Top 10 inspiring leaders (who happen to be female).
Equality in the workplace is an age-old discussion. For most of us, it’s outdated.
The theme for International Women’s Day this year is embracing equity.
Not equality, equity.
This theme says equal opportunity is not enough.
Equity acknowledges the diverse lived experiences of individuals and communities. Embracing (or more importantly, adopting) equity in the workplace means embracing diversity. It means driving inclusion by allocating resources and opportunities to achieve equal outcomes for all.
We need to breed equity into society’s DNA. This is the only sustainable approach that recognises and rectifies imbalances.
Leaders can bring equity to the workplace
Great leaders inspire, motivate and create positive change. They also adopt equity and drive inclusion, incorporating this into every component of their leadership approach.
While equity goes beyond the gender agenda, International Women’s Day is a great excuse to highlight some inspirational female leaders!
Janine Allis: Boost Juice
Janine Allis founded Boost Juice in 2000. It is now the largest juice bar in the world with over 500 stores in over 13 countries.
Allis is a best-selling author and podcaster and has been featured on many television shows, including Shark Tank. She’s received numerous awards in digital marketing, retail, franchise and business. In 2015, business magazine BRW named her as one of 15 people who have successfully changed the way Australia does business in the last 35 years.
She has many charitable interests, including her role as director of Sea Shephard and her role as ambassador for UNHCR Australia. She also supports Leading Women Fund, which works to empower women in need.
Source: janineallis.com.au
Melanie Perkins: Canva
Melanie Perkins is the powerhouse behind design software Canva. She has a hands-on approach to leadership, personally onboarding all new hires (over 1,500 people). We take our hats off to you, Melanie! Employees are given the opportunity to invest in the organisation with stock options, fostering a sense of ownership and loyalty.
Perkins is committed to spreading the good, offering free premium services to not-for-profit organisations and teachers. She also pledged a 30% stake in the business to a charity that works towards eliminating poverty.
Source: Facebook
Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin: Pearls Africa Foundation
Teachers are not just leaders of their classes. They have the ability to inspire a nation. Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin is a teacher who founded Pearls Africa Foundation, an NGO that works to empower young girls to access basic education in urban slum communities. She helps women upskill to enable them to break the cycle of illiteracy and take control of their futures. This education includes coding, design and web development. Now there’s an example of breeding equity into society’s DNA!
Ajayi-Akinfolarin was named one of the BBC 100 women in the world in 2018 and received the CNN Heroes Award for her work in gender equality through digital skills empowerment.
Source: Glamsquad Magazine
Jan Owen: Foundation for Young Australians
Jan Owen is the CEO of the Foundation For Young Australians. Her career has centred around inspiring young people to lead positive change around the world, setting up initiatives like YLab, FYA’s youth-led social enterprise.
Owen also helps young disadvantaged indigenous people from Western Australia and the Northern Territory to get an education. She is an advocate for female entrepreneurs and a pioneer for social enterprise. In 2012, she was recognised as a ‘woman of influence’ by the Australian Financial Review and Westpac.
Source: engagingwomen.com.au
Jacinda Ardern: Politician
Politician Jacinda Ardern served as New Zealand’s 40th prime minister and was the world’s youngest female head of state, aged just 37. Her leadership style was celebrated by many. She guided the country through some of its most challenging times, including earthquakes, a terrorist attack and the Covid pandemic.
Ardern embraced diversity, with more LGBTQI+ people in her parliament than anywhere else in the world. Her modern approach to leadership caught the attention of the world. Ardern didn’t shy away from personal responsibility, she was even seen caring for her new baby while involved in major events, like speaking at the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit in New York.
Source: CNN.com
Antoinette Braybrook: Djirra
Antoinette Braybrook is CEO of Djirra (formerly the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal Service – FVPLS Victoria). Dijirra provides culturally safe and specialist legal and non-legal support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who experience family violence.
Braybrook has grown Djirra from 1 employee to a state-wide service, with more than 70 employees in 7 offices across Victoria. She’s been awarded for her work, being inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women.
Source: Dijirra
Marita Cheng: Robogals
Young Australian of the Year Marita Cheng was only 19 when she founded Robogals, which involved visiting schools to teach robotics and engage young women in engineering. By the time she was 22, she led a team of 4,000 people across 13 countries.
Cheng co-founded Aipoly, which used convolutional neural networks to recognise everyday objects for blind people. It won the CES Best of Innovation Award 2 years in a row. She also founded Aubot, designing, manufacturing and shipping robots throughout Australia.
Cheng was one of Forbes 2018 World's Top 50 Women in Tech, and Forbes 30 Under 30. In 2019, she was made a Member of the Order of Australia for her service to science and technology. She now gives keynote speeches on AI, entrepreneurship and STEM education.
Source: CNN.com
Shemara Wikramanayake: Macquarie Group
Shemara Wikramanayake is CEO of Macquarie Group. She is also the Australian Financial Review Business Person of the Year after delivering a record 2022 profit and making Macquarie a central player in the global energy transition. She is the third Macquarie Bank employee to make the list of leaders, builders, pioneers and stirrers who have been recognised as shaping Australia’s business landscape since 1963.
In 2019, she was named Australia’s highest-paid CEO with a salary of $18 million. She was also listed on Fortune’s most powerful women international list for her achievements.
Wikramanayake is known for being an advocate for women in the workplace, improving flexible work arrangements and easing childcare costs.
She is a member of the UN’s Climate Finance Leadership Initiative and has led efforts that raised $1 billion in investment for renewables.
Sara Blakely: Spanx
Sara Blakely is the founder of Spanx. The shapewear brand led a revolution to change the perception of women's bodies and give women greater confidence.
Blakely was labelled the world’s youngest self-made billionaire in 2012 and has continued to support female-run small businesses throughout her career.
Source: Forbes
Final thoughts
Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. Women have already proven to be capable, successful leaders.
But equity is much more than a gender issue. Let’s stop ticking boxes and talking about equal opportunity.
Employees are people. We all have our own needs and lived experiences, regardless of gender.
One of the many ways leaders can embrace equity and diversity (and drive inclusion in teams and workplaces) is through personalisation. You can read more about personalisation here.
For more insights about leadership, engagement and employee experience, follow Heart Talent on LinkedIn.