Better the balance, better the world

International Women’s Day offers us all the opportunity to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world. This year, the day calls for us to accelerate towards gender balance, with the theme #BalanceforBetter.

We know that balance drives a better working world. From grassroots activism to worldwide action, we’re entering an exciting social era where the world expects gender balance. We notice its absence, and we celebrate its presence.

"Here at AGL, we are proud of our diverse and inclusive culture. We know that greater diversity – not just in terms of gender, but also across culture, experience and education – inspires better conversation, greater innovation, and better business outcomes."

Our journey towards achieving gender balance has not always been easy. In technology, as well as other STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields, many women over the course of their careers have felt outnumbered, and often as though they are the only woman in the room.

That is why we are focused on removing common barriers for women pursuing their goals and advancing their careers, to ensure traditional gender roles remain a thing of the past. One of the ways we have achieved this is through introducing flexible work arrangements for all our people.

Ahead of International Women's Day on Friday 8 March, we caught up with some of our inspiring women in STEM across the business, who reflected on their personal journeys and why gender balance is important to them.

“#BalanceforBetter is about making sure the youth of today know they’re not confined to certain occupations because of their gender. They will know nothing is off the table – that they, too, can be an electrician if they want to be.” - Mel Street, Hydro Operator Technician (Eildon)

“#BalanceforBetter means always striving. AGL’s technology senior leadership team is over 40% women, putting us ahead of the industry. We can’t rest on our laurels though, we need to keep striving to create balance and a truly diverse and inclusive workforce.” - Dayle Stevens, General Manager PT3 & Strategic Programmes

“I’ve always been inspired by the strength, drive, passion and resilience shown by other women in my field. At AGL, I’ve also worked with inspiring men who saw the value in improving the gender balance, and this collective effort has enhanced our overall performance.” - Janet Mignano, Senior Drilling and Completions Engineer

We’re committed to getting this right

This year we’re hosting a range of special events across AGL to acknowledge International Women’s Day 2019 and the importance of achieving #BalanceforBetter. And while International Women’s Day is the perfect opportunity for us to shine a light on the importance of achieving gender balance, it’s not just about today – it’s about ensuring the culture and policies of the business support these goals every day.

What are some of the things we’re doing?

AGL has an Equality Network – AGL Equality. This network of women and men, sponsored by Simon Moorfield, Executive General Manager of Information Systems & Technology, advocates for gender equality, helping to connect and empower women to achieve their goals. Read more about Simon’s perspectives on the importance of this initiative here.

AGL has a long-term commitment to increasing the number of women in our senior leadership pipeline to 50% by 30 June 2022. This week, one of our women in our senior leadership pipeline, Samm Macleod, AGL’s Chief Information Security Officer, shared her experience of navigating the tech world.

We also want all our people to embrace the benefits of workplace flexibility. Our leading workplace flexibility and leave arrangements are offered to all our eligible employees – men and women. We believe that making flexibility part of our culture will help us to build gender balance and equality in the longer term