Women don’t want more; we just want fair. Whether it’s fair pay, a fair chance of recognition, or fair access to flexibility and strong mentors, most women want to know and feel like the company they work for has their back.
If you’re a woman considering or have already begun a career in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine), you might be enticed by the promises and eloquently worded commitments of many companies as they vie not only for your skills, but the boxes your employment will tick in their gender quota targets. At WORK180 we scratch beneath the surface of these pretty words and ensure the practices behind them match these commitments. The Endorsed Employers on this list, not only offer some of the most exciting roles in STEMM, but they’re also actively working toward gender equity in the workplace.
How do we know? Because their own employees couldn’t wait to tell us. Whether it’s through magnificent mentors, prolific growth opportunities, or empathetic considerations of mental wellbeing, the women from these 24 companies love the way they are supported to succeed in their STEMM careers.
Contents: Magnificent mentors | Flexibility | Learning & development | Growth opportunities | Supportive leaders | Recognition & feedback | Inclusive cultures | Mental wellbeing |The quicklist
“Since joining Toyota there has been many times where I have been supported. During the first few years, I had an informal mentor who I could go to and ask all the questions. More recently, I have had the opportunity to take part in a formal mentoring program, which has helped me challenge my thinking on where I could take my career.“
Linda Young | Acting Senior Dealer Systems Specialist (Delivery Lead) at Toyota
“The support and training offered by my mentors and leaders at Unitywater has been invaluable. They have advocated and supported my involvement in some fun challenges that have grown my engineering, teamwork and professional skills.“
Kate Welsh | Graduate Engineering at Unitywater
“Cisco has provided mentors to support and sponsor my decision to pursue a senior engineering career.”
– Vanessa Sulikowski | Distinguished Engineer at Cisco
“To date I have enjoyed being included in high-level decision-making and stretch opportunities. In my prior roles I have been able to access targeted one-on-one executive coaching as needed – this has been invaluable in thinking my way through challenges, as well as next career steps.”
Professor Zee Upton | Pro Vice-Chancellor College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing at The University of Newcastle
“A huge amount of support and mentorship has been provided to myself and my team from David Wilde – Operations Manager ACPC and Matthew Eglen – Maintenance Manager. This mentorship has been focused on stakeholder management and engagement, conflict management and schedule management. Both David and Matthew have made themselves available at all hours to answer questions as they have come about. The level of support and mentorship has turned incredibly stressful situations into valuable learning and development opportunities.”
Felicity Kelleher | Production Manager at Naval Ship Management (NSM)
“My partner was injured, requiring surgery, and landing him immobile for quite a while. The team gave me so much support in terms of workplace flexibility. There was no question that I could have time off to take care of him and it was easy to transition to work from home.
When I was emotionally and physically exhausted from taking care of everything at home and balancing work, my team stepped up to support me and shoulder some of the workload. This flexibility and support allowed me to take care of what I needed to at home without being completely mentally overwhelmed.”
Val Barber-Axthelm | Senior Embedded Software Engineer at ExaPD
“I have two young children and I have always found my leaders to be very supportive of my family situation. Powerlink offers paid maternity leave, the ability to work part-time and with flexible hours.”
Renee Jones | Senior Engineer Secondary Systems at Powerlink Queensland
“I have had a lot of training across the years. Now we have a lot of flexibility – we can work from home and work the hours that suit us provided we’re doing our job effectively.“
Sudha Sharma | Data Architect in the Digital Data & Analytics Team at Jemena
“A number of times I have applied for full time roles (even though my preference is to work part time) and the leader has been open to adjusting the role accountabilities to enable them to be part time roles. It’s also a powerful message about the value the company places on diversity and being open to ways of enabling development for different types of people.”
