Women @ G+T

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At Gilbert + Tobin, we know that getting the best result means having the best people. We recruit, develop and advance talented people from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and points of view, ensuring that our core values of integrity, openness and equality are preserved.

We have developed a number of professional development programs to ensure all employees realise their full potential. This includes initiatives specifically designed to inform, support and inspire women at all levels of the firm.

Recognising each woman is different, with distinct aspirations, roles and values, we have a range of flexible working arrangements and support structures available, including paid parental leave, part-time and job share opportunities, remote working arrangements, flexible working hours and an on-site family room.

Gilbert + Tobin consists of 38% female partners, with women accounting for 65% of our total employee numbers, 20% of whom take advantage of one our flexible working arrangements, including a number of our partners.

But statistics and figures are only part of the story. Many of the women at G+T hold leadership positions in the firm, including board member Catherine Dermody, who is one of our competition and regulation partners and partner Dianne Banks who is the Litigation Group People Leader and co-chairs the People Leaders Group, which consists of a groups of partners and senior managers who focus specifically on people initiatives and the people strategy of the firm. Outside of G+T, Dianne is a board member of the Diversity Council of Australia, and is also on the board of Half the Sky Australia, a not-for-profit organisation which raises money to support and educate orphans in China.

Several other G+T women also participate strongly in “community”. For example:

• Partner, Sheila McGregor is President of the Royal Hospital for Women Foundation, a “not for profit” which raises funds for equipment and research for the only women’s hospital in New South Wales.
• Moya Dodd, a partner in our Competition + Regulatory practice and a former Australian team representative with the Matildas, serves as the Vice President of the Asian Football Confederation and is a Director of Football Federation Australia. She is also on the Advisory Committee of Football United, an organisation which uses football to promote social inclusion among refugees. Football United is also part of Gilbert + Tobin’s Corporate Social Responsibility Program.
• Partner Michelle Hannon is a director of the National Pro Bono Resource Centre and was a director of the Public Interest Law Clearing House for a number of years.
• Christine Burke, a partner in our Real Estate + Projects practice has achieved the near impossible by climbing to the peak of Mount Everest, becoming only the eleventh Australian woman to summit. View Christine’s photo here, listen to her interview with Alan Jones here.

Gibert + Tobin is a member of the Diversity Council of Australia and in 2010 and again in 2011, we were awarded an Employer of Choice for Women citation from the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA).

Beyond our internal focus, Gilbert + Tobin is also a proud supporter of Well Suited / City Job Futures – a personal clothing and support service developed at Gilbert + Tobin and delivered in partnership with Job Futures for women job seekers provided by women already in the workforce.

To watch some video profiles of some women at Gilbert + Tobin, please click here.

Events

Each year Gilbert + Tobin holds a range of events exploring issues relating to women, from career progression to the challenges associated with striking a desirable work/life balance. Recently, Gilbert + Tobin held “Women+Careers@G+T”, involving a panel of prominent business women, including Deidre Macken, award winning journalist, social commentator and feature writer with the Australian Financial Review, Elizabeth Henderson, Westpac General Manager – Commercial, Technology, and Kath Cummins, former TV producer and reporter and broadcaster. We were also joined by a senior member of Australia’s judiciary.

Gilbert + Tobin partner, Sheila McGregor led the discussion, allowing the panel and audience to share their motivations, experiences and insights as women working in a professional environment. Many of the audience members described the event as both “empowering” and “inspiring”.

We also regularly hold women’s discussion and networking forums with clients. Most recently, we teamed up with Westpac over lunch to share ideas and experiences about professional life as a woman.