Pymble Ladies’ College launches Chairs for Change campaign
Pymble Ladies’ College on Sydney’s North Shore launched its Chairs for Change campaign for IWD, as part of a new brand campaign. The campaign launched as part of a media collaboration with the AFR.
The announcement:
Pymble Ladies’ College has launched a powerful gender equity initiative as part of the next phase of its successful Watch Us Change the World campaign.
Chairs for Change (CFC) is an event-based initiative calling for corporate Australia to remove gender from one of the highest offices in business by changing Chairman to Chair. Research from the University of Houston shows that gendered titles reinforce stereotypes in leadership, so CFC aims to significantly boost the figure of Australian female-led boards which currently sits at only 18 per cent.
The initiative launched last week at the Australian Financial Review Business Summit 2023, where over 500 business luminaries met to hear from chief executives, political leaders, policymakers and entrepreneurs, including prime minister Anthony Albanese, Philip Lowe, Peter Dutton, Caroline Kennedy, Brian Moynihan and Robyn Denholm. The drive for real change was also amplified at the Business Chicks Australia International Women’s Day Breakfast.
The activation is just one part of a multi-channel integrated campaign for Pymble “It’s Our Time”, in collaboration with new partners, start-up Pinch of Masala and Edge. Based on data from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency 2022 that shows the progress towards gender equity has stalled, and in eight industries it has gone backwards; the campaign pushes for us all to lean in together to build on and accelerate the great work and inroads being made to promote gender equality in the workplace, across Australia.
The campaign was anchored on a media collaboration with the Australian Financial Review – launching a first-ever, co-branded 16-page IWD editorial-based mini-magazine. The editorial based content highlights industry achievements towards progressing gender equity in key male dominated fields as well as providing practical strategies to further break down systemic gender bias.
The portraits and accompanying films were elevated by the work of award-winning photographer and director Alina Gozin’a, who also shot Pymble’s original Watch Us Change the World imagery.
Dr Kate Hadwen, principal of Pymble Ladies’ College, says the goal of this next phase is to help shape a world in which the lessons about equality and opportunity taught in schools ring true for all girls when they step out of the classrooms and into the workplace.
“Schools and universities do an amazing job of preparing our girls for the future but what happens when the future is not prepared for our girls? Our hope is that these communications will add impetus and urgency to the gender equity strategies and actions already in many workplaces to positively impact our students now and in the future,” said Hadwen.
“It’s time for schools and educators to add our voices and scale to partner with industry to create a more equitable world.”
Kelly Mancey, director of community engagement & advancement, Pymble Ladies’ College adds: “As a girls’ school, we are passionate about publicly advocating, and sending a strong message to businesses and organisations that further change needs to happen as a matter of urgency. Our students expect equal opportunities and an equal playing field with their male peers, and we are focused on making change happen through everything we do, every day.”
Roshni Hegerman, founder of Pinch of Masala concludes: “While we launched this campaign on International Women’s Day, the role of this work is to drive conversation that will encourage gender equality to become a daily habit. I applaud the conviction of the Pymble team in advocating for all young women, and seeking to make a more equitable future, together.”
CREDITS
Client: Pymble Ladies’ College
Creative company: Pinch of Masala
Media agency: EdgeMedia partner: The Australian Financial Review
Production company: MERV
Photographer: Alina Gozin’a
Collaborators: Azure Antoinette, Thommo Inc., MediaxPress, Business Chicks, Annie Griffiths Design, Women on Boards
Source: Pinch of Masala
Got a tip?
topics
AFR
Alina Gozin'a
Campaign
Dr Kate Hadwen
International Women's Day
IWD
Kelly Mancey
PLC
Pymble Ladies' College
Roshni Hegerman
