Golf Management Australia Autumn 2018 | Page 21

GOLF AUSTRALIA NEWS

CHAMPIONING CHANGE

International Women ’ s Day ( IWD ) 2018 calls for us all to # PressforProgress towards gender parity and arrives at a unique moment in time .
There is huge momentum behind women ’ s sport , which is beginning to change the landscape significantly and , hopefully , irrevocably for the better .
Sport connects with Australians in a way no other industry can . For me this brings with it an extra responsibility – to lead , influence and demonstrate the way forward .
The Male Champions of Change ( MCC ) Sport group recognises this opportunity and is making a significant impact . Golf Australia has a seat at this table as one of 18 members representing the key sports in terms of economic contribution , participation and influence in the Australian sporting landscape .
Each CEO has a deep personal commitment to gender equality , whilst the MCC Sport group boasts 7,000 + employees , more than 9 million participants and a million members across its constituent organisations .
The group ’ s effectiveness is demonstrated by its recent achievements , which include :
• A practical guide to workforce flexibility tailored for sporting organisations
• More gender-balanced , diverse and inclusive ‘ public faces ’ for sports organisations
• The MCC women in sport sponsorship program , through which high potential women leaders are matched with and sponsored by senior executives
• A panel pledge to only participate on panels if senior women from the sector are included .
Our 2018 priorities include developing more respectful and inclusive sporting cultures , advancing more women into leadership positions and developing pathways to pay equity for elite women athletes .
I ’ m proud to be part of this group and personally committed to changing our sport for the better , as I hope you ’ ve seen through the recent Vision 2025 announcement .
However , as Mark Hayes has so beautifully highlighted in his opinion piece this week , we can only win together .
So , I ’ d like to ask you to be a champion of change in your organisation , golf club or facility . As the R & A recently highlighted , the health of our sport depends on it .
Stephen Pitt CEO – Golf Australia
• Mark Anderson – CEO , Collingwood Football Club
• Raelene Castle ( Special Advisor ) – CEO , Rugby Australia
• Brian Cook – CEO , Geelong Football Club
• Matt Finnis – CEO , St Kilda Football Club
• Marne Fechner ( Special Advisor ) – CEO , Netball Australia
• Brendon Gale – CEO , Richmond Football Club
• David Gallop – CEO , Football Federation Australia
THE MALE CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE SPORT
• Todd Greenberg – CEO , National Rugby League
• Cain Liddle – CEO , Carlton Football Club
• Anthony Moore – CEO , Basketball Australia
• Kate Palmer ( Special Advisor ) – CEO , Australian Sports Commission
• Stephen Pitt – CEO , Golf Australia
• Ian Robson – CEO , Rowing Australia
• James Sutherland – CEO , Cricket Australia
• Giles Thompson – CEO , Racing Victoria
• Craig Tiley – CEO , Tennis Australia
• TBC – CEO , Swimming Australia
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