International Women’s Day marks an important time to spark conversations about working toward gender equity. NAB executive, Chris Thomas and leading female brokers delve into this year’s theme of ‘economically empowering women’.

Chris Thomas, Executive Commercial Broker & Equipment Finance Sales shares how equality is crucial for unlocking our nation’s potential and NAB’s commitment to gender equity.

“In my 36 years in banking, I’ve had the privilege of working with incredible customers, many of whom are female business owners. Their roles aren’t defined by gender but by qualities like creativity, intellect, courage, tenacity, and passion. This is why gender equity matters to me.”

“We live in a prosperous nation of opportunity and to truly unlock our full potential we must prioritise equality, and the Economic Empowerment of Women is crucial for this. NAB recognises that few women progress into senior roles, and we are determined to change that.”

“NAB is committed to reducing the gender pay gap and having a 40% to 60% gender balance throughout the business, and empowering women helps the broader community prosper in an increasingly global marketplace. As the commercial broker industry continues to grow, we are eager to see more women join and become active partners of NAB.”

Leading female commercial brokers have their say

As a leading residential and commercial broker, business owner and mentor, Sarah Thomson of Loan Market Geelong shares her views on economically empowering her female customers and her award-winning team. 

“Economic empowerment is about giving our customers the confidence to take control of their financial future. It’s about guiding them through tough decisions, like a relationship breakdown and having to sell or buy a new family home and showing them, they can handle it themselves.”

“Our role is to explain financial matters so they can fully grasp what they’re doing with their money, giving them the courage to make informed choices, even when things get tough. When women seek our help, many doubt that they can get a loan.”

“Economic empowerment is about helping them realising what they can achieve and take charge of their financial lives.”

“As a business owner, I proactively mentor my team and am proud that we have created a culture that empowers our employees to advocate for themselves within a professional framework. I actively promote initiatives such as salary negotiations and performance reviews, recognising the significance of providing team members with the opportunity to evolve within their roles as confident women.”

“International Women’s Day is rooted in employment rights for women. At Loan Market Geelong, we choose to pay above the award wage to our staff to ensure everyone is well looked after, we look at the award wage as a safety net and not the base for our team.”

Catherine Ryan, Director of GemCat Financial Solutions, highlights the importance of International Women’s Day and the power of taking control of your own finances.

“Economic empowerment opens the door for women to succeed and gain financial independence. This International Women’s Day, economic empowerment is about giving women equal access to resources, education, and job opportunities as their male counterparts.”

“My (also female) business partner and I have built a successful and thriving broking business in an industry that continues to be dominated by men. Through hard work and dedication, we’ve built successful careers, which empowered us to start our own business. It’s important to me that other women have the ability to take control of their own finances and create new opportunities for themselves.”

“All too often, women allow their partners to manage their financial positions, leaving them in the dark about how to do things like pay bills or manage a budget. Access to financial education encourages women to learn vital skills such as budgeting, saving, debt management and goal setting.”

“International Women’s Day is about celebrating the achievements of women both in the workplace and community. It’s a great point to stop and recognise the work we’ve done and how to continue to tackle inequalities, violence and abuse still faced by so many women around the world.”

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