NAWO

⭐  NAWO is delighted to welcome Melissa Benson, Organisational Capability & Development Co-ordinator at Tassal Group, as the Chair of our newly launching Tasmanian Committee! Melissa brings a wealth of experience to #NAWO, having worked in leadership roles across hospitality, casino surveillance and the beauty industry for two decades. Now at Tassal, she thrives in a role that aligns closely with her passions - supporting individual and team development and coordinating events for female leaders across the business. Her dedication to empowerment and education is a great fit for NAWO, and we’re thrilled to have her onboard in Tasmania as we prepare to officially launch this May. Melissa is driven by the opportunity to connect people, grow the network and create meaningful spaces where women in operations feel supported to learn, lead and thrive. 🧡 We're incredibly grateful to our volunteer committee members who give their time, energy and expertise to support our mission. Volunteers like Melissa make it possible to build inclusive communities that open doors for women in operations across Australia. 🤗 Welcome to the team, Melissa - we can’t wait to see what’s ahead for NAWO TAS! And for anyone who is in Tassie, why not come along to our exciting launch event at the iconic Cascade Brewery in Hobart in May? 🍻 🍻 We’ll be joined by the Hon. Jo Palmer, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Family Violence and representatives of our Tassie-based member companies. There's even the opportunity to participate in a tour of the brewery after the launch! Full details here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/gJJ8vVn7

🚨 Closing tomorrow – PKN Women in Packaging Awards 2025! At #NAWO, we know the power of spotlighting women in operations. These types of acknowledgments can kickstart careers, encourage people to believe in themselves, inspire future leaders and expand what's possible in the minds of many. The PKN Women in Packaging Awards is a prestigious industry event, highlighting the positive impact of gender diversity on the Australian packaging industry’s reputation and growth Nominate a colleague, or nominate yourself 👏 Don't miss this opportunity to celebrate someone making a difference in packaging today! 🏎️ Nominations close Friday April 11th 👉 Start your submission right here: https://lnkd.in/gkJuiuHt #WomenInPackaging #Leadership #Innovation #WomenInOperations

#NAWO's Inclusion Habits For Operations Leaders program plays an important role in how we support members to reach their DEI goals – and evaluation is a key part of continuously ensuring the program evolves and excels! Thanks to the BehaviourWorks Australia team for partnering with us on this evaluation and Social Ventures Australia for funding it and working with us to ensure the Program delivers results in growing the inclusive capabilities of frontline leaders. Ronan Smyth – your collaboration was invaluable! #inclusionatwork #respectatwork #leadership #womeninoperations

📣 NAWO is coming to Tasmania! 📣 We're thrilled to launch our Tasmanian presence in May at the iconic Cascade Brewery in Hobart — and we want you there to celebrate with us! With over half of our member companies operating in Tassie, we’re excited to officially launch our presence and grow our mission of achieving gender balance in operations. From career development to industry solutions, NAWO is here to drive connection, inclusion, and progress across Tasmania. We’re proud to be kicking things off with the support of our newest Tasmanian members — TasWater and Hydro Tasmania — and the incredible energy of our founding volunteer committee, featuring leaders from Tassal Group, TasWater, Hydro Tasmania, and Asahi. Join us for our official launch at the iconic Cascade Brewery, hosted by Asahi Beverages. We’ll be joined by the Hon. Jo Palmer, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Family Violence and representatives of our member companies. Thank you to the members of our inaugural Tasmania Committee for helping to drive our presence: Melissa Benson, Liz Luck, Tim Hunt, Jessika Hernandez, and Chelsea Wolfert. Thanks to the generosity of our hosts, Asahi, we have limited spots available for complimentary brewery tours after the formal launch. Make sure to scroll down and ‘add on’ a tour to your registration ticket if you would like to join one. Our launch is just the beginning in Tassie – site tours and events are already in the works from Hobart to Burnie and beyond! 📅 Date: Thursday 15 May 2025 🕰️ Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm AEST 📍 Location: Cascade Brewery, 140 Cascade Rd, South Hobart TAS 7004 💲 Cost: Free 🔗 Register: https://lnkd.in/gJJ8vVn7 👉 RSVP now and be part of NAWO’s next chapter in Tasmania! And if you're not in Tassie, share this with friends and colleagues who are! #NAWO #WomenInOperations #Tasmania #NewLaunch #Event

