No hidden a-gender in path to corporate success

Whether helping to develop world-changing technology, pulling pints or advocating for people with disability, South Australian businesswomen are proudly aiming high

Whether helping to develop world-changing technology, pulling pints or advocating for people with disability, South Australian businesswomen are proudly aiming high

From boardroom to bar, three of South Australia’s most successful businesswomen are joining millions of people across the globe to celebrate International Women’s Day and how far women have come – but also acknowledge how far there is still to go.Penelope Bettison is executive director, head of corporate services, at energy storage company 1414 Degrees. Heidi Barreau is the owner of the Lighthouse Wharf Hotel in Port Adelaide. Liz Cohen is CEO of disability service provider Cara.“I think International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women but also still raise the issues,” says Cohen. “We may say we have issues here but, if you look at other countries, women are not equal. So there’s a fight still to have.”As a mother of two children, Amy, 27, and Robbie, 31, Cohen is also strongly supportive of providing opportunities for children. “On my YMCA board, we talk about diversity in age as well; our passion is around empowering youth to achieve,” she says.

In 2017, Cohen was named one of 15 finalists in the Telstra South Australian Business Women’s Awards. “That was fabulous,” she says. “I think it’s so important for women to see role models. Lots of women can achieve without everything being ticked off for them: it’s about having a goal and actually attaining that. But it’s more than that: it’s having people around you who can champion you as well. Family for me is very important – they’re always cheering in the background.”Bettison is also a proud role model, to her two young children as well as to the many women she has mentored over the years. “I formally mentor a young woman in the engineering industry on a personal level,” she says. “And I’m a non-executive director of Women Together Learning, which is all about inspiring and motivating women in agriculture. I’ve been fortunate to have a range of mentors and coaches throughout my career. One of the best pieces of advice I received is, ‘Don’t ever shy away or hide from your ambition’, because you’re so much more capable than you think you are.”Advice Bettison has taken to heart. The 42-year-old began her career in tourism before launching her own successful marketing company, and is now ensconced in the world of thermal energy storage, a role which brings its own challenges.“I have experienced gender bias in different ways: not in our company itself but in my role, in which I’m exposed to lots of different industries,” she says. “Certainly some of the more traditional ones are a bit more challenging. Often I find it comes where people don’t realise what they’re doing and it’s about bringing light to that situation in a way that’s respectful.”

Also respectful, for Bettison, is acknowledging the full scope of the gender diversity issue. “It’s about making things appropriate for people, it’s not necessarily about making it OK for women,” she says. “I think we need to make sure we keep that front and centre, making sure we’re creating the opportunity for men to leave work early to go and pick up their kids from school. It’s not about just women.”Those values are also alive and kicking in Bettison’s own personal life. Her job at 1414 Degrees involved a return to full-time work after years working part-time to raise her two children, Archer, 10, and Olive, 8. It meant her husband Todd could follow his dream, too. “Todd now works part-time so we flipped it around,” she says. “Me being in this role has allowed him to leave survey engineering and follow his passion, the craft beer industry.”Barreau also knows about following your ambition and making it in a tough industry. Five years ago, the 40-year-old bought over The Lighthouse Wharf Hotel in Port Adelaide after a career spent in journalism and interior design. “When I first came in here I used to get sales reps come in and ask to speak to the owner. I’d say, ‘That’s me’ and they’d be like, ‘What, it’s you?’” she recalls with a laugh. “I think people get really surprised because a lot of women run cafes and restaurants but not so much pubs.”

But for as far as she and other women have come, Barreau recognises there is much to be done. “I think International Woman’s Day is a great way to celebrate the successes of women in Australia and internationally but it’s also a chance to reflect on the areas we still need to work on,” she says. “In Australia at the moment we’re seeing far too many cases of domestic violence. It’s very worrying.”As a trailblazer in the publican field and mum to 12-year-old son, Barreau sees plenty of opportunities for women to succeed in business and in family life, and has one piece of advice: follow your heart. “I always have done things I love,” she says. “My life and work have always been about enjoying it. I didn’t finish school and think, ‘What’s the highest-paid job?’ I just did something I loved and wanted to enjoy it the best I could. As soon as I stop enjoying it, I think of what I can do next.”

*

Diversity makes business sense

Nick Reade, Chief Executive BankSA

South Australia has led the nation when it comes to equal participation of women in society. It was the first Australian state to allow women to vote, the first to give females the right to stand for election to parliament, the first to admit women to university courses and the first to appoint a female judge.Building on this strong history, at BankSA we’re committed to backing women to reach their potential also.We’re proud to support Liz, Heidi and Penelope. These women have demonstrated the courage, foresight, perseverance and leadership to manage successful businesses as well balancing the many competing demands in their life. And there are many more like them, contributing across our state.More women are making a positive difference in offices, boardrooms and businesses across South Australia, and around the country as gender biases are slowly broken down, but much more still needs to be done.We know that the full participation of women is critical. In addition to simply being the right and fair thing to do, striving for better gender balance is commercially beneficial too. In fact, it’s an economic imperative.Research tells us that having equal representation of women in leadership could lift labour force participation and add billions of dollars to the Australian economy. In our current economic environment, where growth is more difficult to find, this alone would make a big difference.Encouragingly, female business ownership is on the rise. Women now own a third of the nation’s small businesses, a figure that has almost doubled in the past two decades. This trend is also evidenced here in South Australia, where as a bank we’ve helped an increasing number of women to start and build their businesses.As International Women’s Day is celebrated across the globe, for us, it’s a day to recognise the valuable contributions women make to business, to our communities, to our workplace and our state. It’s a day to reflect not only on the progress we’ve made in gender equality but an opportunity to consider what more needs to happen and what we can collectively do to create a more inclusive and equal world.