Women in Super

Over the past decade, superannuation fund investment into private markets has expanded dramatically and this asset class is likely to continue to play a key role in portfolio construction going forward. It has never been more important to develop your own understanding and skill set around this unique asset class, why it's important and how it delivers returns for your members, so we would love for you to join us for breakfast, where our panellists will offer you invaluable insights into the evolving landscape of private markets. Featuring Anjana Moran, Senior Portfolio Manager at Aware Super, and Sophia Mullen, President and Head of Co-Investment Research at EnTrust Global and moderated by Cleyde Hazell, Managing Director, APAC Cross-Product Solution & Head of Product Australia at State Street. This event will offer a unique blend of global insights and local market expertise. Join WIS NSW for an exclusive breakfast event hosted by State Street to learn more: https://lnkd.in/g2uvRUUB Charmayne Connelly Lata McNulty Dena Brockie Larissa Davis Louise Green Miriam Herold, Morgan (Nowicki) Houston Jorjet Issavi Natalie Kalouche Anastasia Polites Vanessa Seagrove Angelica Tziotis

WIS WA have shone a light on something that impacts over 50% of the world’s population - menopause. With some insightful words from Minister for Finance, Commerce and Women's Interests, Sue Ellery sharing some of her personal journey and thoughts for the future, we opened up to a panel conversation with Deanne Stewart of Aware Super alongside Grace Molloy from Menopause Friendly Australia. Facilitated by Teika Chinnery, the conversation flowed well with many keen to hear more about how their workplace can drive the change and advocate for these hormonal changes. This was a breakfast with a difference, thanks to Aware Super for hosting this sell out event with a great breakfast buffet. Thank you to all attendees for being a part of the conversation and here’s to championing these discussions within our workplaces! Teika Chinnery Donna Adam Susan Joyce Natalie Gaughan Leanne Nunn Victoria Smart Debra Watson

What an incredibly engaging and motivating discussion with Rebecca Glenn, Centre for Women's Economic Safety CEO, in Melbourne today at our National Road Show 2024. Rebecca shared her current work which draws on her background in super and her front-line experience with domestic violence and economic abuse to highlight the shortfalls in financial services that allow perpetrators to use product to enact abuse. Rebecca applauded recent industry advocacy to change the way super death benefits are handled in cases of domestic violence but emphasised that there is still much more to be done. She calls on the super industry to be part of the solution by embedding financial safety into our product design. Thank you to Cath Bowtell who provided the Vote of Thanks on behalf of our sponsors Industry Super Holdings, IFM Investors, Industry Fund Services, Industry Super Australia and The New Daily. Cath drew inspiration from Kamala Harris' recent speech and encouraged us not to moan about injustice, but to do something about it. Next stop this week are almost Sold Out events in Adelaide and Perth!

We are still buzzing from the launch of our 2024 National Road Show after an incredible first event in Sydney last Thursday. Though the topic may have seemed daunting, Rebecca Glenn, the CEO of Centre for Women's Economic Safety handled it delicately, with both passion and compassion, inviting us as an industry to consider what we can do to make it difficult for perpetrators to commit fraudulent activity. Economic abuse is different from physical abuse. Often victims are not aware that it is happening, and it doesn’t end when the relationship does. Protections are required, and this gives us a unique opportunity to make significant change. It is important that as many representatives of the industry as possible are involved in this conversation, so we would love for you join us, as Rebecca continues the tour in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth this week, followed by Brisbane, Canberra and Hobart. There are still very few tickets available in some cities - jump onto our website to register : https://lnkd.in/g-EsiQmW Our National Road Show would not be possible every year without our sponsors Industry Super Holdings: Industry Fund Services, IFM Investors, The New Daily and Industry Super Australia. Thank you for supporting the work WIS does and ensuring we can have these important conversations around the country.

