International Women’s Day at Automic Group

From left to right, Kelly McFadden, Chief People Officer; Paul Williams, Executive Chair; Ainslie Van Onselen, Non-Executive Director; and Andrew Wilson, Chief Executive Officer.

Automic values Equality which we define as being ‘kind and respectful to each other and to our clients – with open perspectives, we all work together to make better decisions.’

Yesterday, the Automic team gathered to listen to Andrew Wilson, Automic Group CEO, Ainslie van Onselen, Non-Executive Director of Automic Group and CEO of Chartered Accountants ANZ, and Kelly McFadden, Chief People Officer, to celebrate and share ideas regarding the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

Andrew opened yesterday’s discussion with a powerful quote from John F Kennedy and then talked about recognising his own privileged position, and his responsibility to empower women.

“Privilege is here, and with privilege comes responsibility.”
– John F Kennedy

Andrew explained male engagement in gender equality is something he is passionate about.

“Gender equality is not a women’s issue it’s a human issue and it can only be overcome if people in positions of influence, people born with opportunity, both men and women, but still typically tipping towards men, acknowledge and take action.”

He discussed the role of unconscious bias and how we can acknowledge our own biases, and take conscious steps to overcome the biases we all suffer from. Andrew ended with a final quote, from Angela Y. Davis,

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”

Automic’s Non-Executive Director and the CEO of Chartered Accountants ANZ, Ainslie Van Onselen, shared her inspiring career journey, including the challenges she faced as a female leader and how she has overcome them.

She talked with us about her passion for social justice, inclusion and diversity, and her contributions to forging the way for women, and advice for aspiring female leaders.

We were incredibly grateful to have her share her time, personal struggles, and triumphs.

Women at Automic

In their own words, women at Automic share their thoughts about International Women’s Day.

Michelle Cross, Head of Fund Registry

I found it inspirational that Ainslie came from humble beginnings, she was very relatable. Ainslie gave some great career advice about working hard, looking for opportunities, and developing networks. A key point that resonated for me was her comment that it is all about hard work and looking for a mentor.

Andrew was great, acknowledging he’s in a privileged position, but making it clear that people who are in that position, need to use it to empower the conversation to help others.

Daisy Nankervis, Senior Customer Success Associate Managed Funds

What International Women’s Day means to me:

• To recognise and appreciate all the amazing women that have come before us to get to where we are today and to appreciate all the women currently striving to make the workplace a more equal environment.
• A self-reflection day to be proud of the hardships and challenges I have overcome to get to where I am personally today.
• Reminds me of the amazing colleagues and mentors that have inspired and educated me to be resilient and never give up on my goals and aspirations in the face of imposter syndrome or bias.

Automic supports and empowers me:

• With incredible mentors and leaders (both women and men) that push me to step outside my comfort zone and believe in myself in the face doubt.
• Create an incredibly transparent and open environment where conversations like inequality, diversity and more are spoken about. This creates a safe and prosperous environment for young women, like me, to aim high.

Wishu Thapa, Head of Payments and Tax

International Women’s Day is special for me, coming from an ethnic minority and working in a male dominated industry – it’s a huge thing for me. To see all these powerful women, it’s inspiring to see where we can reach and the potential that’s there.

Imposter syndrome resonates with me. Sometimes I need to be put in a position to do things, when I’m put in that position I always deliver, when your boss asks you to deliver, it is because they have confidence in you and think you’re capable. You should believe them and just do it! That was a great takeaway. It is also important to have a mentor that inspires you and provides you with different perspective to challenge your thought process.

I am proud to be in an organisation where we are encouraging these open conversations, and it’s challenging us to think differently. Kelly and Andrew are continuously investing in us by organizing these sessions, I can’t wait to grow with Automic.

Monika Jha, Head of Product

The theme for this year is to leverage technology and innovation for achieving gender equality. However, before we can achieve this, it’s essential to bring equality to the technology and innovation industry itself.

We must inspire and empower girls and women to pursue their passion in STEM fields, encourage them to be bold and daring rather than perfect, and provide them with the opportunities and resources they need to succeed. By doing so, we can create a more inclusive and diverse tech industry that benefits everyone.