CEW renews appeal amid diversity backlash

The country’s most powerful female lobby group, Chief Executive Women, has called on companies to take another look at gender in the face of a backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion.

At the Chief Executive Women annual dinner on Thursday were Telstra CEO Vicki Brady, CEW president Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz, Macquarie CEO Shemara Wikramanayake and CEW chief Lisa Annese. Picture: Jane Dempster

The leader of the nation’s most powerful female lobby group, Chief Executive Women, has called on companies to take another look at gender in the face of a backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion.

Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz told a Sydney audience on Thursday night that the growing public debate on gender, equity and inclusion programs was “not necessarily a bad thing”.

“We need to have a much more nuanced conversation around diversity, and refocus on why it is that bringing true diversity into our workplaces, our parliaments, and our public sector really matters,” she said.

She told more than 1300 guests at CEW’s 40th anniversary dinner that despite big changes for women at work, “true inclusion remains one of our greatest ­challenges”.

“We have now seen decades of diversity initiatives, policies and targets,” she said. “And while so much progress has been made, we must confront an uncomfortable truth: gender equality will not succeed if it is treated as a movement for women alone.”

Ms Lloyd-Hurwitz said that DEI was “not about virtue signalling, it’s not a tick-the-box exercise, it’s not about women versus men, it’s not even just about equity” but instead was about drawing talent from 100 per cent of the population.

But she warned: “At the same time, we cannot ignore the broader political and social context in which this conversation is happening. Just recently, Vote Compass data has highlighted a growing divide in attitudes towards diversity, equity, and inclusion; 17 per cent of the Australian population believes that striving for gender equality is no longer a valid objective and has gone too far. And we have seen in the United States a dramatic scaling back of DEI initiatives – which is shaping public discourse and policy.”

Ms Lloyd-Hurwitz said that one of the persistent myths in diversity conversations was that inclusion came at the expense of merit.

“Of course appointments should be made on merit – from 100 per cent of the population, not just half of it,” she said.

“And let us be clear: true inclusion does not mean slowing progress, lowering standards, or making trade-offs. It means raising the bar for what great leadership looks like in this country. It means challenging outdated assumptions about who belongs at the table. It means recognising that when we remove barriers, we create a better, more resilient, and more innovative society for everyone.

“That also means recognising that diversity must be broader than gender alone. We must ensure that those from all backgrounds are included in the conversation.”

Originally published as CEW renews appeal amid diversity backlash