Clarity of purpose and leading with listening: How Suncorp celebrated International Women's Day
Suncorp senior leaders, employees and special guest Liz Ellis AO gathered to celebrate International Women's Day with an event that discussed championing gender diversity and inclusion - from the boardroom to the sporting arena.
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L-R: Rachael Ford (Suncorp Manager Policy & Regulation), Adam Bennett (Suncorp CIO), Liz Ellis AO, Hayley Brown (Suncorp Management Assistant), Mim Haysom (Suncorp EGM Brand and Customer Experience), and Belinda Speirs (Chief Executive People, Legal and Corporate Services).
Collaboration is the key to marching forward towards gender equality, whether it be within the community, in a corporate environment or on a sporting field. Or more specifically, a netball court.
Suncorp team members came together to listen to keynote speaker Liz Ellis AO, former Captain of the Australian netball team, as she kicked off our International Women's Day 2025 event.
The event celebrated and discussed the idea of how societies and businesses can 'March Forward’ - the official theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025.
Liz was joined on stage by Suncorp senior leaders including host Mim Hayson (EGM Brand and Customer Experience), panel host and ally Adam Bennett (Chief Information Officer) and Belinda Speirs (Chief Executive People, Legal and Corporate Services).
Host Ms Haysom reflected on some of the meaningful actions Suncorp has taken, such as reducing the gender pay gap by five percentage points over the last five years and joining the One Generation Business Alliance against Domestic and Family Violence.
Mim Hayson EGM Brand and Customer Experience
The theme March Forward reminds us that progress is not just about reflection, but about decisive, bold steps turning commitments into action.
Many individuals very passionately champion change, and Liz Ellis is one of those people.
Liz is one of Australia’s greatest netball players, with many accomplishments beyond sports such as a Member of the Order of Australia and Chair of the Netball Australia Board.
Liz spoke about her childhood in Australia, sharing memories about the lack of visibility of women in sport, when ‘women’s sport’ only had one page of coverage hidden in the back of the newspaper sports section.
Years later, as Liz gained increasing recognition for her achievements on and off the court, she realised she could lead a change in conversation about women in sports.
She spoke about the concept of “If it is to be, it's up to me.”
She explained: “If I want to make a change in sports media’s perception of women – it is up to me. As women we all have this great power within us, but sometimes we lack the confidence to say “I am going to be the one that makes the change."
Chair of the Netball Australia Board, Liz Ellis AO
And that's why it’s important to have a clarity of purpose.
Liz said her commitment to a clarity of purpose helped her and the Australian netball team be ‘proud, united and relentless’ in their successful pursuit of the Netball World Cup.
Her championship of women and girls’ participation in teams sport is working on a broader scale too. While still low, media coverage of women in sports has increased by 15 per cent in the last five years, and the growth in popularity of netball is leading the charge.
Suncorp is proud to play a role in elevating netball too, having sponsored the Suncorp Super Netball League since 2017 and developed the Team Girls initiative.
Team Girls encourages girls to continue to play netball through their teen years and beyond, by showcasing the positive impact netball has on girls' mental health, physical wellbeing, resilience, and their preparedness for the future.
“With Team Girls, Suncorp took the lead and has been fantastic in getting real clarity of purpose about their involvement,” Liz said.
L-R: Panel host Adam Bennett (Suncorp CIO), Liz Ellis AO and Belinda Speirs (Chief Executive People, Legal and Corporate Services).
Suncorp panellist Belinda Speirs shared her advice for driving change at the corporate level.
Ms Speirs joined Suncorp as a lawyer before progressing into executive senior leadership as Chief Executive People, Legal and Corporate Services.
Ms Speirs spoke on the panel about the importance of implementing the insurer’s Diversity and Inclusion strategy, and how to lean into championing its success throughout the Suncorp business.
She shared actionable keys to success based on her experience, including:
Listen actively to all team members
Champion others, as well as yourself
Give others a voice at the table
Commit to your goals, deliver and measure them, and be accountable
“At Suncorp, we listen to our employees and give them voices in multiple ways, and live and breathe our commitment to creating opportunities and marching forward.
“That has come through our EA advancements, our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), and the fact that we have approximately 50% of women in senior leadership.
“And this commitment is seen in our customer engagement too. We support our customers’ diverse needs, especially ones that may be experiencing vulnerability.”
Liz answered some of the audience Q&As at the close of the event and summarised her final thoughts on inclusion and women leadership.
“Honesty and active listening make the best leader – it’s about making people in your team feel heard and that they belong.
“Because when you belong, you perform.”
