Disruption & Innovation
Male Champions of Change
The Male Champions of Change are senior male leaders from government, corporate and command and control sectors. These men of power and influence are the heart of the Male Champions of Change strategy. They comprise a high impact coalition to address the under-representation of women at decision-making level in Australia.
This strategy recognises that power sits largely in the hands of men, and works to ensure men step up beside women to create more gender equal organisations, institutions and nations. A change in the national discourse has placed the promotion of gender equality firmly on Australia’s agenda. It’s no longer seen solely as a women’s issue, but rather a national social and economic issue.
The Male Champions of Change;
- Meet at least four times a year as a group. As this is a leadership strategy, no delegates are accepted.
- Agree on a shared purpose and clear priorities. They publicly commit to using their individual and collective leadership and resources to advance gender equality.
- Establish a support team that works with them to ensure they deliver on their individual and shared commitments.
- Share their experiences and data, and reflect on their own leadership.
- Listen widely and develop personal insights into the issues and opportunities for improvement.
- Work together to identify and implement progressive, high-impact actions that disrupt the status quo and create meaningful and lasting change.
- Lead with action and advocacy, working within and across their organisations, and collectively at a community level.
- Hold themselves accountable, evaluating and sharing their experiences and results widely. They encourage their peers and teams to participate in the strategy.
This approach is simple, practical and adaptable – but it requires commitment. Elizabeth Broderick is the founder and convener of the Male Champions of Change strategy. She continues to convene the Founding, Sport, National est. 2016 and Global Tech groups and lead the strategy which now includes over 220 male CEOs across Australia, and a number of groups in other nations.
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Past Projects
NSW Police Force
Elizabeth Broderick & Co (EB & Co) was engaged by the NSW Police Force to examine the effectiveness of the police promotions system. A key aspect of this project was to examine whether the Police promotions system negatively impacted on female police officers’ ability to achieve leadership roles, as well as other groups of people, particularly those with caring responsibilities. The EB & Co team consulted widely with police officers across all ranks of the NSW Police Force and visited a range of both metropolitan and regional locations. A survey was also administered across the Force.
On 2 June 2019 NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller released the report prepared by EB & Co. The full report is available here.
Residential Colleges at the University of Sydney
During 2017 and 2018 Elizabeth Broderick & Co undertook an extensive and wide-ranging project on cultural reform at six of the Residential Colleges at the University of Sydney. The scope of the project was to examine the strengths of College life and to also identify those areas requiring improvement and reform.
The individual reports of five Colleges (St Andrew’s College, St John’s College, Sancta Sophia College, Wesley College and The Women’s College) were released by those Colleges on 29 November 2017. These reports can be found on the individual College websites. An overarching report capturing the major themes of the project was also released and can be found here.
The project with the sixth College, St Paul’s, began in 2018. On 14 September 2018, St Paul’s College released its report. That report can be found here.
University of Canberra
In November 2017 Elizabeth Broderick & Co. was engaged by the University of Canberra to undertake a review of the university’s culture with respect to sexual harassment and sexual assault.
On 8 October 2018 Vice Chancellor Professor Deep Saini released the report prepared by Elizabeth Broderick and Co. The full report is available here.
United Nations Women
Private Sector Leadership Advisory Council
Elizabeth Broderick was Special Advisor to the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka from February 2016 to October 2017. In this role, Elizabeth convened an Advisory Council of 10 CEO’s of global corporations committed to advance gender equality within their own organisations and in the world. Meeting three times a year in New York, the Advisory Council set a bold and strategic agenda for collective action and impact.
James Cook University
In 2017 Elizabeth Broderick & Co was contracted by James Cook University to undertake an independent and comprehensive review of the university’s sexual harassment and sexual assault policies, and the cultural environment in which those policies are implemented. The review is the second phase of a two part process.
On 22 September 2017 Vice Chancellor Professor Sandra Harding released the report prepared by Elizabeth Broderick and Co. The full report is available here.
Australian Federal Police
During 2016, Elizabeth Broderick and Co worked with the Australian Federal Police to assist them to implement a significant cultural change program across the organisation. A focus of that work has been to increase women’s representation across the AFP, including in leadership positions. Elizabeth Broderick and Co’s program of work will assist the AFP to enhance its capability. The work will ensure that the organisation is well positioned to handle future challenges, and is one where men and women can thrive equally.
On 22 August 2016, the AFP Commissioner, Andrew Colvin APM OAM, released the report prepared by Elizabeth Broderick and Co. The full report is available here AFP Full Report 2016. A summary of the report is available here AFP Summary Report 2016