The theme for International Women's Day 2020 is "Each for Equal" and it was inspiring to see more than 400 members of the Australian drinks industry gather on Friday to take action on equality.
The Drinks Association's Embrace Difference Council hosted the event at Doltone House, Hyde Park, with acting Chair Madelyn Ring asking the room: "Who are the women in your organisation who you should celebrate and develop?
"Are you providing the flexibility that primary carers need throughout their careers and not judging them for it?
"Are you really listening to all the voices in the room equally?
"How are the women in the room being brave and asking for opportunities and setting boundaries?"
It was a stirring launch to the celebrations, which featured guest speakers Erin Molan and her father Senator Jim Molan.
Erin broke down barriers for women in sports journalism as the first full-time female panellist and co-host in the Footy Show’s 22-year history.
Her insights were both entertaining and eye-opening. She discussed how she built resilience in the face of online trolling, which saw her accused of “ruining rugby league” and being viciously attacked, based not on her ability as a journalist, but solely on her appearance and gender.
Meanwhile, after an illustrious career spanning 40 years with the Australian Armed Forces, Jim Molan has recently been re-elected to the Australian Senate.
It was fascinating to hear the Senator reveal how the military is championing women’s rights. He highlighted the contributions of women in the Australian Defence Force, including combat engineer Captain Steph Sheldon.
"Steph is one of a new generation of women serving in combat roles, doing our nation proud both at home and on deployment," he said. "As she told me during the week, “if you know your stuff and lead your troops well, they won’t even notice what your gender is'.”
The industry panel discussion saw Change Champions share their perspectives on what “embrace difference” means to them and discussed the diversity and inclusion achievements made by each of their companies to date.
A raffle held during the event raised $10,560 for WomenCan, the fundraising arm of the Australia New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG).
Jeanette Magaling (above), from StayinFront - a Corporate Partner of the Drinks Association - won Melbourne Cup Furphy Marquee tickets.
“It was an incredible feeling to hear my name called,” she said.
Among the other valued Corporate Partners, Commercial Partners and Associate Members celebrating International Women's Day with Embrace Difference were BevChain, Advantage Group, Shopper Intelligence, Nielsen, SkuVantage, Kegstar, Hip Media and IRI.
Here are some social images from the event:
Pictured main (left to right): Senator Jim Molan, MC Anjali Rao, Erin Molan and Drinks Association CEO Georgia Lennon.