Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Adam Fennessy, EY Partner – Advisory, Government & Public Sector
Adam is a partner in EY’s Advisory Practice, with a focus on government and strategy. This follows a 20-year career at the state and federal government levels, including more than four years as Secretary of the Victorian Government’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
He is a member of the inaugural Victorian Male Champions of Change group and drove improvements in gender equity across the Victorian government. Adam credits Kate Jenkins, the Victorian Human Rights Commissioner and Convener of the Victorian based Male Champions of Change, with setting a tone of eliminating everyday sexism and recruiting major employers to commit to doing the same. Kate was also instrumental in convincing 100+ leaders of some of Australia’s largest employers and most influential organizations to take practical steps to identify and eliminate sexist practices in the workplace. Kate is the Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner, as well as a company director, lawyer, social innovator and educator. You can follow Kate’s work on twitter @Kate_Jenkins.
Additionally, Adam was one of the first senior executive men in the Victorian Public Service to take time off work and shift to a part-time schedule to look after his children. He explained that he had to negotiate that under a fair bit of pushback. The view of society at that time was, “Why doesn’t your wife worry about that?” But he advocated for the arrangement, and now (following his own experience working flexibly to be more active in his role as a father)) Adam successfully implemented all-roles flex practice at DELWP.
When I asked Adam how he navigated the pushback and cultural change, he shared the importance of pragmatic actions that disrupt old patterns, storytelling and having your actions match your rhetoric. An example of this pragmatic approach was in talent acquisition, where he insisted on gender equal selection panels and a gender equal candidate shortlist. Adam feels his work has been shaped through generational influences, with his mother as a role model and two sisters. His experience has been that diversity in all forms leads to higher performance, and this is supported by significant research.
It’s not breaking news that more diverse representation in senior management leads to greater profits. Those realities came to light in a 2015 report from McKinsey & Company, and in another, a year later, from the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Another report from McKinsey, titled “Delivering Through Diversity,” released last year, shows that gender diversity in management positions actually increases profitability more than previously thought. In the firm’s previous analysis, companies in the top 25th percentile for executive team gender diversity were 15% more likely to experience above-average profits. The latest data shows that likelihood has grown to 21%.
One final insight Adam shared about gender equality is that for men to take a serious role is important because then it becomes not a women’s issue but just something we’re all going to work on!
Adam Fennessy Book Recommendation: On the Road, by Jack Kerouac chronicles the road trips of two friends, Sal and Dean (based on the author and Neal Cassady, respectively), their experiences and friendships, their struggles to find money and transportation, their drugged and drunken binges, and the tender and ecstatic feelings they have for humanity.
Rosheen Garnon, Non Executive Director
Rosheen is currently a Non Executive Director in Australia, which is a independent director or external director is a member of the board of directors of a company or organization, but not a member of the executive management team. She previously held the position of Managing Partner for KPMG, operating in 128 countries with 2,500 staff and 800 global clients across all industries and sectors. She a member of Chief Executive Women and has more than 20 years of management experience with P&L responsibility.
During a conversation over coffee Rosheen and I discussed progress on gender equality in leadership roles in Australian business and the importance of strong mentors and sponsors.
When I asked Rosheen about the success in gender equality in senior leadership positions across Australia, she pointed to the 30% Club, which aims to develop a diverse pool of talent for all businesses. In addition, she points to Male Champions of Change, which comprises influential leaders committed to redefining men’s role in gender inequality and driving the adoption of actions across private sector and government. Rosheen also includes Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations -ASX as part of the equation for the success.
We also discussed the role international assignments play in building your skill sets in markets that are not likely to be your home market. Skills and global-mindset attitudes and behaviors are acquired through international assignments and global projects, she said. Rosheen spent six years in London and shared her experience of the assignment being an opportunity for personal growth and professional development. What advice would Rosheen give to others based on her experience? “Be open to different experiences, listen and demonstrate humility. Listening is very important, and be humble and respectful of your new environment.” I am starting a three-year international assignment in Germany and I will be taking all of this advice to heart!
As I reflect on my coffee and conversation with Rosheen, the phrase “Let’s meet for coffee” is often synonymous with having a conversation. Think of all the amazing ideas and understandings that have come from a conversation over coffee. Having coffee with someone is so simple, yet has endless potential. I invite you today to “grab coffee” with someone. You never know where the conversation will take you.
Rosheen Garnon Book Recommendation; Pereira Maintains by Antonio Tabucchi, a novel about a newspaper editor in 1930s Portugal and a passionate warning against political complacency. It has been described as having a gravity and moral seriousness that leave most fiction in the shade. Tabucchi shows a mastery of exposition that makes this book a compelling political thriller that is also, with no ambiguity in the world, a remarkable work of art.
Sarajeni Hammond EF Journey 