– Heather Noblett | Supply Chain Strategic Initiatives Manager at Lion
“I’ve been supported with flex hours to enable school pick up and flexibility of location. An open and honest relationship with my leader has built trust and understanding that I’ll get the job done to a high level regardless of hours kept or location done from.“
Nicola Kay | Network Technical & Performance Leader – Craft at Lion
“As a parent, flexibility in work hours is invaluable, as the childcare or school pickup and drop-off hours usually are not flexible. Unlike some of my previous work experiences, at Athena, we discuss and come up with social contracts about expected availability and responsiveness, this helps us collaborate and focus as needed.“
Martina James | Software Engineer Manager at Athena
“The organization has provided me fantastic back to the workforce support during each of my three parental leaves.”
– Carrie Grundy | Senior Data Engineer at Woolworths Group
“Afterpay is an incredible place to work at, as I really feel like the company promotes family first values. As a mother of 15-month-old twin boys, Afterpay provides me with the flexibility that I need to be a mom first, and a Product Manager second.“
Natalie Katz | Principal Product Manager at Afterpay
“When I first joined CGI, I applied for a supervisory management position. I was very happy when they welcomed my idea of job-sharing the role with someone I suggested, and it ended up working well. Working part-time is a great solution for me. It has enabled me to maintain an active IT career without taking away from other aspects of my life. I’ve learnt you can be a productive, valued and effective member of the team while working part-time. You can also still progress your career.“
Diane O’Connor | Senior Service Delivery Manager at CGI
“For most mums returning to the workforce after a break is difficult and I was no exception. My sister, an intern at the time, was my first mentor, who encouraged me to apply for a role at NAB. NAB’s flexible working arrangements has meant I have been able to juggle around family commitments.”
– Joyce Bhatia | Intern-Software Engineer at National Australia Bank
“I am very lucky to be working in an environment that has truly adapted to flexible working. It has allowed me to focus on my career, without the added pressures that comes along with managing family life. I have access to great mentors, both male and female and have a great team surrounding me, this gives me the confidence and ability to balance my work and family life.“
Hayley Corcoran | Portfolio Manager at Coles Group
“With stores and support center offices across Australia, Coles is in a great position to be able to offer choice to our team members as to where and how they want to work. They’ve not only supported but enabled my relocation to Queensland to be closer to my family. We’ve proven that people don’t have to be in-the-office or face-to-face to provide effective support and perform their role to a high standard.
Work is a thing you do, not a place you go.”
– Melissa Robertshaw | Head of Store Customer Platforms at Coles Group
“Even in my first week, I was fortunate to be included in a one-day professional development program hosted by a third-party training company. In addition, I have weekly professional development sessions with the leader of our software team. The combination of coaching and training empowers individuals to handle difficult situations and develop as engineers.“
Luz Gonzalez | Embedded Software Engineer at ExaPD
“AARNet are always open to hearing from and understanding my needs as an employee in STEMM. Being able to regularly discuss with my manager about the potential training or upskilling I can complete is beneficial.”
– Gen Rosewall | Business Analyst at AARNet
“Megaport has provided me with so many opportunities to create a precedent where there was none previously. I feel like I’m a trailblazer here. Self-development efforts in my early time at Megaport was a bit challenging as there were plenty of tasks to complete, but I think the effort was worthwhile!“
Miwa Fujii | APAC Customer Success Manager at Megaport
“I was also supported to study my Master of Business and Technology through the UNSW and Brewing exams through the Institute of Brewing and Distilling.“
– Nicola Kay | Network Technical & Performance Leader – Craft at Lion
“When I first started my career in STEMM, I was self-conscious about not having a computer science background and minimal experience in tech. However, at Thoughtworks, I have found tech leads and fellow developers who generously share their knowledge to help fill in the gaps through impromptu discussions on computer science topics and engineering methodologies or suggesting different books and blogs to read.“
Michelle Lo | Senior Consultant Developer at Thoughtworks Australia
“I attended Thoughtworks university when I joined as a graduate, and I have also undertaken internal security training and attended an internal data university. They also actively encourage people with diverse backgrounds who may not have followed the traditional computer science career path to enter the workforce.
