Dear Friend,

Last week I was privileged to spend the day with 650 delegates at the Chief Executive Women (CEW) Summit – Agenda 2033 – in Melbourne. CEW launched its new Senior Executive Census 2023 report and delivered a terrific program of speakers who discussed our progress on gender equality, the barriers we need to dismantle, and the actions we all can take. 

I’ve also been very encouraged by the power of sport and popular culture to open meaningful conversations on gender equality recently, particularly among parents and children. Just a few weeks ago we witnessed the magnificent Matildas show the world their soccer prowess and their commitment to equality in sport.

The excitement generated during the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals – with a record 11.5 million Australians tuning in to watch the semi-finals – coincided with the release of Australian actor and producer Margot Robbie’s new film Barbie the movie, which has just smashed box office records across the globe! Both are significant 2023 cultural events that have spurred on vibrant conversations about gender roles and a growing focus on outdated gender norms.

Also on the world stage, more than 6,000 delegates recently visited Rwanda to take part in the sixth Women Deliver Conference, including a significant contingent of government, NFP leaders, and philanthropists from Australia and the Oceania Pacific region. We are pleased to include a short conference report from the International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) in this newsletter, below.

Back on the home front, we’ve been busy with a number of events bringing the gender lens message to new audiences by teaming up with Women in Family Foundations, the Menzies Foundation, and Vogue Codes, among others.

Most recently we had the pleasure of inviting many local philanthropic funders to witness Professor Megan Davis and Pat Anderson AO launch the ‘You’re The Voice’ ad campaign, featuring John Farnham AO’s hit song, in support of the YES vote at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne.

We applaud the work of these two extraordinary women leaders and all of those involved in bringing the ad campaign to life including Professor Clare Wright OAM, Warwick Thornton, the Wheatley Family, and The Monkey’s advertising agency. Please see links in the newsletter below to a range of ways that you can support the YES campaign including by donating and through respectful conversation with those in your community – particularly those who are confused by misinformation.

Also last week, I was very fortunate to join WEHI’s celebration and farewell event for their outgoing CEO, Professor Doug Hilton AO, who leaves his beloved institute to take up the role of CEO of CSIRO. We’ve always known we were lucky to have Doug on our Board but the night reminded me of just how fortunate we are to have the benefit of his expertise, experience, and commitment to gender equality.

Finally, we’ve been progressing our 2023 research projects, with a focus on building participation in our State of Gender-wise Giving in Australia survey across the AFR Top 50 Private and Corporate philanthropic funders. We’re continuing to work with gender equality collaborators to build the best data picture we can on this important issue that is so central to our mission. If you would like to participate but have not yet done so, please contact us ASAP as we are working to finalise the results and will report back on our findings later in the year.

Read on for the latest CEW report, how you can be involved in Women for Yes, and more news to inspire more and better giving to women and girls.

With sincere thanks and warm regards,
Julie