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Chief Executive Women & ANZ partner to boost more women into leadership roles

Chief Executive Women (CEW) and ANZ today announced a new partnership to facilitate more Australian women into leadership positions in business, government and the not-for-profit sectors.

ANZ has committed to supporting and funding CEW’s innovative programs that explore women’s leadership, new gender parity research and thought leadership campaigns. 

 

CEW President Belinda Hutchinson said: “It is important that today, International Women's Day, we announce our partnership with ANZ to address the issue of the low representation of women in senior management positions. 

 

“This partnership will enable CEW to undertake further research on the key enablers and inhibitors to the promotion of women in the workforce and to advocate this important productivity and social issue. 

 

“ANZ has already shown strong leadership on important gender parity issues; particularly with their recent introduction of a childcare allowance for employees returning to work from parental leave,” Ms Hutchinson said. 

 

ANZ Chief Executive Officer Mike Smith said: “This partnership is a further demonstration of our commitment to building a gender balanced business and our efforts to facilitate a greater representation of women at senior levels. 

 

“ANZ has employees in 32 countries around the world, so for us diversity is a significant competitive advantage in connecting with our customers, building relationships, innovating and managing our business. 

 

“We are committed to making greater progress in bringing our female talent into leadership roles – our goal is to have at least 40 per cent of management roles filled by women in the coming year. 

 

“We’re pleased to partner with CEW to help ensure the issue of women’s representation in leadership, along with the broader issues of gender equality and pay equality are elevated onto the national business agenda,” Mr Smith said. 

 

Despite contributing to nearly 50 per cent of the workforce, Australian women represent only one third of directors in the not-for profit sector and one third of Australia’s top 200 companies have no female directors, as at June 2011. 

 

CEW has about 250 members and together with their alumni there is an active group of senior and executive women around the country that is committed to making a change. 

 

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