37. The missing 33%: The CEO confidant improving diversity and inclusion in corporate Australia.
Jul 06, 2020
Before I met Michelle Redfern, I had heard a lot about her from my friend and colleague Div Pillay, the Co-Founder of MindTribes, a diversity and inclusion consultancy. At MindTribes, I'm the head of the market strategy, and Michelle is Div's partner in MindTribes' nonprofit arm, CDW (Culturally Diverse Women and Workforce). Although we are both involved, we work on different projects, and our paths don't cross very often. Div always has lovely things to say about Michelle, so I wanted to know her better. Michelle is an in-demand speaker and a regular contributor to the discussion about equality and inclusion in sport and business. So it was with great pleasure and gratitude that I got to know her better during this interview for The Job Hunting Podcast.
Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women in Business & Sport, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on equality, inclusion, and gender diversity. She works closely with some of the most influential CEOs and leaders in the country, supporting their organization's design and implementing diversity and inclusion strategies that work.
Michelle is determined to achieve global gender equality in her lifetime, primarily through her research and advocacy in the sporting industry. Her most recent venture, A Career that Soars! It is a private networking platform for corporate women to connect, learn from each other, and invest in their professional development.
So what did we talk about? She has a finger in so many pies, and I was so curious we had a very long chat.
Timestamps to guide your listening:
- 7:18 - Her diverse and rich career trajectory, from leaving school at 15 to having significant executive roles and mentors along the way 12:30 - Mohit's graduation day and the advice that almost took him back to India
- 14:29 - Her "Aha" moment: how in her 40s she learned a lot about herself and made a meaningful career transition
- 20:36 - How she influences corporate Australia to stop the exodus of professional women from the workforce
- 31:14 - Her love for sports and aspirational goals for women in the sporting industry and on the field
- 43:36 - Career advice for women: the missing 33% of career advice women are not getting to help them advance professionally.
- 51:57 - Why is it so hard to coach professional women?! Why are women so reluctant to invest in their careers?
And if you receive my newsletter, this week's curated articles include 3 of Michelle's best blogs; they are excellent reads. I also added some great research articles that complement this week's episode on diversity and inclusion and female career advancement.
But for now, here's my chat with Michelle - I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.
Links mentioned in this episode:
