Championing women in leadership

09/05/2024

This month, Downer joined forces with WORK180 to host a dynamic networking breakfast in Perth. Attended by over 50 participants from across industry, the event focused on having conversations and sharing insights on growing representation of women in leadership.

WORK180 is a key organisation that shines a spotlight on workplace policies, benefits, and initiatives so women can make informed decisions about where they choose to work, and Downer has proudly been an endorsed employer for over 5 years.

This event was a chance to hear from WORK180 on their 2024 'What women want' report and discuss with industry leaders and decision makers how to create a more inclusive workforce for women everywhere.

Carly Gabel, Manager Strategy & Growth - West also spoke on Downer's initiatives and her own personal journey as a woman in leadership in a male dominated industry.

Downer has implemented several programs to increase female participation in our business, including:

• Embedding our commitments in strategy, including our Own Different Inclusion and Belonging Strategy which launched in 2022.
• Building the pipeline of women in technical roles through scholarship programs and partnerships with industry and education providers - like our CQ UniCares scholarship which has been running since 2018.
• Launching programs and initiatives designed to empower our women in our business through networking and building leadership capability - like our female development program Thrive, and newly launched EmpowHER women's network.

“Building greater representation of women in leadership roles takes more than a single policy or initiative – it requires active engagement from people at all levels within the business to succeed” Carly reflected.

“Events like this, and partnerships with organisations such as WORK180, are so important in fostering open and honest conversations, and sharing learnings from across industry, so we can build a more inclusive workforce for women together.”

Learn more about Downer's commtiment to inclusion and belonging here: https://downergroup.com/inclusion