Prior to joining Thoughtworks, I attended LevelUp, which is a volunteer initiative run by Thoughtworkers and industry professionals to bridge the gap between the classroom and the workforce. I was encouraged to try coding and it provided me with a safe space to learn and fail. Being a lifelong learner and staying curious is integral to being a great technologist and these are some of the ways I have been able to thrive in my career and work in numerous domains and technologies.“
Katie Peterson | Senior Developer at Thoughtworks Australia
“CGI has allowed me flexible working hours to work from home and has provided excellent internal and external training opportunities. I am currently undertaking study in Microsoft Azure Security and RedHat. This training has supported both myself and has allowed me to be a more valuable member of the CGI team.“
Peta Gergen | Senior Technical Consultant at CGI
“NAB provide a supportive environment that nurtures both our personal and professional goals. There’s ample Cloud training opportunities through the NAB Cloud Guild, regular one-on-one meetings with our People Leader to continuously work on our individual development plans/yearly goals, and they encourage us to participate in externally run programs such as the AWS She Builds CloudU Program for women.”
Erinea Gloria | Intern – Cloud Engineer At National Australia Bank
“As a NAB employee, I am continuously encouraged and have access to both digital learning platforms as well as inhouse NAB Cloud Guild community resources for my professional development. I’m currently working towards my first cloud certification and looking forward to many more.”
– Joyce Bhatia | Intern-Software Engineer at National Australia Bank
“I love that Bendigo & Adelaide Bank is genuine about living out its values. The ones that really resonate with me are around integrity, trust, and honesty – these align very much with my own personal values, so it feels like a great fit for me to be here.
The other great thing about Bendigo & Adelaide Bank is that there are stacks of opportunities here. People can put their hand up to be part of new initiatives and can move across teams to gain hands-on experience in areas that interest them. They can also broaden their skills through training – for instance, we have recently launched an exciting suite of Cloud training and certification sources.”
Shannon Jurkovic | Chief Information Security Officer at Bendigo & Adelaide Bank
“There is a focus on growth. Our OKR bonuses are all growth-oriented, rather than being based on company metrics or work completion. The combination of planning for development and flexible working has created an environment of excellence and understanding and allows many opportunities for career growth.“
Val Barber-Axthelm | Senior Embedded Software Engineer at ExaPD
“Melbourne Water has many great programs that support diverse working needs. However, the biggest impact has been the exposure to on-the-job growth opportunities. The breadth and depth of services offered by Melbourne Water provides unlimited opportunities to learn and grow across a range of engineering, business and community fields from strategy to operational delivery.“
Dr. Wendy Smith | Team Leader Flood Services at Melbourne Water
“I’ve had opportunities to be part of different projects, to network, to reflect and learn new skills. Foundation of authentic leadership was an amazing course; I learnt a lot from it.”Aurelie Jonquet | Microbiologist/Systems Improvement Coach at Lion
|
|
“Working for an organization with a growth mindset that sets truth filters allows you to always feel supported to ask questions as you work collaboratively to solve problems.
I have enjoyed working for an organization that lets me use my strengths and trusts that I will collaborate and bring a team together to find solutions to bottlenecks, inefficiencies and support improvements. This is particularly important when managing cyber security and developing solutions as technology changes rapidly and understanding user behavior is as important as implementing congruent technology solutions.“Kristen Foster | Manager, Technology Risk, Governance and Security (Chief Information Security Officer) at Unitywater
“Cisco’s largest Employee Resource Group is Women of Cisco which afforded me the opportunities to lead and participate in many growth, development, sharing and celebration activities.”
– Vanessa Sulikowski | Distinguished Engineer at Cisco
“I’ve been in my current technical role as a senior engineer for seven years, but lately I’ve had some opportunities in the leadership space. Powerlink is incredibly supportive of this and have offered leadership training and acting positions to help me develop my skills.
