The Empower Women breakfast at the FSC25 Conference: Transforming for Tomorrow focused on gender equity, leadership development and organisational transformation.
Mika Austin facilitated an amazing panel that showcased views thoughts and perspectives from Diversity Agenda’s Steering Committee Chair Josie Fitzgerald, Leonie Freeman, Chief Executive Officer of Property Council New Zealand and Nick Astwick, Chief Executive Officer at Southern Cross Health Society.
Each speaker brought a unique lens to the conversation, representing different sectors but united by a shared commitment to advancing gender equity.
This session served as both a showcase of progress and a call to action. It explored how organisations in financial services and beyond have built and can sustain a robust pipeline of women leaders, from early career stages through to executive roles.
The discussion focused on:
- Practical strategies for embedding gender equity into organisational DNA.
- Real-world examples of initiatives that are delivering measurable impact.
- Cross-sector insights to inspire innovation and collaboration.
Leonie Freeman gave her perspectives on being in the property sector from university and being the first female in a specialist role at her first job. Her view was, although there is a way to go, things really have changed over her working career with respect to women in the workplace and as speakers in typically male dominated events.
That change is driven through initiatives like the Property Council’s Inclusion Alliance Accord for members, driving the exposure of the gender pay gap in the industry, ensuring gender balance on committees and that all CEO’s and senior leaders must be visible champions of diversity and gender equity.
Josie Fitzgerald highlighted the Diversity Agenda’s success in driving gender equity in the usually male dominated engineering and architecture sectors, offering transferable lessons for financial services and ways to tackle some of the road blocks the industry encountered.
Nick Astwick discussed Southern Cross’s internal transformation. This including inclusive hiring practices and cultural change initiatives surrounding how Southern Cross Health Society has committed to fostering an inclusive environment and impacted employee engagement and retention, particularly among diverse groups including women in the workforce, and celebrating Southern Cross's active women's network, 'Gather'.
The panel emphasised the need for data-driven approaches, tracking representation, pay equity, promotion rates, and employee sentiment. Success was framed across short, medium, and long-term horizons, with a focus on continuous improvement rather than perfection.
The session reinforced that gender equity is not a one-sided initiative. It’s a strategic imperative. By investing in a diverse workforce, including women at every stage of the pipeline, organisations can unlock innovation, resilience, and better outcomes for all stakeholders.
Attendees left inspired and equipped to take tangible steps today, tomorrow, and into the future to drive meaningful change in their own organisations.