Hello! It’s been a little while… but I have been busy!
I’m very excited to announce that I’ve been appointed as the inaugural champion of the Alstom Women of Excellence Australia and New Zealand.
We had our virtual launch on 30th September. As the champion, I had the opportunity to give a little introductory speech:
A workplace committed to diversity and inclusion results in employees who feel valued and respected, and teams with increased productivity, wider perspectives and the ability to innovate.
To foster diversity and inclusion, Alstom ANZ is introducing a number of employee groups that focus on particular minority demographics.
Many of you will already be familiar with the D&I pillar group for LGBTIQA+ awareness, the ANZ Pride Group, who organized our celebration of Wear it Purple Day.
And today we are launching the ANZ pillar group for the promotion of gender diversity – the Alstom Women of Excellence or AWE.
AWE is a global initiative and has already been active in Alstom North America, the UK and India for more than 5 years, organizing annual summits and regular professional development events for the Alstom women in their countries.
Our Legacy-BT colleagues have also been active in addressing gender diversity with their group, the Women’s Professional Network (WPN).
In launching AWE in ANZ, it is hoped that we can build upon the efforts of our global colleagues and the WPN to work towards achieving our gender diversity goals. Moving forward, the WPN will be integrated within the AWE.
AWE aims to create an inclusive environment that supports and encourages women to advance their skills and leadership potential through connection, mentorship, collaboration and discussion.
Our goals are:
- To provide resources and support to allow current women employees to thrive
- To attract more women to our business, and
- To influence organisational culture and systems to achieve the first two goals
Although traditionally, the focus for gender diversity initiatives has been on women, we acknowledge that there are other marginalised genders who can be the target of gender-based discrimination, such as people who are non-binary or agender. It is the intention that AWE will work alongside Alstom ANZ’s Pride Group to ensure that we are fostering a culture where employees of all genders thrive. The AWE is for all employees of marginalised genders and their allies
Regardless of our gender, we are all responsible for contributing to organizational culture so it is vital that we work together to make Alstom ANZ a place where all genders feel welcome, valued and respected, allowing everyone to achieve their full potential.
We also had an endorsement from Mark Coxon, Managing Director of ANZ and a keynote address from Valeria Ignatieva, Co-CEO & Founder of WORK180.
If you’re not familiar with WORK180, I highly recommend becoming acquainted! They are an organisation dedicated to helping women around the world confidently apply to workplaces with a proven commitment to diversity, inclusion and gender equality. WORK180 connects women with progressive employers by pre-screening companies on amount of paid parental leave, pay equity, flexible working and much more. Transparency around these policies is driving incredible change; on average, once every two weeks a WORK180 Endorsed Employer improves a policy or benefit. In 2018, WORK180 launched in the UK and in 2020, expanded to the US in continue on their mission to “Raise organisational standards so that all women can choose workplaces where they can thrive.” Alstom is partnered with WORK180 and has been considered an “Endorsed Employer for Women” since 2018!
Valeria’s keynote address was on the topic of Personal Branding for Career Success. Valeria spoke about the benefits of volunteering as a networking tool, having an online presence and facing your fears. One of the fascinating stories she shared was about Ann Moffatt, who Valeria met through FitT (Females in IT & Telecommunications):
Another of Valeria’s tips was choosing blog topics that you’re passionate about, and sharing personal experiences as a way to increase visibility! As an oversharing blog writer already, I must say that I felt very validated by this!
Unfortunately, one of Valeria’s tips was limiting blog posts to 600 words, so that means that I really need to be wrapping this up! I will have to revisit Valeria and WORK180’s journey, and my plans for AWE in a future post!
But quickly before I sign off, here’s me and my fur baby, Harrison, who tried to join the online launch! I’m so glad that in the 6 months we’ve been together, I’ve already been able to instil an enthusiasm for gender equality in my little boy!
A Hedy Journey 