The three-day program is the first of its kind in Australia to address the gap in leadership development for high-achieving multicultural professionals, and brings together a range of organisations committed to improving diversity and inclusion.聽
Run from 13鈥15 November, the program aimed to enhance participants鈥 strategic awareness of cultural diversity and leadership and to build a network of likeminded colleagues.聽
It is named after聽prominent paediatrician Dr John Yu AC, an alumnus of the University of Sydney who has spent his working life dedicated to improving health outcomes for children. Dr Yu was the Australian of the Year for 1996.聽
We know that cultural diversity is under-represented in the ranks of leadership in Australian institutions. Our leadership doesn鈥檛 reflect our multicultural diversity.
Led by , Academic Director of Executive Education at the University of Sydney Business School, and , Professor of Practice and Director of Culture Strategy at the University, the fellowship will take place annually with next year鈥檚 program to be held in Melbourne.
鈥淲e know that cultural diversity is under-represented in the ranks of leadership in Australian institutions. Our leadership doesn鈥檛 reflect our multicultural diversity. We don鈥檛 yet make the most of our talents,鈥 said Professor Soutphommasane.
鈥淭his Fellowship is about changing that. It鈥檚 about bringing multicultural leaders into the pipeline and ensuring that participating organisations develop greater sophistication in how they approach cultural diversity.鈥
According to the 2018聽聽report, published by a working group including the Australian Human Rights Commission and the University of Sydney Business School, while an estimated 24 percent of Australians have a non-European or Indigenous cultural background, fewer than 5 percent of senior leaders in business, politics and government come from culturally diverse backgrounds.聽
The Dr John Yu Fellowship builds on a pilot program run in 2017,聽with participants from 18 organisations including Westpac, Woolworths, EY, KPMG, Deloitte, Clayton Utz, Herbert Smith Freehills, King聽Wood Mallesons, the Reserve Bank, NSW Police and the ABC.鈥
Cilla Robinson, partner at law firm , was one of the participants in the pilot program.
鈥淎s a proud multicultural nation, Australia has a long way to go on shifting the dial towards true cultural diversity in leadership and in particular the upper echelons in corporate Australia. The disconnect between the proportion of culturally diverse people in the Australian population compared to what can be found in our leadership is simply depressing,鈥 Robinson said.
鈥淲ithout a concerted effort to drive change and a resilience to the inevitable backlash, the status quo will continue. We need candid conversations and courageous leaders to tackle the ugly truth head-on and unpack how more progress can be made, quickly, rather than the issue being put in the too-hard basket.
鈥淭he fellowship聽equipped me with both practical skills and supporting theory to have more sophisticated discussions and drive home the strategic benefits and critical importance of achieving enhanced cultural diversity within the next generation of Aussie leaders and specifically leaders within my firm, Clayton Utz.鈥
The disconnect between the proportion of culturally diverse people in the Australian population compared to what can be found in our leadership is simply depressing.
This year, 42 participants representing 28 organisations took part in the inaugural聽Dr John Yu fellowship.聽
One of the participating organisations in this year鈥檚 fellowship was engineering company , who sent three participants to this year鈥檚 fellowship.
鈥淎s a business that is engaged on some of Australia鈥檚 largest and most complex infrastructure projects, we have a responsibility to demonstrate that meaningful and rewarding career paths are available in this industry, for everyone. A responsibility that we take very seriously,鈥 said Cathal O鈥橰ourke, Managing Director of Laing O鈥橰ourke.
Grace Bacon, Head of International Segment for and participant in this year鈥檚 fellowship, encourages major organisations and corporations to participate in the program.
鈥淭he Dr John Yu Fellowship is essential for all people leaders and organisations that are serious about fostering and developing a diverse leadership pipeline.聽For effective and inclusive decision making, leadership profiles in Australia need to reflect the diversity of our society,鈥 Bacon said.
Fellow participant Ena Pawar, senior policy officer with the , shared similar sentiments about the importance of the fellowship in helping organisations increase diversity in their leadership.
鈥淭hese programs provide tools we can take back into our 鈥榬eal鈥 lives and reenergise our leadership efforts. They provide a fantastic opportunity to learn from the presenters and participants, engage in meaningful conversations, and allow us to view issues from different perspectives,鈥 Pawar said.聽
The 2020 fellowship will be held in Melbourne, please email聽diversity-fellowship.program@sydney.edu.au聽for more information.
ANZ |
Blacktown Council |
Laing O'Rourke |
PwC |
Ashurst |
Clayton Utz |
Maurice Blackburn |
QBE |
ASIC |
Deloitte |
Minter Ellison |
Refugee Council of Australia |
Attorney-General's Department |
EY |
Nomos Legal |
Reserve Bank of Australia |
Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
Herbert Smith Freehills |
NSW Department of Education |
Swinburne University of Technology |
Baker McKenzie |
KPMG |
NSW Police |
University of Sydney |
BHP |
La Trobe University |
NSW Transport |
Westpac |