As International Women’s Day 2024 draws near, Consult Australia’s new Leadership Forum and Workshop Series invites industry leaders to step forward together and maximise the benefits of diversity and inclusion in their business.

The theme for International Women's Day 2024 is ‘Inspire Inclusion ’. World-renowned feminist Gloria Steinem once noted that the “the story of women's struggle for equality belongs to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights”.

The need for this collective effort informs Consult Australia’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leadership Forum on the 2 May and a new, fully funded Workshop Series in February and June  that Head of Engagement Linda Gaunt observes as “providing the tools and thinking for businesses of every size and at every stage to help foster safer, more inclusive workplaces across our industry”.

“Alongside the Forum, we are hosting fully funded workshops in February and June to help leaders in Consult Australia member companies, and wider industry, dive deeper on the levers they can pull to create diverse, inclusive workplaces where everyone can thrive,” Linda says.

The Diversity Council of Australia has found that workers in inclusive teams are 10 times more likely to be innovative and 11 times more likely to be effective.

Consult Australia’s program is being run by Coleen MacKinnon, Founder of Inclusivity Quotient (InQ) and Advisor to the Consult Australia Champions of Change, and former Associate Principal with McKinsey, Paul Collings.

With support from the NSW Government’s Women in Construction program, Consult Australia’s Co-creating Safe, Respectful, Inclusive Cultures workshops offer an initial deep-dive into practical tools and resources to help leaders take their next step, to develop and/or improve the effectiveness of their diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) strategies and programs. 

These fully-funded one-day workshops are being held on 26 February and then again, for a new cohort, on 7 June. Spaces are limited, so make sure you register now to realise the benefits for your team.

Feedback from the Co-creating Safe, Respectful and Inclusive Cultures Workshops is universally positive, with benefits for firms of all sizes and at every stage of their DEI journey. James Phillis, CEO of SMEC and Chair of Consult Australia Champions of Change, notes the changes in his management team “both in thought and action resulting from greater understanding of how biases inadvertently play out, have been many and positive”.

Alongside the workshops, Consult Australia’s Leadership Forum is designed as a fantastic early step for business leaders to get across the issues, opportunities and new regulatory obligations with their peers over lunch on the 2 May. 

“We recognise that not every firm is as progressed in taking a proactive strategy to support DEI in their business,” Linda says “We also understand that there is a raft of information, tools and new regulatory obligations that can be challenging to navigate. 

This Forum is a natural next step to support business leaders and their executive teams considering how best to act for their businesses with the greatest impact. This is an invitation we are extending across industry and the supply chains that work with our members.” 

“Forum participants will hear about how other companies are taking their first steps, as well as those that are a little further down the road. We will be sharing stories and ideas that don’t cost a lot to implement but can be transformative, particularly for relatively smaller businesses wanting to create the best workplaces for their people.”

According to the most recent Champions of Change annual report, women made up 34.2% of all positions; other areas of diversity, such as language, culture and sexual orientation, are also under the microscope.

“Many larger companies are reporting on the gender pay gap and have positive duty obligations. Smaller companies may not have a diversity and inclusion program yet and are exploring their options. They may be testing ideas or have ambition but don't know what they should do next – this Leadership Forum is for them.”

“We all know there is a war on talent. We can’t hire our way out of this problem. We need to build workplaces that attract diversity and support inclusion.”

Contact Linda Gaunt register for the Workshops on the 26 February and 7 June, and/or to attend Consult Australia’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leadership Forum on Thursday 2 May.