Powerlink offers a program called “Accelerate Women in Leadership”, which I participated in last year and found very beneficial. This program aims to help women in Powerlink develop in the areas of confidence, networking, self-promotion, resilience and story-telling.“
Renee Jones | Senior Engineer Secondary Systems at Powerlink Queensland
“There has never been a lack of opportunity at Afterpay to grow, learn and develop my career. I have always felt Afterpay’s desire to promote equality and diversity in the workplace as genuine and important to the success and culture of the organization.”Erin Smith | Director of Product Management at Afterpay
|
|
“My workplace offers a good balance of fun and work. While we have fun team lunches, parties and games on one hand, we also have regular technology seminars, hackathons and technology guilds on the other.“
Anjali Nagaraj | Salesforce Engineer at Athena
“I find the work interesting, and it’s incredibly satisfying to be involved in building research infrastructure. I’ve also had the opportunity to attend and also speak at multiple international conferences, which has been a terrifying but rewarding experience especially for an introvert like me!
I love that my co-workers believed in me and pushed and supported me to take on these opportunities.”
– Crystal Chua | Cloud Services Software Engineer at AARNet
“Having a female director encourages me to strive for future career pathways and enables me to see a place for myself in leadership in STEMM.”
– Gen Rosewall | Business Analyst at AARNet
“I have always felt well supported in my workplace. They have often reduced my workload when I had to dedicate more time for my personal life like when I was shifting to a new house or when I had some health issues for which I had to make frequent visits to my doctor. They ensure that private conversations happen regularly to discuss if we are feeling alright and if we need more help or support in any way. All these factors have contributed to a happy work life.“
Anjali Nagaraj | Salesforce Engineer at Athena
“If I could pinpoint a time when I felt particularly supported, it was when there was a massive change in my client project, which took everyone by surprise. After this happened, the then Head of Engineering set up a video call to check that I was ok, to see if he could do anything to help, and let me know that I wasn’t alone despite everything that was happening. It was reassuring to know that people cared and were only a chat message away.“
Michelle Lo | Senior Consultant Developer at Thoughtworks Australia
“My leaders and managers have helped me to shape, identify and develop key soft skills; including cross-departmental collaboration. These skills have provided the opportunity for me to manage people and, in return, provide the support and flexibility which has made me a success.
Woolworths Group is creating better experiences by promoting gender equality and creating an inclusive workplace. We make a conscious effort to ensure that our job descriptions are gender neutral to support a diverse range of applicants.“Nina Faridshaygan | Chapter Lead – Business Analysts at Woolworths Group
“We have a leadership program which provides a platform of progression for women who work here. Additionally, chapter time is another equal opportunity initiative that allows and encourages employees to exercise self-development and progression. It makes me proud and inspired working at Woolworths Group and seeing our executive leadership positions being held by women.“
Azadeh Hassanzadeh | Engineering Manager at Woolworths Group
“My Leader really gives me the time and space to work through ideas. He listens to me and helps me find the way by guiding rather than telling.”
– Sudha Sharma | Data Architect in the Digital Data & Analytics Team at Jemena
“I’ve been lucky to have a lot of support from the EY community since joining the firm, inspired by key female role models in my team. The memory that jumps out at me is when a group of colleagues and I spoke to our leaders about setting up a local group focused on improving the experience of women in technology. Not only were the partners supportive, but they encouraged us to think bigger and ensure all the women in Oceania were supported by the initiative.
As a result, we now have a thriving network across all our technology teams filled with passionate team members wanting to make a difference.“
Anneke Knol | Manager in Technology Consulting at EY
“There are various supports for Powerlink people including Flexible Working Arrangements, access to secondments and training but most importantly, there are leaders that really support and embrace differences.
The biggest support is my direct team leader. He supports my part-time working arrangement whilst still prioritizing my accessibility to projects and training that supports my development.”
– Emily Rowlands | Electrical Design Engineer at Powerlink Queensland
“When I joined CGI I had to quickly learn the architecture of the client’s environment on the run. My manager gave me the flexibility and freedom to learn the scope of my role and grow my skills within the team. We had regular catch-ups to tease out issues and to make sure I bonded with the team whilst working remotely. I was subsequently able to impart my newfound knowledge to other staff members which resulted in me receiving recognition from my peers for my accolades, through our internal recognition tool APPLAUD.“
Peta Gergen | Senior Technical Consultant at CGI
“There are always different occasions when you feel unheard, particularly as a technical woman. It takes much more for us to gain the trust of our customers which can affect our confidence and motivation.
