day activities, NAB’s Fund Sponsors, Strategic Investors and Alternative Assets (FSA) bankers brought together 80 guests over lunch to share stories and tips on how to accelerate the move towards greater diversity and inclusion.

Introducing the event, NAB Executive FSA Sarah Elliott said many of those present worked in industries that continue to have significant gaps in diversity and pay, particularly at a senior level.

“We’ve all reflected on why this may be the case, what have been the roadblocks and what could we be doing differently,” Elliott (pictured) said. “While I’m sure you all have a personal view on this, let’s use this opportunity to share our experiences and inspire each other to continue pushing for progress.”

Inspiring leadership

Starting the discussions, keynote speaker Julieanne Alroe reflected on her 40 years as a leader in aviation operations and infrastructure, largely working in a shiftwork culture made up in the early days of male engineers and ex-military personnel not used to a woman managing teams.

Alroe told how she grew up across the road from Brisbane Airport – a business she would later lead and transform with a successful $1.3 billion runway project, one of the largest infrastructure projects in Australia. But her early passion for aviation was met with challenge, because the industry wasn’t hiring women into management when she first graduated with a scholarship in economics.

“I really did want to work in aviation, partly because it wasn’t a traditional space, but airlines didn’t hire female management team staff when I finished my degree,” Alroe said in discussion with NAB Executive Director FSA Brooke Wells.

“There were no female air traffic controllers, there were no female pilots working. So, I joined the Commonwealth public service and went down to Canberra. I was almost the first female in any of the roles I had, wherever I went.”

Her determination to stay the course eventually led to a role at Sydney Airport in 1981, via the Department of Transport. Over time, her obvious talent and enthusiasm for the industry helped overcome any cultural challenges and she rose through the ranks to hold a range of senior executive positions, including in security and emergency management, before returning home as CEO and managing director of Brisbane Airport for nine years from 2009.

Passion and integrity

Alroe’s career advice today is to find and follow your passion while working with integrity, courage, humility and respect to drive value through effective collaboration and inclusion.

Alongside delivering important projects, like Brisbane’s parallel runway, on time and under budget, she cites the positive and inclusive culture she helped create as one of her career highlights and something she continues to focus on as a non-executive director on boards today.

She says successful career longevity only comes through having the right flexibility and pacing across the different stages of your life, especially in having appropriate workplace support in the early family years.

“It’s also important on a personal level to look after your health and your fitness. Being fit keeps you mentally more alert, more resilient, as well as obviously physically. And prioritising family when they need to be prioritised is always important.”

Alroe’s talk came ahead of an insightful panel discussion facilitated by NAB Director FSA Angele Davis and featuring guests from the private capital investor space.

Panellists, along with an audience Q and A, covered timely reminders on the need to “accelerate action” to speed up progress on gender equality – the theme of this year’s IWD.

Issues discussed included the ongoing prevalence of unconscious bias, workplace flexibility for equal co-parenting and active support from male allies.

“It’s tempting to think we’re done, sorted,” Elliott said. “But globally, progress is still too slow, too fragile and too uneven.

“At its simplest, I ask that you identify one person you would like to lift up, so we can accelerate action together. Think how we can leave the room and make a difference.”

Many thanks to all our guests for their valuable contributions, expertise and support in making these events such an enjoyable success in building lasting networks and careers.