Are you ready to elevate your career by embracing your true self? Join WIS VIC for an empowering workshop with renowned stylist Lucy Owens from Style Rises. This event is all about discovering how your personal style can reflect your authenticity, boost your confidence, and support your career journey. Lucy will guide attendees through the process of finding your signature look—a look that’s not just about fashion, but about expressing who you truly are. Don’t miss this opportunity to invest in yourself and leave with actionable insights to enhance your brand, while networking with like-minded individuals. This event is open to both WIS members and non-members. Register here: https://lnkd.in/geRsQAhv Thank you to ESSSuper for hosting this event, without their support this event would not be possible. Erin Quinn Melanie Munro Elisha Bellingham Melissa Bodycoat Blair Fenech Emma Higgs Laura Judge Natalie Lister Meghan McClelland Jessica Pomeroy Pamela Reptis Karen Shen Thakshi Wijesundara

Thank you to the Hon Amanda Rishworth MP for introducing the legislation for super on Paid Parental Leave into Parliament this morning. This has been a long time coming, and is something WIS has spent over a decade advocating for. Super on PPL alone will not close the gender super gap, but it is a significant step towards women's security in retirement, and we look forward to the passage of the legislation. We are delighted to see that any future increases in the SG will automatically apply to this payment. Thank you to everyone who has advocated alongside us so tirelessly, and to the Federal Government for taking this significant step towards improving women's financial security.

The WIS National team has a new home! We are busily unpacking in the heritage-listed Queen Victoria Women's Centre. The QVWC's powerful and long-standing feminist history has led to their modern-day purpose of holding and creating space for Victorian women* and gender diverse people to thrive. We feel perfectly at home and aligned with their vision that all women and gender diverse people have a place where they feel welcomed, valued, and celebrated and have the power to determine their present and future. Thank you to everyone who has let our nomadic team perch in the corner of your various offices over the years - Australian Council of Superannuation Investors, Mother's Day Classic Foundation, Industry Fund Services and of course AIST. Being so embedded in the superannuation industry and its aligned organisations has been essential in fostering the connections we've built over the last 30 years. Moving into a space shared by like-minded women's organisations echoes our current shift in policy direction to consider some of the broader issues which entwine to make superannuation unfair for women. We are extremely excited to make these connections with our new neighbours, which will continue to enrich our understanding of the myriad issues that perpetually disadvantage women through their entire lifecycle.

Equal pay is the concept of women and men being paid the same for performing the same role or different work of equal or comparable value. In Australia, this has been a legal requirement since 1969. The gender pay gap is different to equal pay. Today marks the 50 extra days women have to work in the financial year to earn as much as men in Australia in 2024. For every $1 a man makes, a woman only makes 88 cents, adding up to $12,376 a year. What we could do with that! Workplace Gender Equality Agency research has identified three main contributors to Australia’s gender pay gap as gender discrimination, care, family responsibilities and workforce participation and gender segregation by job type and industry. WGEA now publish the pay gap of some private sector employers and will expand to the public sector in 2025- this is a huge step towards pay transparency and allows us to call out pay gaps where we see them. Their data explorer is available here: https://lnkd.in/guUR6sSC

A huge congratulations to the Mother's Day Classic Foundation who announced this week that they have donated $3.3million this year to fund life-saving breast and ovarian cancer research, with $2.1 million to the National Breast Cancer Foundation and $1.2 million to the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF). Our founder Mavis Robertson also founded the Mother’s Day Classic with her friend Louise Davidson. At the time, industry superannuation funds, especially those with large female memberships, were seeing that breast cancer featured strongly in the highest group of diseases for accessing death and disability benefits. Mavis galvanised the WIS network with the simple logic: there was no point in advocating for women’s retirement outcomes if they were dying prematurely from breast cancer. WIS determined that breast cancer research would be of the greatest assistance for their fund members. It's so exciting to see that the work Mavis started is now also improving the research outcomes for women with ovarian cancer. She would be as proud as we are!

Sold out in Brisbane and Adelaide (second release coming soon!) but tickets still available for Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Hobart and Sydney - don't miss out on this solutions-focused discussion with Rebecca Glenn! A report by the Centre for Women's Economic Safety found that women experiencing are more likely to seek help from their bank than a domestic violence service. As an industry, we have potential to change the way we design products to ensure it cannot be used to commit abuse. Join us around the country to hear Rebecca's tales of the broader financial services success in implementing product change in this space, and her recommendations for super. Tickets availble in your city - https://lnkd.in/g-EsiQmW You can read the CWES report 'Designed to Disrupt' here - https://lnkd.in/gwBs_fvV Erin Quinn Melanie Munro Elisha Bellingham Melissa Bodycoat Blair Fenech Emma Higgs Laura Judge Natalie Lister Meghan McClelland Jessica Pomeroy Pamela Reptis Karen Shen Thakshi Wijesundara