During my career in STEMM there were multiple occasions that this pushed me to the edge of leaving Technology. However, I have always had a great team to support me in these situations at Cisco. They always give me space and voice to grow and always make me feel included and valuable in front of difficult customers. This really kept me motivated in my current role in technology and encouraged me to learn and grow.”
– Ghazaleh Pour Sadrollah | Systems Engineer at Cisco
“My manager and I have a fortnightly catch up, giving me the opportunity to talk about how I am going in my role, any concerns I might have, any training I would like to do and what I would like to see or be involved in the future. Rheinmetall also supports and offers me paid leave to participate in Army Reserves. I believe the best way to feel supported is when you are supported regardless of your gender.“
Sakuni Ranwala | Systems Engineer at Rheinmetall Defence Australia
“I’m supported through the direct communication and recognition of the work I do well.
I am currently being recognized for work I have done on a project that’s been ongoing for ~18 months. It has been an incredibly challenging project, and I have been given some positive feedback, opportunities to improve, and offered roles where I can build skills in my experience gaps. I feel truly supported now.“
Alyssa Hodgson | Development Brewer NZ at Lion
“I feel truly supported because at Athena I am heard, no matter if it’s for a technical issue or inter-personal one. I’ve actually received recognition for asking good questions at Athena. This really set the bar for me. Not only are Athena listening, but they’re recognizing the contributions my questions bring, it makes me feel truly supported.“
Martina James | Software Engineer Manager at Athena
“We value and practice feedback on a regular basis as a way to get early insights on how we’re going, as well as share ideas about how to improve for next time. And everyone has a mentor who supports you on your longer-term growth journey.“
Caroline Teahan | Professional Services Manager at Thoughtworks Australia
“I have always been surprised, encouraged and energised by the recognition, accolades and awards that my Cisco leaders and Cisco colleagues have nominated me for and the acknowledgements I have received. This vindication makes all the hard work and effort thoroughly worth it and just one of the reasons I love working at Cisco.”
– Vanessa Sulikowski | Distinguished Engineer at Cisco
“Bendigo & Adelaide Bank support me in many ways but here are my top five:
- Trust. I feel the company trusts my capabilities more than I have of myself.
- Openness. I can freely share my thoughts with my leader and my teammates.
- Learning. Learning is a priority. We have access to LinkedIn Learning and the Unleash program to name a few.
- Recognition. The company recognizes my contribution even when I don’t really think much about it.
- Role. I am a T-shaped person. My role allows me to work on a variety of projects that sharpens my analysis, architect, support and development skills.”
– Pauline Wong | Software Engineer at Bendigo & Adelaide Bank
“I am very grateful for the opportunities that I have received so far with Aurizon! I have a friendly team who are all very helpful which has allowed me to be comfortable starting in a new position. I have already learnt so much and can’t wait to continue learning and begin my full-time role.“
Logan Bella | Student Engineer at Aurizon
“I joined Thoughtworks with less than 2.5 years of professional experience. For my second engagement, I was staffed as a tech lead. I was shocked because I thought I wasn’t ready. But when I reached out for support, Thoughtworks was so understanding and took immediate action.
It has been almost a year since I took on the role as a tech lead, and since then, I have been a tech lead for several engagements. I have learned a lot and grown immensely, both professionally and personally, from my experiences. Now, I realize that my colleagues had recognized I was ideally suited for such a role even when I did not.“Tiffany Leung | Senior Developer at Thoughtworks Australia
“We have many wonderful communities within Thoughtworks – for example, communities focused on roles, domains, locations and/or passions. These communities provide a safe space for us to ask for help or guidance when we get stuck, as well as share our opinions and perspectives.“
Caroline Teahan | Professional Services Manager at Thoughtworks Australia
“I have been given great opportunities to grow my capabilities with new and challenging work, networking and training. I find it’s a very supportive team culture at Unitywater as the norm.”
