The 100% Project

This is the second episode in The 100 Percent Project's dive into the gender issues surrounding the construction industry in Australia.

In this episode, we hear from Sarah Holdsworth from the School of Property Construction and Project Management at RMIT University.  Sarah is an associate professor of sustainable built environments.  

Sarah has spent several years researching women's experiences in the Victorian construction industry with the aim of better understanding how women gain entry and experience into the industry. Her evidence-based research seeks to inform policy and programs to increase the attraction and retention of women in all roles across the construction industry. 

In this episode, Sarah discusses that research with David Cummins from The 100 Percent Project.

The 100 Percent Project's "Construction" series of podcasts explore the world of gender diversity and equality within the Australian construction industry.

In this episode, Althea Papinczak, the Founder and National Director of WIDAC - the world's largest network for women in the Design and Construction industry - talks to The 100 Percent Project's David Cummins. 

Based in Brisbane, Althea has created a national community for women within the construction industry and in this interview shares some of her personal and professional experiences as a woman within a male-dominated industry.

Rose Herceg is President of WPP in Australia and New Zealand. WPP is a multinational communications, advertising, public relations and technology, company and the world's largest advertising company. 

As well as a passionate advocate for gender equality and flexible work, Rose recognises the importance of psychological safety in the workplace to nurture and encourage creativity - the lifeblood of WPP.  

In this podcast we discuss the recent research from The 100% Project: “Breaking Dad”; which considers the role of psychological safety, especially in the context of men and women taking extended parental leave and the positive impact this has on organisations, families and society.  

Despite these benefits, many fathers are still not taking extended parental leave, even when it is available, for fear of the impact it may have on their career. As a result, many women are forced to take a longer career break, impacting their financial and job security. We discuss the importance of role models to encourage behavioural change as well as how the communications industry can also support changing social paradigms.  

Interview with Jono Willis, General Counsel, Lion New Zealand and Lion Little World Beverages.  "Breaking Dad" research series into the psychological safety for men when requesting non-traditional working conditions.

Jono has been with Lion since 2012 and assumed the role of General Counsel – Lion New Zealand and Little World Beverages in 2018.   Jono’s role has him sitting on the executive team for two of Lion’s business units: Little World Beverages, Lion’s fast-growing international business with operations in the UK and USA, and its well-established New Zealand business.  The dual role requires managing two very distinct teams with different strategic visions and ways of operating, and working across multiple jurisdictions.  Jono brings a commercial and pragmatic approach to his legal role which combined with his strong technical skills sees him as a trusted and key strategic advisor.

Jono has been a loud and proud advocate for improved parental policies for a number of years.  Jono is a passionate believer that having workplace policies that give parents the choice to equally share parenting is an important component to achieving fairer outcomes in the workplace. Jono is a hands-on dad to his young toddler Pippa and took three months parental leave to be the primary caregiver when Pippa was five months old so his wife Kate, also a Lawyer, could return to work.

Justin Untersteiner joined the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) as Chief Operating Officer in December 2019 and is responsible for AFCA’s core operations and corporate services. He has extensive expertise in leading large scale, significant organisational transformation programs. Justin combines strong relationship management skills with technical knowledge of regulation, procurement, contract management, property management, and financial compliance. 

Justin held a variety of leadership roles at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) over a 13-year career, most recently as the Assistant Commissioner of Integrated Compliance. In this role he was responsible for leading the ATO’s approach to large scale, complex taxation and superannuation matters focussing on compliance.  

Prior to this Justin was the ATO’s Chief Financial Officer, responsible for the agency’s annual budget of $3.5 billion. Justin also brings valuable private sector perspectives and experience from Cadbury Schweppes and Woolworths to his role as COO. 

Justin is a passionate advocate for gender equality and workplace equality and flexibility. He has worked throughout his career to build inclusive workplaces that engage, inform and support employees and has designed and implemented a variety of programs to improve outcomes for diverse workforces. He is a hands-on Dad with two young children, he himself utilises flexible practices such as part time hours, set finish times and a mix of office/home work to balance both his role at work and at home.  

