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Macquarie University’s flagship Women, Management & Work Conference on 28-29 July 2011 will inspire women to take the next step by utilising and building on their signature strengths to become influential leaders.

Leading women speakers will focus on strategies to achieve higher levels of women in leadership roles throughout Australia. The conference will share practical tips and tools to facilitate career progress and success.

The two-day conference is in its 23rd year and conference co-director Melanie O’Connor said, “This year we are aiming to ignite discussion and encourage women looking to make their mark in the leadership stakes to act on their strengths.”

“Debate continues to circulate around management circles as women start taking more positive and active leadership roles. But it isn’t enough. We need to ensure that the corporate landscape continues to change for the better.”

“Although we have recently seen some increases in the numbers of women in senior management roles and CEO positions, the numbers are still too small to get excited about,” said Ms O’Connor.

According to research conducted by Macquarie University’s Faculty of Business and Economics’ Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency Census 2010, women are still underrepresented within key decision maker roles within Australia. The Australian Institute of Company Directors reported that in 2010 women made up about 25 percent of board appointments in Australia, but it slipped to 11 percent for the top 200 companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

These findings highlight that few significant changes have occurred in the business landscape to address why capable women are still prevented from contributing at high levels of business.

“It is clear that we still have a long way to go to fully integrate talented women into leadership roles. We hope that this conference will continue to spark the conversations needed to make cultural change a reality,” said Ms O’Connor.

Women, Management & Work: Ignite Your Strengths conference will consist of presentations and workshops with expert speakers from diverse backgrounds and industry sectors. Each section of the conference has been specifically developed to provide practical and relevant advice on negotiation, communication, mentoring and career development.

Topics to be discussed over the two days include what the future of leadership will look like and how women fit into this concept, as well as tips on how to fast track your strengths to become an influential leader.

Date: 28 and 29 July 2011, 9am – 5pm
Where: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 61-101 Phillip St, Sydney
For more information, program details & registration: www.lmsf.mq.edu.au/womenandleadership
Fee: $2,300


Conference speakers available to be interviewed include:
Melanie O’Connor, Managing Director, The Academy Network
Conference spokesperson. Melanie is highly regarded for her work in advising corporations in the development of talent management and capability strategies, and is considered by many to be one of the foremost advisers in this field in Australia.

Lynelle Briggs, CEO, Medicare Australia
Topic: Leadership Success Stories. Lynelle became CEO of Medicare in 2009. She has 30 years experience in the Australian Public Service. In 2004 she was appointed Australian Public Service Commissioner.

Anna Booth, Board Director & Policy Developer
Topic: The Future of Leadership. An executive director of CoSolve, a non-executive director of Industry Holdings Pty Ltd and a non- executive chair of Slater & Gordon.  Anna is a specialist in workplace relations, training and managing workplace change for positive outcomes.

Margy Osmond, CEO, Australian National Retail Association (ANRA)
Topic: The Future of Leadership. Margy is the inaugural CEO of ANRA which was established in 2006. She sits on the Boards of the Australian Sports Commission, the Bell Shakespeare Company and the Retail Employee’s Superannuation Trust.

Mara Olekalns, Professor of Management – Negotiations and Deputy Dean (Academic), Melbourne Business School
Topic: The art of negotiation: Strategies for success. Mara’s expertise is within the fields of negotiation and conflict resolution. Her research focuses on communication processes in negotiation. Mara has published in leading international management, psychology and communications journals.

Helen Conway, Director, Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency
Topic: Leadership Success Stories. Helen’s appointment as Director of EOWA comes after many years of experience in the top tiers of the corporate sector, including General Counsel, Company Secretary and the General Manager of the office of the CEO at Caltex Group and Senior Judicial Member of the NSW Equal Opportunity Tribunal.

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Women At Work Australia online community:
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Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WomenatWorkOz
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While women are fighting for equality in the workplace and are taking on executive positions in the corporate world, there is a downside to their professional success and it comes in the form of serious health problems, once typically associated with men.

Macquarie University’s Faculty of Business and Economics and iConneXX Pty Ltd are bringing together a blend of business, law, risk management, psychology and health experts at the inaugural ‘The Body & Mind Corporate’, a strategic workshop to explore the serious psychological and physical health conditions that executive women are experiencing.

Experts such as general practitioner Dr Carole Hungerford, author of Good Health in the 21st Century and Nicola Gates, a registered Clinical Neuropsychologist, who has trained in executive coaching and cognitive behaviour training for anxiety and depression, will discuss strategies to address women’s health issues at ‘The Body & Mind Corporate’.

Dr Annette Davison, Director of iConneXX and organiser of the event said, “There is so much pressure now for women to take on these high power roles and still have a strong presence in the family home that it is no wonder that our health is struggling.”

“We’re seeing cardiac illness and psychological problems associated with busy lifestyles as well as fertility issues associated with stress and the fact that professional women are leaving children till later, but there is not enough knowledge out there about how work places can identify the risks and then do something about them!”

Addressing the health and wellbeing issues associated with executive roles and providing options for workplaces to make the necessary changes is an essential part of growing and maintaining a healthy community and creating successful businesses.

