Jamila Rizvi to Headline AusIMM’s International Women’s Day Lunch in Sydney
AusIMM is delighted to announce Jamila Rizvi as the keynote speaker for our International Women’s Day (IWD) lunch in Sydney on Thursday, 13 March 2025.
An accomplished diversity and inclusion expert, author, and Deputy Managing Director of Future Women, Jamila Rizvi is a name that needs no introduction. From shaping public policy as an adviser to Prime Ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard to redefining Australian media during her tenure as Editor-in-Chief of Mamamia, she has dedicated her career to championing equity, empowering voices, and driving meaningful change. You can read more about Jamila's powerful story in her bio.
This year’s AusIMM IWD theme, #DrivingPositiveChangeTogether, is not just about recognising progress – it’s about sparking conversations that challenge the status quo. It’s about inspiring action that lasts long after International Women’s Day. Jamila’s passion for creating inclusive workplaces makes her the perfect person to lead this important dialogue.
AusIMM recently had the chance to hear Jamila's views on diversity and inclusion, the importance of International Women’s Day, and why her keynote will inspire action that extends far beyond the event itself.
Diversity and Inclusion has gained significant traction over the past decade, but what does it look like in a practical sense?
Diversity and inclusion are terms that have become so widely used that it’s easy to skim over their real meaning.
Diversity recognises the myriad of ways we are different from one another; the various background, experiences, beliefs and identities that make us unique. Inclusion requires that no matter what your particular uniqueness looks like, you have the opportunity to succeed and thrive, and that you are valued and respected.
On International Women’s Day we have a collective opportunity to look back and celebrate the positive change that’s been achieved. We also have a responsibility to cast our eyes forwards and consider how we drive positive change into the future. In more recent years we’ve eliminated some of the more obvious barriers to gender equality, but inequalities remain, bubbling away, sometimes below the surface but insidious and damaging as ever.
What are some of the biggest challenges that remain for women in the workplace?
The way Australian women work today would be virtually unrecognisable to those living seventy years ago. And yet, over the same period, the way men work has largely remained static. More Australian women are participating in paid work, and at higher levels, than ever before. However, extensive barriers remain to women’s economic empowerment, inclusion and equality. Why?
Let’s start having a conversation about the unseen consequences and unreached possibility of economic equality. Let’s question ‘the way things have always been done’ at work and at home and realise the potential of a new approach that benefits employees and employers.
What should be the primary focus of diversity and inclusion efforts in 2025?
In 2025, our challenge is to keep pushing for progress while simultaneously tackling detachment - and even backlash - towards diversity, equity and inclusion measures.
Join us this International Women's Day in Sydney
For Sydney’s mining and resources professionals, this event offers an unmissable opportunity to reflect on the past, learn from the present, and commit to building a more equitable future. Jamila’s keynote will explore the dramatic evolution of women’s participation in the Australian workforce over the past 70 years – and why we’re still not where we need to be. Despite this progress, significant barriers to women’s economic empowerment and equality remain, while men’s work patterns have largely stayed the same. It's time to challenge traditional approaches and have an open conversation about the untapped potential of economic equality, recognising the benefits of a new approach for both employees and employers.
Plus, there will be an exclusive opportunity for the Sydney audience to take part in an exclusive Q&A session with Jamila, where you can engage directly with her and ask questions about diversity, inclusion, or how to drive change in your workplace!
Seats are limited, so don’t miss your chance to join us for this IWD lunch in Sydney and hear from our keynote speaker, Jamila Rizvi.