At The 100 Percent Project, our most recent research entitled "Breaking Dad", explores the issue of psychological safety for men when requesting flexible or part-time working conditions including parental leave. 

The research finds that men are often met with negative reactions from managers and colleagues when requesting non-traditional working conditions and may be made to feel embarrassed, ridiculed or sidelined. Why is this reaction so pervasive throughout Australian society? How do we destigmatise men's desire to lead a more balanced life in regard to work, community, family and self?

In this episode, we hear from Francisco "Disco" Morales, Talent Acquisition Lead for Technology and Security at Canva, about his flexible working experience after the birth of his first child.

At The 100 Percent Project, our most recent research entitled "Breaking Dad", explores the issue of psychological safety for men when requesting flexible or part-time working conditions including parental leave. 

The research finds that men are often met with negative reactions from managers and colleagues when requesting non-traditional working conditions and may be made to feel embarrassed, ridiculed or sidelined. Why is this reaction so pervasive throughout Australian society? How do we destigmatise men's desire to lead a more balanced life in regard to work, community, family and self?

In this episode, we hear from Jono Willis, General Counsel, Lion New Zealand and Little World Beverages, about his flexible working experience. 

At The 100 Percent Project, we have recently released our "Breaking Dad" research. This research explores the issue of psychological safety for men when requesting flexible or part-time working conditions.

The research finds that men are often met with negative reactions from managers and colleagues when requesting non-traditional working conditions and may be made to feel embarrassed, ridiculed or sidelined. Why is this reaction so pervasive throughout Australian society? How do we destigmatise mens' desire to lead a more balanced life in regards to work, community, family and self?

In this series, we're exploring stories from business leaders who have first-hand experience of this exact situation.

In this episode, we speak with Justin Untersteiner, the Chief Operating Officer for the Australian Financial Complaints Authority. Justin shares his experiences, good and bad, about taking extended parental leave as a senior executive.


Justin’s Bio

Justin Untersteiner joined the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) as Chief Operating Officer in December 2019 and is responsible for AFCA’s core operations and corporate services. He has extensive expertise in leading large scale, significant organisational transformation programs. Justin combines strong relationship management skills with technical knowledge of regulation, procurement, contract management, property management, and financial compliance.

Justin held a variety of leadership roles at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) over a 13-year career, most recently as the Assistant Commissioner of Integrated Compliance. In this role he was responsible for leading the ATO’s approach to large scale, complex taxation and superannuation matters focussing on compliance. 

Prior to this Justin was the ATO’s Chief Financial Officer, responsible for the agency’s annual budget of $3.5 billion. Justin also brings valuable private sector perspectives and experience from Cadbury Schweppes and Woolworths to his role as COO.

Justin is a passionate advocate for gender equality and workplace equality and flexibility. He has worked throughout his career to build inclusive workplaces that engage, inform and support employees and has designed and implemented a variety of programs to improve outcomes for diverse workforces. He is a hands-on Dad with two young children, he himself utilises flexible practices such as part-time hours, set finish times and a mix of office/home work to balance both his role at work and at home. 

The 100% Project is a not for profit organisation and our vision is to see 100% of Australia's leadership potential, female and male, equally contributing to our social and economic future.

Our host Hilary Lamb speaks with Frances Feenstra, a director at People Measures, an award-winning firm of organizational psychologists, development experts, and industry practitioners who bring growth to leadership, talent management, and communications.

In this episode, we hear about Frances's role as the founding Chair of The 100% Project and her opinion of where we are on the path to this vision. 

The 100% Project is a not for profit organisation and our vision is to see 100% of Australia's leadership potential, female and male, equally contributing to our social and economic future. 

So, where are we on the path to this vision? And in particular, what impact has the current pandemic had on gender equality in the workplace? In this episode, our host Hilary Lamb speaks with Mich Gara, Connected Home and Business Executive at Telstra, to hear her perspective on how COVID-19 has affected gender equality.