Executive Summary
One of the key focus areas of the Champions of Change Coalition’s strategy is to support Members in creating gender-equal and diverse workforces that help them capture the performance advantage. The overwhelming experience of the Champions of Change Coalition is that when it comes to creating gender-equal workforces, accelerating more women into leadership positions through sponsorship matters.
Champions of Change Coalition Members have significant knowledge and lessons learned through more than a decade of implementing sponsorship initiatives. This experience has been collated and distilled into Sponsorship Track: A practical guide to gender inclusive progression.
- GUIDE: Sponsorship Track: A Practical Guide to Gender Inclusive Progression
- MEDIA RELEASE: Record number of women sign up for sponsorship in Australia’s property sector
Sponsorship:
- Can act as a bias disruptor within talent pipelines by challenging the informal power structures and biases that favour individuals who look, talk, and act like the current leaders, often sidelining diverse talents, particularly women.
- Helps redefine what leadership looks like by promoting a broader view of leadership qualities beyond the traditional norms, creating opportunities for diverse talents to emerge and thrive.
- Is a deliberate and intentional practice inclusive leaders undertake to identify, advocate for, and develop high-potential talent within their organisations and across their industries.
Sponsorship Track provides practical guidance on how to establish a formal, structured sponsorship initiative. It’s particularly relevant for organisations and leadership teams working to accelerate women in leadership, and strengthen their talent pipeline internally and across their industry.
The guide includes tips for both sponsors and sponsorship recipients on making the most of the opportunity, and case studies illustrating the experiences of sponsors and sponsorship recipients, organisations, and industry Groups across the Coalition including our Sport, Property, STEM, Architects, Fire and Emergency, and Consult Australia Champions of Change Groups.
