This year’s GMC Women in Manufacturing Network International Women’s Day Panel & Lunch put into words something many of us already sense: diversity, equity and inclusion make businesses perform better. For Australian manufacturers serious about competing globally, these are levers we cannot afford to ignore. The data backs it up. Gender-diverse executive teams are now linked to a 39% higher likelihood of financial outperformance.
Panellists, Alecia Millard, Program Director at Hanwha Defence Australia, Angela Stella, Continuous Improvement Lead at Viva Energy Australia, and Tania Adithama, Engineering & Maintenance Manager at SNF Australia, told a bigger, more nuanced story. They spoke about how change actually occurs and what it looks like day to day.
The panellists agreed that diversity, equity & inclusion is a journey, not a compliance exercise. Real progress happens when leaders help drive it and when teams take ownership of the culture around them. What often holds organisations back are the hidden rules and unspoken norms that quietly shape who gets heard, who gets opportunities, and who feels like they belong. Once those patterns are named and talked about openly, things start to shift.
Hanwha Defence Australia’s story brought this to life. There was a point at which the newly minted Australian arm of Hanwha in Korea was one hire away from having more people named Richard than women employed in the business. The company now employs an impressive 25% women across more than 500 employees. This is progress that’s been intentional in a sector where female representation is traditionally low.
Hiring for attitude over aptitude was another idea that resonated in the room. When you consider mindset and adaptability alongside technical skills, you open the door to people who do not always enter via traditional pathways. In a sector that’s already feeling the pressure on skills and workforce pipeline, that is smart recruiting.
Smaller changes are also quietly adding up. Shifting the language from “maternity leave” to parental leave normalises flexibility for everyone. Better cross-team collaboration is breaking down silos. And the group observed that organisations doing diversity well are becoming more innovative, as more perspectives are genuinely being heard.
Speakers also raised the importance of Australian leaders’ influence beyond our own culture. Australian manufacturers sit inside global supply chains and work with increasingly in multicultural teams. When Australia models inclusive cultures well, that example travels. Attitudes shift up and down the management and supply chains when people see diversity working.
On leadership pipelines, our panellists highlighted the value of acting in temporary roles and support from champions within the business as providing key opportunities. But all agreed, individual responsibility is important too: women need to back themselves and take the challenges when they appear. According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency latest Gender Equality Scorecard (2024-25), Australian women earn 79 cents for every dollar on average a man makes; over the course of a year that adds up to $28,356.
Australia’s manufacturers are measured against global standards on quality, technology and innovation. Meeting those standards long-term takes diverse thinking, strong capability and cultures that can adapt. Diversity, equity & inclusion won’t solve everything, but it is a significant contributor.