👏 Recognising Abby Phillips, Operations and Business Transformation Leader, proudly named in NAWO’s 100 Women in Operations! With 25 years in operations and supply chain management, Abby has led complex business transformations, driven operational excellence, and embedded continuous improvement through lean methodologies. Her expertise lies in building high-performing teams, fostering collaboration, and creating a culture of innovation that drives sustainable growth. Abby is passionate about people development and believes that an organisation’s greatest strength comes from the diverse experiences and skills of its members. She is committed to empowering teams and ensuring that everyone can thrive. For over a decade, Abby has been an active volunteer with NAWO, dedicating the past four years as NSW Committee Co-Chair. Her unwavering commitment to gender balance and equal opportunities is fuelled by her desire to drive real change in workplaces and society, paving the way for future generations. Thank you to Madeline Cooper, Event & Program Delivery Manager, #NAWO for nominating Abby for: ✅ Bringing leadership, warmth, and authenticity to NAWO’s NSW Committee, ensuring the team feels supported and inspired. ✅Being a dedicated advocate for NAWO’s mission, sharing her expertise, insights, and talents with the community. ✅Leading with strategy, care, and enthusiasm, creating a culture where people feel valued and motivated. ✅Driving meaningful and lasting change for gender balance in the workplace and beyond. 🥳 Congratulations, Abby! Your leadership, passion, and commitment to equity are inspiring. We are thrilled to recognise you in NAWO’s 100 Women in Operations! 👉 Explore NAWO’s 100 Women in Operations Hall of Fame: https://lnkd.in/gM3Khc7F 👉 Recognise outstanding women in operations - nominate now: https://lnkd.in/gSdBk_5M #NAWO #100WomenInOperations #InclusionInOperations

❓ Did you know that presentation skills are crucial for career progression? Learn how to put your best foot forward in business presentations! Join #NAWO CEO Louise Weine for our next Career Club conversation with Brenda Denbesten. Together they’ll explore ‘Presenting with Power’ – how we can get ourselves ready to make a strong impression during business presentations. 💪 Brenda Denbesten is a renowned leader in the mining and manufacturing industries, with over 15 years of experience across technical, operational, and functional leadership roles. Brenda’s contributions to the industry have earned her widespread recognition. She has used her expertise to manage large-scale change, influencing critical stakeholders in some of the world’s most male-oriented sectors. 🌟 She’s also the Chair of NAWO’s Intersectional Advisory Committee and an active member of our wonderful Victorian Committee! Driven by her commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion, Brenda is dedicated to creating workplaces where women can thrive. Her passion for driving change extends to her role as an NLP Practitioner and coach, where she helps professionals confidently step into leadership roles by mastering their visibility, communication, and career progression. 📅 Date: Thursday 24 April 2025 🕰️ Time: 12:30pm – 1:00pm AEST 📍 Location: Online 💲 Cost: Free for NAWO Members 🔗 Register: https://lnkd.in/gFw54hRM Register today!   ℹ️ About Career Club Career Club – NAWO's monthly online session specifically for people seeking to advance their operational careers. Whether you’re looking to refine your leadership skills, master networking, or navigate workplace challenges, our peer-led sessions provide the insights and strategies you need to thrive. 👉 Your journey to professional success starts here Career Club! #NAWO #WomenInOperations #Event #CareerClub #Thrive

Historically, our medical system has systematically discriminated against women, leaving them chronically misunderstood, mistreated and misdiagnosed. Anyone who has read chapter 10 of Caroline Criado Perez's book Invisible Women titled "The drugs don't work" will remember the powerful opening to that chapter, a story of a young woman who put up with her immense pain for two years before being rushed to emergency and then endured 10 more years of misdiagnosis due to the assumptions made by practitioners and lack of clinical research into women's health. There is so much to learn about women's health. That is why it was so BRILLIANT to have not one, but four experts in Women's Health from the University of Queensland, share their expertise and insights with a highly engaged group of our members at yesterday's event in Brisbane. A huge thank you to all our esteemed speakers: 👏 Alina Morawska, Director of the Parenting and Family Support Centre. 👏 Dr Sally Mortlock, Senior Research Fellow, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences. 👏 Professor Gita Mishra, Centre Director of the Australian Women and Girls’ Health Research Centre, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences. 👏 Kate Witteveen, Ph.D, Lecturer of Counselling in the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work. It is impossible to capture all our learnings in a LinkedIn post, but we do have a call to action: 🏥 Advocate for yourself and others in seeking appropriate medical support and diagnosis. Your pain and concern is not 'in your head'. 👀 Educate yourself and utilise available screening services (some are linked below in comments👇) ✅ When women at work disclose a personal health issue they are experiencing (menopause, endometriosis, fertility treatment, ADHD, to name a few) seek to understand what would better support and enable them, help facilitate flexible work options whilst they manage symptoms and treatment. ❌ Language and respect matter. Avoid making assumptions about women's lived experiences ( e.g. not all women are parents but they may still be carers!) and make it understood that derogatory remarks about women's health issues e.g. 'she must be on her period' or 'wow that's the menopause talking' are not acceptable. Thanks to Hong Weerasekara and Kate Storer for organising this event! 🫶 Josephine Rahman Jessica Taylor Jean Stuart Andrea Douglas Jenny Townsend Julia Nest Josephine Soriano Salina May #WomensHealth #WomenInOperations #Wellbeing #NAWO