– Kylie Crouch | Environmental Sustainability Manager at Unitywater
“One of our values is to be One Team where every team member learns from each other. I saw this happen working on the design reviews of a recycled water scheme. The team collaborated with women leaders and used their suggestions to make improvements. I felt supported, as a woman and an engineer, in a workplace that actively seeks the contributions and ideas of others. Also, I had a ton of fun and a few laughs.”
Kate Welsh | Graduate Engineering at Unitywater
“There are so many benefits that come from bringing people together with diverse backgrounds and thinking to build dynamic teams, and this is one of the things I value in my current role.
I rely on my experience in delivery as well as my ability to understand complex problems, to help teams solve issues and remove impediments to deliver outcomes in what is usually a fast paced and challenging environment. It is exciting and every day is unique.“Kylie Hunt | Head of Digital Delivery for eCommerce at Coles Group
“Powerlink supports various employee resource groups that are committed to Diversity & Inclusion such as the Culture Coalition, Reconciliation Action Plan, D&I Advocates, WIE+ (Womxn in Engineering), Accelerate WIL (Women in Leadership) and Pride in Power.As a queer woman of color in STEMM, my identity intersects with a number of these minority groups. Powerlink fosters an inclusive culture that enables me to bring my most authentic self to work every day, empowering me to unleash my potential.”
|
|
“I remember my interview with NAB so clearly as the team’s response to my career transition surprised me. Whilst I don’t have a degree in IT, NAB valued my initiative and viewed my career transition as a positive change, acknowledging my unique perspective and the soft skills I can bring to the table. I didn’t get the same response from other employers that I interviewed with last year.“
Erinea Gloria | Intern – Cloud Engineer at National Australia Bank
“Afterpay has been the most supportive, collaborative and accepting workplace I’ve had the pleasure of working for. I’ve always dreamt of spaces where there was a breadth of backgrounds, lived experience or even people who looked like me. The representation of all people, and the openness to learn and inform staff so that the efforts of diversity and inclusion are embedded in our culture.
I am a proud gay, black, mix-raced woman, and it’s super refreshing to see zoom webinars such gender inclusion, pride, wear it purple day etc. it makes me feel unashamed to be myself at work and fosters an environment where we can all thrive and be seen. I feel supported to do my job well, and have been given the space to give ideas, feedback and drive initiatives.“Tinika Pasinetti | Quality Analyst at Afterpay
“In our line of work it could be easy to work a bit too much, which may lead to burnout. To prevent this, we recently had training about the importance of recovery, managing our energy, health and performance. This is especially valuable coming from a workplace.“
Martina James | Software Engineer Manager at Athena
“I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in Workmates, our mental health and wellbeing peer support program. This has given me the opportunity not only to develop my skills but also to give back to my colleagues – which I really value. TransGrid is good in understanding how different family situations need different flexibility and support. I don’t have to choose a fulfilling career or fulfilling family life, I can have both.“
Rebecca Dable | IT Domain Architect at TransGrid
“The non-discrimination policy at Exa is more than a document, it’s embedded in ExaPD’s values. This has given me a lot of comfort and confidence coming from a non-English speaking country.”
– Luz Gonzalez | Embedded Software Engineer at ExaPD
“I enjoy working at Bendigo & Adelaide Bank because it gives me opportunities to do what I am interested in (IAM security solution design) and learn new skills to grow professionally. My teammates are very supportive and fun to work with. My manager believes in us and ensures our wellbeing.”
– Lien Tran | Identity and Access Management Engineer at Bendigo & Adelaide Bank
The quicklist
We get it, you’re a busy woman and might not have had time to read through all the testimonials above. And to be honest, we had such an amazing response this article could have been three times as long, and still not listed all the great ways our Endorsed Employers are supporting the women they employ.
So here’s the quicklist of employers above:
If you didn’t find your employer on the list, but think they should be, why not try check out the full list of our Endorsed Employers, or talk to your HR/diversity team at work about getting endorsed by WORK180.
*You may have noticed we use the STEMM acronym throughout the article, rather than the shorter STEM. Check out our Diversity and Inclusion Glossary to understand the differences.