As at June 2018, approximately 49% of all public sector executives were women despite women comprising 69% of the sector. Further to this, only 23.5% of Senior Management Council (Chief Executives of core SA Government agencies) are women. While often perceived as being only an issue for women; gender inequality in the workplace impacts everyone. Men also benefit from increased gender equality and more equal gender roles.
The Women in Leadership Summit invited men and women in the public sector to work together to achieve improved gender equality. The summit discussed what would be required to achieve 50% of the Senior Management Council being women and overall increases in gender equality across leadership roles. Delegates heard from our industry leaders and experts on the barriers to gender equality, and gained practical tips, tools, and advice on making the most of their opportunities to help make a change.
In partnership with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment and the South Australian Leadership Academy the Institute of Public Administration Australia South Australia (IPAA SA) was proud to bring you the Ethical Leadership Forum, a free event for all state government members.
During this event we heard from Premier Steven Marshall MP, Commissioner Erma Ranieri, Dr Attracta Lagan, Principal, Managing Values, Darren Menachemson, Global Partner and Global Chief Digital Officer, Think Place, and more about the importance of ethical decision-making.
Public sector employees at every level are faced with challenging ethical and integrity-related decisions. These decisions can test us on how best to respond to a range of issues that at times have competing stakeholder needs.
As employees progress their careers through the public sector, the decisions they may face tend to increase in complexity, and time for capability enhancement and leadership development is typically harder to find.
In light of of this, IPAA SA brought together a panel of public and private sector leaders to help increase awareness of the importance of ethical decision-making in the public sector.
Topics included:
Dr Jane Lomax-Smith, sat down with us On the Couch last week to share her fascinating and diverse career history, as well as the work she is doing in her current role as Chair for the Museum Board. This was then followed by audience Q&A where Dr Lomax-Smith answered some thought provoking questions from delegates. On Behalf of IPAA SA and PwC we would like to thank Dr Jane Lomax-Smith for her insightful words as well as Nicola Craven, Director, PwC for engaging us in her role as interviewer.
It was a privilege to hear from Mr John Schutz, Chief Executive, Department for Environment and Water as he highlighted some of the highs and lows of his leadership journey. Mr Schutz shared with us some insightful advice for new leaders, as well as answering some thought provoking questions from delegates during Q&A. We would also like to thank Mr Adrian Skull, Chief Executive Officer, City of Marion for engaging us in his role as interviewer.