International Women’s Day 2021: IPAA Live Panel
For over a decade, Fisher Leadership has partnered with IPAA Victoria to host the signature International Women’s Day event, last year attended by more than 1250 women and men, believing it to be absolutely central to our desire to see a truly inclusive and diverse public purpose sector.
This year we streamed a COVID-safe live studio panel discussion on Thursday 4 March from 5.00 pm. Given most of 2020 was focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts, IPAA Victoria framed its International Women’s Day celebrations around the contribution of female leaders from across the public purpose sector who played significant roles during the pandemic.
The conversation focused on bringing all communities along in a crisis, such as the global pandemic. The questions from the audience ranged from the need to have more diverse voices as decision-making tables, to asking how we can listen in and take heed of the wisdom within our rich multicultural society. Discussions also included the empowerment of government agencies to make quick and agile decisions with due reporting, and whether the national conversation on violence against women is changing and what we should do to influence a much more equal future.
Thank you to IPAA and to our panel of the day:
Chief Executive Officer, CoHealth.
Nicole Bartholomeusz has been the Chief Executive of cohealth since 2019, having served in a range of senior leadership roles in community health since 2006.
cohealth is a leading Victorian community health service providing healthcare to vulnerable communities including those from refugee backgrounds, people experiencing homelessness, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Victorians and people impacted by intergenerational poverty and trauma.
Nicole is deeply committed to providing high-quality healthcare to people who may otherwise miss out and is also passionate about addressing the social determinants of poor health such as poverty, housing and education.
Nicole’s background as a clinician, combined with a Masters in Business Administration and experience delivering public health services, puts her in a unique position to provide leadership within the community health services sector.
Nicole has served as a non-Executive Board Director for Macedon Ranges North Western Metropolitan Medicare Local, Western Health and Dental Health Services Victoria. Nicole is also Chair of the Australian Health, Housing & Homelessness Network and a Council member with the Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association.
Nicole has a strong interest in health policy and health system redesign, together being a trusted and collaborative partner to deliver high quality, outcome based, population health models.
CEO, Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
Jill has spent the past 20 years advancing Aboriginal health and wellbeing through her work as CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation. She is a highly respected Aboriginal leader and advocate for self-determination outcomes in the Victorian Aboriginal community, and a former Victorian Treaty Advancement Commissioner.
In 2013 Jill was awarded the Order of Australia. She is an inductee of the Victorian Honour Roll of Women and the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll. Jill was also named one of IPAA Victoria’s Top 50 Public Sector Women in 2019
Deputy Secretary Engagement and Delivery, Department of Health .
Kate Matson is the Deputy Secretary, Engagement & Delivery in the COVID-19 Public Health Team at the Department of Health. In this role, Kate leads Victoria’s COVID-19 testing and pathology system, community engagement, public and major events and compliance and enforcement activities. Kate joined the COVID response in July 2020 from the Department of Transport.
Prior to joining the Victorian public service, Kate spent over a decade in the private sector, including 7 years in New York as a financial consultant.
Vivienne Nguyen
Chairperson, Victorian Multicultural Commission.
For over 25 years Viv Nguyen has worked as a business executive and a community leader in corporate, community and government settings agencies applying her business knowledge, leadership and technical expertise to help organisations with funding, governance, risk management, stakeholder relationships and to advance their social objectives. Viv has held roles at the AustChoice Financial Services, AMP Asset Management and ANZ Banking Group where she led the global organisation’s diversity strategy. Viv’s contribution was recognised and as a result she was recorded on the Victorian Honour Roll in 2002 for advocating for women in leadership and work with Vietnamese young people. In 2003 she was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal.
Panel Host
Two-time winner of the prestigious Walkley Award, and one of Australia’s best-known journalists, will host the panel. Virginia has a formidable reputation as a television anchor, radio presenter, writer and commentator. She currently anchors Mornings on ABC Radio Melbourne.