DEI Account Management Team
As an Endorsed Employer, you will be supported by a DEI Account Manager throughout your DEI journey.
They will offer:
- tailored advice for your organization;
benchmarking against global best practice; - resource and training options to support your goals; and
- support identifying how to amplify your employer value proposition for women
Meet the DEI Account Management Team
Valeria Ignatieva
CEO / Team Lead
As WORK180’s cofounder and CEO, Valeria has been working with Endorsed Employers for over seven years.
She enjoys liaising with Endorsed Employers to inform the products that WORK180 builds to create more inclusive workplaces.
Valeria is also particularly passionate about sharing knowledge from employers in non-traditional industries from all over the world. She is driven by the incredible
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change within the WORK180 employer network; on average, once every two weeks a WORK180 Endorsed Employer improves a policy or benefit.
In her downtime, Valeria loves spending time with family, collecting indoor plants and playing basketball.
Christine Wakelin
DEI Account Manager/Client Engagement Lead (Australia)
Christine is an experienced Relationship Manager within the corporate, pharmaceutical, corporate retail and now recruitment sector, with a passion for building balanced businesses.
Christine was a key DEI lead at Blackmore’s under the outstanding leadership of Christine Holgate and was the beneficiary of a progressive workplace culture that valued outcomes over inputs.
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With her wealth of experience, Christine effectively leads WORK180’s DEI Knowledge Share Sessions, providing a platform for Endorsed Employers to collaborate and learn from each other.
Christine loves the outdoors and was even once a waterski and windsurf instructor. She also enjoys tennis and beach volleyball.
Jacquelyn Opara
DEI Account Manager/Client Engagement Lead (US & UK)
Jacquelyn majored in non-profit management and spent time in college working for and volunteering for non-profits, particularly those that serve underfunded areas or at risk youth.
She eventually pivoted into enterprise and account management where she enjoyed growing brands and working with interns. Jacquelyn has always had a passion for DEI so WORK180 allows her to marry
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her passions with her skillset while also leaving time for vacations with her nieces.
Jacquelyn loves everything Disney and considers herself to be one of those Harry Potter obsessed millennials, as well as a plant-mom.
Jessie Yu
Senior DEI Account Manager
With more than five years of client relationship management experience, Jessie loves that she gets to align what she does for a living with what she cares about.
She is passionate about doing her part to shape a more equitable world – starting with the workplace and is proud to support organizations to make a tangible, positive impact so that all women can thrive.
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Jessie spent a few years living and working in Asia, she speaks Mandarin and is currently learning Korean and Bahasa Indonesia on Duolingo.
Jacquie Connaughton
Senior DEI Account Manager
Jacquie has worked in a number of account management roles over the past five years and was also on the board for VIC ICT for Women. Jacquie previously partnered with Vision Australia to set up a work experience program for the vision impaired.
Jacquie loves that her role gives her the opportunity to work with Endorsed Employers to deliver tangible results that benefit both the employers and women
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generally.
She and her husband recently renovated a vintage 1973 11-foot caravan and love travelling in it with their young daughter whenever they get a chance.
Shazya Azim
Senior DEI Account Manager
Shazya has a decade of experience in account management in industries ranging across media, events, and logistics. Her passions are helping people grow and cultivating well-being, particularly women.
She is motivated by purpose and making a positive impact by supporting workplaces that are committed to gender equity, diversity, and inclusion, and making it easy for women to find fulfilling roles within them.
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Shazya was born in Fiji and is Fijian-Indian. She migrated to Australia with her family in 2003 and lives in Sydney. Her hobbies are reading, swimming, hiking, and dancing.
Anna Kondritz
Senior DEI Account Manager
Anna has ten years of international work experience in Sales and Marketing across various sectors.
Earlier this year, she decided to follow her passion for People and Culture and study Human Resources Management. She completed her Postgraduate Certificate in October, which she is thrilled about.
Before WORK180, she founded the Asia Pacific Women’s Network for Whirlpool
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with the global CEO as the sponsor and engaged in international DEI movements with KitchenAid and SmileDirectClub alongside HR by analysing employee engagement surveys and defining suitable training and workshop initiatives.
Julie Taylor
Senior DEI Account Manager
Julie is a talented Account Manager with decades of experience in working with individual business owners, as well as multinational corporations.
Julie will work with you to identify opportunities to help improve diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization. A skilled communicator, Julie engages all stakeholders within the business to ensure everyone sees the value in having a diverse workplace,
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and actively works towards making this happen.
Julie loves being active and enjoy playing touch football and netball, running, walking the pooch and hiking. Not to mention swimming and surfing – how could you not being based in Noosa!
Additional resources for Endorsed Employers
Struggle to find the time, resources, or DEI know-how to turn good intentions into meaningful action? WORK180 offers Endorsed Employers a range of helpful resources designed to assist you in implementing effective diversity, equity and inclusion strategies in your organization.