Yesterday over 30 leaders from the #NAWO membership came together in Brisbane for another NAWO Executive Forum: Holding the Line on Inclusive Workplaces. It was an opportunity to reflect on the current global context and on how our leadership approach may need to adapt to address the potential challenges for #DEI coming our way.  It was also an opportunity to examine our values and ethics as leaders in this disruptive environment. Dr Terry Fitzsimmons, Associate Professor in Leadership at the The University of Queensland Business School made a compelling, data-led business case for inclusion. He also demonstrated that momentum around DEI in Australia was strong! Did you know that Australia is one of only three countries in the world to have achieved 38%+ women on our ASX200 Boards (7.8% in 2008) without resorting to quotas? Or that Australia has also demonstrated strong causal links between greater numbers of women on boards and senior leadership teams and positive organisational outcomes, including the bottom line? As a group we focused on the fair and equitable principals of leadership and examples of when they come into play - such as when responding to requests around flexible working in operational environments. We also examined the 'ingredients' needed to create a genuinely inclusive culture: 🤝 Inclusive executive leadership - from the top down. ✅ Initiating and maintaining inclusive practice and policy. 🏆 Accountability for results - embedding DEI KPIs where appropriate 📊 Using metrics to track impact and demonstrate the ROI of DEI for the business Thank you to Terrance Fitzsimmons and all our guests from multiple industries and functions who shared such valuable insights into their businesses and offered ideas to keep the focus on DEI in operations to ensure fair and equitable workplaces for all! A huge thank you to PwC Managing Partner Samantha Vidler - PwC Queensland Managing Partner for hosting us and her fabulous team Melanie Lear and Jane Knox for working so collaboratively with our #NAWO team on the event. Rodney Caust Abby Craig Sarah Hackett Alysha Hayes Rachel Beckett CAHRI Nicole Johnson Melinda Kiss Louise Lambert Greta McCloy Stephanie McCracken Edward Mckeiver Troy McMillan Rachael Miller Kartini Oei Steven Paine Darleen M Refalo Simon Robinson Bromley Rowe Tony Schreiber Steve Seng Rebecca Stenhouse Chris Tabrett Meredith Wallace Dion Gibson Jenny Candiano #executive #leadership #DEI #Inclusion #NAWO

📣 'What a Job!' with Lynn Johnson from CHEP! Learn more about Lynn's career evolution in April's What a Job! session. Lynn Johnson stepped into the role of DEI Lead AMETA at CHEP after more than 15 years in engineering roles across supply chain and manufacturing industries. A dynamic leader with nearly 20 years of industry experience, Lynn has built a career spanning engineering roles in Supply Chain, FMCG, Pharma, and Nutraceutical manufacturing. Two years ago, Lynn embraced an exciting career pivot into DEI, leveraging a diverse skill set to foster a culture of belonging and connection for CHEP employees and drive meaningful change across the AMETA region. 💫 Passionate about people and progress, Lynn is committed to creating inclusive environments where all employees can thrive. Lynn is also the Chair of #NAWO’s Newcastle Committee! 📅 Date: Thursday 10 April 2025 🕰️ Time: 12:30pm – 1:00pm AEST 📍 Location: Online - NAWO members only 🔗 Register: https://lnkd.in/gw9EnRus Register now! ℹ️ About NAWO’s What a Job! sessions These informal sessions inspire and connect our community, giving you insights into the exciting careers of women in operations. Each session features a good yarn with incredible women who are driving successful careers and contributing to brilliant operational projects and outcomes across a variety of industries and businesses right across Australia. #NAWO #Event #WhataJob #WomenInOperations #Career

NAWO CEO Louise Weine had a fabulous conversation with Rebecca McGrath FAICD during our recent What a Job! extended edition. Rebecca shared wisdom and insights from her early days navigating operational roles and subsequent progression into executive and board positions. Her advice for others when moving into leadership roles is absolute gold! 🌟 #NAWO members can catch up on this valuable resource here: https://lnkd.in/gDuwB967 Get ready for our next What a Job! session with Lynn Johnson from CHEP as she shares her career journey of stepping into the role of DEI Lead AMETA at CHEP, after more than 15 years in engineering roles across supply chain and manufacturing industries. 📅 Date: Thursday 10 April 🕰️ Time: 12:30 - 1:00 pm AEST 📍 Location: Online 💲Cost: Free for NAWO Members 🔗 Register: https://lnkd.in/gw9EnRus Register now! #Leadership #Learning #WomenInLeadership #NAWO