Red flags on ‘cultural change agent’ Annette Kimmitt missed

Annette Kimmitt had a 13-year career at Ernst & Young.

Just what did MinterEllison expect when it hired Annette Kimmitt in 2018?

The chief executive, who is leaving after setting out her feelings toward firm heavyweight Peter Bartlett and his involvement with Christian Porter in an all-staff email last Wednesday, was never going to be one to blend into the pack.

A 13-year career at Ernst & Young, where she managed “cultural change and direction” should have been a red flag for the top tier law firm, which despite its attempts remains to be seen as just that rather than “a professional services firm in the legal and consulting sector”.

In her own words she “specialised in designing and implementing large, complex transformations”, though none perhaps as difficult as converting the well-worn ranks to her more progressive way of thinking.

It was just a week ago that the Melbourne-based Kimmitt, along with several other colleagues at the firm, discussed the upcoming International Women’s Day and Mardi Gras on a virtual panel, the CEO providing her insights on quotas according to one keen participant.

Since then, and barring that now-infamous email, there’s been silence.

This past week would usually be one of the busiest in Kimmitt’s calendar, her first International Women’s Day (Week) since being anointed as a Member of the Order of Australia for her work on gender equality and inclusion last June.

Also a member of the Melbourne Business School board, Kimmitt at the time said “this award is validation that my efforts have made a difference and had a positive impact”.

While her days are over at Minters, at least she’s got a few other gigs on the boil and plenty of high profile names in her camp. Back in 2013 she founded Scale Fund targeting women-led start ups with heavyweight entrepreneur investors Carol Schwartz and Susan Oliver.

Kimmitt joined listed investment firm Mirrabooka as a director in January alongside former JB Hi-Fi director Greg Richards. Chair Terry Campbell lauded both directors as bringing a broad range of experience and depth of understanding in senior executive leadership roles.

On top of that, the 55-year-old remains a member of the Business Council’s Alison Watkins-led Committee on Economic Policy and Competitiveness, as well as being a director of the Corporate Mental Health Alliance alongside Clayton Utz’s Bruce Cooper or King & Wood Mallesons’ Berkeley Cox.

Plenty for a progressive administrator to sink her teeth into there.

Living the life of a Toorak toff

There are few streets in Melbourne more exclusive and moneyed than Towers Road in Toorak.

There’s literally just a handful of mansions on this bendy, plane tree-lined avenue and to be lucky enough to call one home you need the capacity to fork out north of $20m to a willing seller.

And guess what?

Peter Spargo.

Millionaire businessman Peter Spargo, a former chair of the Melbourne footy club, and his wife Kathleen are selling their slice of moneyed Melbourne, seeking up to $24m for their five-bedder Towers Road home, for which the couple paid $11.2m in 2008.

It has the obligatory swimming pool and tennis court, but what sort of neighbours are you buying for that sort of cash?

Diagonally opposite on the corner is the family home of billionaire box heiress Heloise Pratt, who paid $6m for her place in 2000, during her marriage to billionaire investor Alex Waislitz.

Pratt’s immaculate front lawn sets the standard for other nature strips on the short avenue.

Directly opposite on the other corner is the home of Cotton On founder Nigel Austin, who moved into the street in mid-2013 when he paid $25.5m for his slice of Toorak paradise.

Austin’s next door neighbour is the former daughter-in-law of Solomon Lew, Sarah Lew, who used to be married to Steven Lew and in mid-2014 paid $18.55m for her home.

Nearby Lew are Dahlia and Michael Sable, who spent $13m in mid-2012 for their home, which is held in Dahlia’s name only.

Number 9 Towers Road, Toorak.

Dahlia is a member of the billionaire Fried family that controls the retailing group that includes the likes of Spotlight, Anaconda and Harris Scarfe chains and she is also chief executive of the Spotlight Foundation charity.

Newest entrants to this exclusive clique is Netflow managing director Phil Dreaver and his family, who in 2016 paid Daniel and Danielle Besen what was then a Victorian price record of $26.25m for their brand new modern architectural residence, which thanks to the demise of their marriage they never lived in.

Sometimes, it seems, even on Towers Road money can’t always buy happiness.

Illustration: Rod Clement

Snail’s pace

It might come as a surprise given the events of the past month, but the issue of harassment in the workplace is not a new concept for the Morrison government.

As this very column pointed out just yesterday, the latest project for Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins is eerily similar to her January 2020 release.

Always one to take a lesson from the past, Margin Call thought it only right to delve into just how much progress Women’s Minister Marise Payne seems to be making on the 55 recommendations Jenkins so clearly laid out.

First things first, there was money thrown at the problem — Payne announcing in the 2020-21 Budget that $2.1m would be put toward the Respect@Work project over three years, including for the establishment of a dedicated council.

In Parliamentary debate on the 2020 Budget, the Liberal Party’s Sussan Ley talked it up, saying, “the Morrison government will establish a respect at work council to provide practical support to employers and employees to prevent and address sexual harassment in Australian workplaces”.

Sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Six months on, and no one could tell us if there had been any members appointed, interest garnered or even what the council’s duties might be.

The Prime Minister and Cabinet website still lists that said council “will” be established to improve co-ordination, consistency and clarity in addressing sexual harassment.

If Jenkins’ recommendations are anything to go by, she or, since progress is at such a glacial pace, the Sex Discrimination Commissioner of the day would be the chair, along with representatives from Iain Ross’ Fair Work Commission and Safe Work Australia, currently led by well known female business advocate Diane Smith-Gander.

Then Jenkins, who’s working for every dollar of her $420,000 salary, also proposes heads of the state-run workplace safety authorities — though we’ve seen how effective state players are at co-ordinating broader issues, just look at the national cabinet.

Despite giving ample time for a response from the Prime Minister and Cabinet office, there were crickets by deadline on Wednesday, though we note that there has been some work on a further two of Jenkins’ points. That leaves just 52 recommendations still to be addressed after more than 12 months, another inquiry underfoot and $2.1m still going begging.