Presentation from ICWES 15 Conference - July 2011, Australia

1. Women Leading Diversity
Presenters:
Alison McKechnie and Rowenna Walker

2. Introduction
• Who is SKM?
• Diversity at SKM...How are Women leading it?
– Women in Consulting (WiC)
– Global Diversity Committee
• Who are these Women & what do they do?

3. Leading Cultural Change
• In 2006, senior women at SKM recognised the necessity for;
- Greater representative of females within management and
leadership roles;
- Improved recruitment, recognition and retention of female staff;
- Better mentoring and networking opportunities to support
career and development needs.
• Consequently, the Women in Consulting (WiC) initiative was
established to engage women at all levels within SKM and provide
opportunities for staff development and career progression.
• WiC represents SKM’s acknowledgement that diversity and equality
is not just about providing a better workplace for all staff but is a
financial imperative for the future of the business.

4. WiC Vision
To advance and support women at SKM by promoting the
value of women in consulting environments
• Encourage diversity of thought in strategic planning
• Tap into a broader and more dynamic talent pool
• Improve staff awareness of career opportunities and potential
within the business
• Attract key skills in an increasingly competitive market
• Help us expand into new markets and geographies
• Address the retention and progression issues of mid-level
female staff which was becoming an increasing problem
• Connect with our clients better – in many instances their
company profiles are also changing

5. Key Initiatives
• Involvement in development of Flexible Work Policies
• Support for increased parental leave (12 weeks) for both
genders
• Instigated reporting mechanisms specifically recording
diversity figures (attrition rates by gender, % females in
management roles, etc)
• Assisting with the implementation of Good Workplace
Relations and Behaviour programs (ie. Bullying and
harassment, Cultural awareness training)
• Establishing mentoring programs specifically for women

6. Key Initiatives
• Encouraging networking opportunities both internally
and externally
• Promoting the achievements and career choices of
women within SKM
• Connecting female staff with female students in school
and universities to promote career opportunities in
engineering, science and consulting
• Regular client events to connect, learn and share
information from other women in our industries
• Achieving EOWA Employer of Choice for Women
accreditation

7. Impact and Results
• Increasing % Female Staff
• Less variance of attrition rates by gender reduced
from 5% to 1.4% since WiC
• Increasing % of female managers
– 37.5% of SKM board are female
– 15% women in management roles
– 23% of team leaders and above are women
• Increasing % of part time staff from 4.6% to 5.3%

8. Impact and Results
Females in SKM:
• 29% staff
•32% new hires
% of Female Employees by Company
90
80
70
60
50
40 30 30 29 Female
30 26
22
Male
20
10
0
Arup Exxon Mobil SKM Woodside Worley
Parsons

9. Impact and Results
• An open and transparent recruitment policy . All leadership roles in the organisation are
advertised internally, with a diverse interview panel including at least one female interviewer.
• Active sponsorship of female talent in the organisation, including the CEO personally
reviewing attendance at each senior leadership development program, to ensure females are
included.
• Ensuring gender pay equity through continual analysis of salary reviews by gender.
• Diversity as a standing agenda item at all senior management meetings.
• Diversity included as a key theme in many leadership development forums across all career
streams, which helps to support working across cultures and recognising unconscious bias.
• Stronger reporting mechanisms, including a rigorous analysis of exit interview data by
gender, discipline and location, including follow up surveys.
• 'EOWA Employer of Choice for Women' (EOCFW)
• NAWIC Crystal Vision Award for Advancing the Interests of Women in the Construction
Industry in Victoria, Australia 2008

10. Being part of the solution – What worked
• Active (not Rhetoric) CEO and Senior Management
sponsorship
• Business Plan and related budget that aligned with
SKM strategic vision and core business priorities
• Inclusion: men on committees, invited to events
• Consistency: Global WiC and diversity committees
• Promoting Choice: There is no right or wrong way to
live your career
• Listening: feedback from all informal & surveys

11. Being part of the solution - What didn’t
• One size doesn’t fit all
• Secret women’s business
• Being part of HR/People
• Preaching to the converted
• Not doing a lot of things well
• Being antagonistic

12. Future Priorities – A way to go

13. Future Priorities – A way to go
• Continue to be relevant
• Communicate, celebrate and acknowledge progress
• Growing committees in all regions
• Better communication and consistency across WiC in
undertaking initiatives and sharing knowledge
• Be responsive –Listening to our staff better about
what they need in their careers and diverse life styles
• Connect with our clients/partners/industry and
share