ABOUT CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE
Champions of Change was founded in 2010 by Australia’s then Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick AO. At the time, women’s representation in leadership was low and the pace of change was far too slow.
Today, with some 200 CEO and board-level leaders representing hundreds of thousands of employees, our focus is on taking action within organisations, creating industry benchmarks, influencing national policy and leading transformational change on gender equality and inclusion.
We are a not-for-profit organisation. Our vision is inclusive gender equality across our workplaces by 2030.
“Many believe rising inequality is inevitable, but we have the opportunity to prove this is not the case. I remain optimistic because I have seen what is possible when leaders sign up to a shared vision, collaborate and take action.”
Elizabeth Broderick AO
Founder and Convenor, Champions of Change Coalition
Our priorities
Our strategy focuses on the most critical challenges shaping gender equality today—identified in collaboration with our Members and stakeholders—where CEO-level leadership is essential to progress.
Building on more than 15 years of experience, our work is focused on targeted interventions, practical action and innovation to achieve system-level and sustainable outcomes.
Together, Members are leading work across four priority areas:
Building equality and inclusion into the future
Why this matters:
Embedding gender equality as a threshold design principle ensures systems work for all people, expanding reach, engagement and impact.
What success looks like:
Equality and inclusion is embedded in everything we do and deliver.
Elevating and normalising inclusive leadership
Why this matters:
Leaders who can build and engage diverse teams enhance decision-making quality, drive innovation, and improve overall performance.
What success looks like:
Inclusive leadership is the standard, drives performance and is a core capability for progression.
Unlocking our full workforce capacity
Why this matters:
Closing gender gaps in participation, progression and pay strengthens workforce supply, productivity and prosperity.
What success looks like:
There is gender balance (40:40:20) and diversity in all roles at all levels across organisations.
Creating workplaces where everyone can thrive
Why this matters:
Workplaces that are safe, respectful, and designed to fit with people’s lives empower them to perform at their best, fully participate, and deliver strong outcomes.
What success looks like:
We have the safest, most respectful and flexible workplaces, where all people can belong.
Our impact
Champions of Change Members work together in small groups to tackle the strategic challenges shaping their organisations and industries, such as retention, productivity, skill shortages, work place culture and safety.
Through this collaborative approach, leaders test, refine and scale practical initiatives that deliver measurable impact within organisations and across industries and systems.
Over time, many of these initiatives have extended beyond individual organisations, shaping national policy, informing legal frameworks, and becoming globally recognised standards for advancing gender equality.
We make all our strategies and resources freely available for organisations to adopt or adapt to accelerate change.
Gender equality as a CEO priority and accountability
Champions of Change helped establish gender equality as a core leadership responsibility, with CEOs visibly accountable for progress. Today, this expectation is embedded across Member organisations and increasingly reflected in broader governance and leadership practice.
Shaping pay transparency standards
Member-led approaches to gender reporting and transparency have influenced national frameworks and governance practices. This work has helped set new expectations for accountability and disclosure across the Australian corporate landscape.
40:40:20 gender balance
Our Members strive for 40:40:20 gender balance across roles and leadership, (40% women, 40% men, and 20% any gender) providing a clear and actionable benchmark for leaders to build more inclusive and representative workforces.
Inclusive AI
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how decisions, systems and services are designed, creating a critical opportunity for leadership. Champions of Change is developing strategies and resources to help ensure AI is designed and used in ways that embed gender equality, inclusion, respect and safety from the outset.
The Panel Pledge
Our Members commit to not participate in panels without women’s representation. Their Panel Pledge is now widely adopted as a norm across sectors globally. This simple intervention has significantly increased women’s voices and visibility in public and professional forums.
Flexible work as a standard
Champions of Change helped normalise flexible work as a driver of performance, inclusion and organisational resilience. This approach has been widely adopted and proven critical in supporting both business outcomes and workforce participation.
Preventing workplace sexual harassment
Champions of Change reframed workplace sexual harassment as a health and safety priority, paving the way for strategic Board and executive-led prevention approaches. This shift is now embedded in Australian legislation and regulation.
Domestic and family violence as a workplace issue
Champions of Change helped establish domestic and family violence as a workplace issue, not just a private matter. This led to the introduction of paid Domestic and Family Violence leave, now government-mandated.
Advancing equality in sport
Building on the Cricket Australia model, Champions of Change supported the acceleration of gender equality and pay equity across national sporting codes. This work recognises the cultural influence of sport in shaping broader attitudes and expectations around gender equality.
Sponsorship of women
Champions of Change helped bring corporate sponsorship of women into the mainstream, codifying it as a deliberate career advancement practice. This has expanded access to opportunities and accelerated the progression of women into senior roles.
Redefining symbols of success
Members have introduced practical approaches to ensure organisational symbols of success, such as awards, events and representation, reflect inclusion rather than reinforce bias. This work helps reshape how leadership and achievement are recognised and valued.
Designing for equality
Champions of Change has developed principles to ensure equality is built in from the start across areas such as the built environment, sport and emerging technologies like AI. This approach helps prevent bias and embed inclusion at a systems level.