In a major initiative to promote more women in leadership positions in the property industry, the ACT Property Council kicked off its 100 Women in Property sponsorship program today with President of Chief Executive Women, Diane Smith-Gander.
“The ACT property industry directly employs over 25,500 jobs, and with women making up less than 20 per cent of senior managers in most companies, there is much work that we need to do,” says Property Council ACT Executive Director, Merlin Kong.
“Addressing gender imbalance in the property industry is an economic imperative. As our industry deals with unparalleled complexity and competition, not embracing a diverse workforce means we’re setting ourselves up for a talent deficit.”
“The property industry is more than just blokes with hammers. There is a breadth of roles in our industry, and we need more women engineers, fund managers, leasing agents and CEOs.”
“We are delighted that Diane is part of this initiative, and her insights on what we can further do to level the playing field is invaluable”, says Property Council ACT Executive Director, Merlin Kong.
“In her other role as the Chair of Transfield Services, she oversees a company turnover of more than $3 billion a year—having also been a partner of McKinsey & Co in the US, and a former Westpac senior executive—she is more than capable of walking the talk.”
Media contact: Merlin Kong |M 0429 579 972 |P 02 6276 3602 |E [email protected]