The NextGen breaking the glass ceiling

Despite gains in recent years, achieving gender diversity across corporate Australia remains an ongoing battle.

While women graduate from universities and enter graduate positions at higher rates than men, their representation in senior leadership roles in ASX100 organisations does not reflect this trend. This suggests that the challenge is not only in attracting women to the workforce but also in retaining them.

Although gender representation at lower levels of organisations is improving, women’s representation in leadership, executive teams, and boards remains disproportionately low. While there has been some progress in recent years, this momentum has now plateaued.

The finance industry is no exception. In 2022, only 27% of ASX100 Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) were women, despite a significant proportion of the graduate workforce being female. This is particularly concerning given that CFOs often form a significant part of the CEO talent pool.

Research consistently demonstrates the benefits of a gender-balanced workforce, including increased collective intelligence, reduced risks of groupthink, and a more positive corporate culture.

These are some of the reasons why Atlas Partners are hosting a Masterclass series for the next generation of women in finance leadership. Four sessions will be held in the second half of 2024, with each speaker discussing their experience as a CFO / CEO in some of Australia’s leading corporate and for-purpose entities. We are extremely excited by the list of speakers confirmed and look forward to the value they will impart on our aspiring leaders.

If you are high performing woman in Finance keen to learn what it takes to break through to the c-suite, get in touch with Liam Killen or Sam Harrison.