Other speakers at ‘The Body & Mind Corporate’ include:

• Dr John Cummins, a specialist medical consultant in the field of Corporate Health & Wellness
• Dr Annette Davison, a recognised global leader in risk management strategies with a keen interest in corporate social responsibility and corporate due diligence
• Dr Therese Flapper, Principal and Director of iConneXX
• Graham Evans, solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW and expert in workplace law
• Assoc. Prof. Peter McGraw, a published expert in management and employee relations

The Body & Mind Corporate
Wednesday 16 March 2011
8.30am - 6.00pm
Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
Fee: $795 (includes GST)
Early bird $695 before 14 February
Register: http://guest.cvent.com/d/7dqtvh

For more information and conference brochure: http://www.lmsf.mq.edu.au/news_and_events/featured/the_body_and_mind_corporate

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About Macquarie University Faculty of Business & Economics (FBE)
Macquarie University’s Faculty of Business and Economics offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in addition to strong academic research in the fields of accounting and finance, actuarial studies, business, economics, marketing and management. The Body & Mind Corporate is presented by the Labour-Management Studies Foundation, a centre hosted by the FBE. http://www.businessandeconomics.mq.edu.au/
http://lmsf.mq.edu.au/

About iConneXX
iConneXX is an organisation that aims to improve the quality of life for communities and individuals by incorporating life’s essentials as fundamental components in decision making achieving clean, healthy, productive solutions for the urbanising world. http://www.iconnexx.com.au/

Macquarie University’s Women, Management and Work Conference, on 29-30 July 2010, will be a place to canvas solutions to increasing the number of women elected to parliament, appointed to boards and senior management positions and achieving salary equity.

Leading women speakers will be discussing equal opportunity in the workplace and strategies to achieve higher levels of women in leadership roles throughout Australia. It will encourage and inspire women to succeed in the workforce.

Conference co-chair Melanie O’Connor says, “The conference has been running for 22 years, yet 22 years later we are still looking for solutions to these intractable issues. Although many Australians do not want to hear it, gender continues to act as an insidious barrier.”

“Research by Associate Professor McGraw published in The 2008 Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency Census highlights some alarming statistics which show that women do not form the majority in any category of senior job position in any industry in Australia.”

“Not surprisingly, not a single industry in Australia pays women more than they do men and most pay them less.”

“In 2008, there were four female CEOs in the top ASX200 companies in Australia or two percent, down from three per cent in 2006. 106 companies in the top ASX200 do not have a single woman on their boards.  A new update of the Macquarie/EOWA research featuring 2010 data will be released by the time of the conference,” said Ms O’Connor.

The conference will include presentations, round table discussions and workshops encouraging audience participation run by influential Australian leaders.

Topics discussed over the two days include: how to get on a board, how to get on an executive team, coaching and mentoring, promotion and development in your job, balancing the risks and rewards as well as inspiring leadership success stories. This year also includes topics on starting your own business.

There are over 20 inspiring and leading speakers including:
• The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for Housing; Minister for the Status of Women
• Brigadier Simone Wilkie AM, Director General Training, Headquarters Forces Command
• Heather Ridout, Chief Executive, Australian Industry Group
• Andrea Grant, Group Managing Director Human Resources, Telstra
• Mia Freedman, Journalist, columnist, author and media consultant

The Conference Directors are Associate Professor Peter McGraw, high profile management consultant Melanie O’Connor and Pam Morpeth.

Date: 29 and 30 July 2010, 9am – 5:30pm
Where: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 61-101 Phillip St, Sydney
For more information and program details visit: http://www.lmsf.mq.edu.au/wmwc
To register visit: http://www.lmsf.mq.edu.au/wmwc/register_now

Speakers available to be interviewed:
The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP
Minister for Housing and for the Status of Women, Australian Labor party
Tanya was elected to the Federal Parliament in 1998; and appointed the Minister for Housing and the Minister for the Status of Women in 2007. Tanya’s presentation will include predictions for the new directions in the world of work and what this means for tomorrow’s women in the workforce. 

Heather Ridout
Chief Executive, Australian Industry Group
Heather is a leading figure in the public policy debate and is a member of numerous policy setting groups. Heather will help determine what the world of work will look like by 2020. She will examine alternative scenarios and help identify key trends.

Claire Braund
Executive Director, Women on Boards
A business woman with a rural background, Claire co-founded Women on Boards following a career in media. Claire will provide an overview of what it takes to be a director and provide strategies to help women become prominent board members.

Helen Newell
Director, Corporate Development & Government Relations, Asciano
A career that spans projects in Mexico, the US and Canada across the rail, air and road sectors; Helen has worked for TNT and Toll and currently Asciano.  Helen will discuss strategies and tactics to help women get on an executive team and flourish.

Andrea Grant
Group MD, Human Resources, Telstra Corporation
Andrea joined Telstra in 2005, prior to this she held the role of Executive Director of HR GM Holden, where she served as GM Holden’s first female board member. Andrea will provide an insight to her own personal leadership journey and explain how she overcame challenges to achieve success as a woman.

Find us:
Web: http://www.lmsf.mq.edu.au/wmwc
Facebook: Women at Work Australia
Twitter: @womenatworkoz
Posterous: http://womenatworkoz.posterous.com/