The Hon. Kelly O’Dwyer Joins Mastercard to Discuss The Power of Diversity in The Financial Services

Mastercard today hosted the first Women’s Leadership Network event for 2018. The breakfast event held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney featured two keynote speakers; Ann Cairns, President, International at Mastercard and the Hon. Kelly O’Dwyer, Minister for Revenue and Financial Services.

Mastercard’s Women’s Leadership Network is a global initiative that forms part of Mastercard’s ongoing commitment to creating a culture of inclusion, providing women with opportunities for participation and advancement in the workforce. At a time where gender balance in the workforce remains an important topic in both the private and public sector, the event was timely in profiling two women who have challenged the status quo.

Once the first female engineer to work on off-shore oil and gas rigs in the UK, Mastercard’s President, International, Ann Cairns is particularly passionate about working towards a diverse and inclusive workforce.

“At Mastercard we believe in gender balance and inclusion. We’re aiming for a really engaged, empowered and diverse workforce where people from every walk of life can get together to create something priceless. To achieve this, we build balanced slates of candidates and we actively encourage men and women to return to work following career breaks. We all encourage young girls 12-14 to consider a career in technology by explaining the kind of work we do through our Girls4Tech program,” said Cairns.

While Australia is making steady progress, there is still a long way to go in terms of achieving gender parity. Another champion of this movement to equality in the workforce is Kelly O’Dwyer, Minister for Revenue and Financial Service, who made her first official speech at the event since becoming Minister for Women.

“Complete gender equality in leadership roles isn’t a matter of ‘if’ — it is a matter of when. The Government is fully committed to supporting and encouraging women into leadership positions,” said Minister O’Dwyer.

Women’s Leadership Network is one of the many Mastercard initiatives that recognizes diversity as an underlying factor in achieving cutting edge innovation and technology. Other initiatives include the sponsorship of the Women in Payment’s Symposium in Sydney, the global Girls4Tech program and membership of the Global Banking Alliance for Women, which is the only global consortium dedicated to capturing the opportunity of the female economy.

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A copy of today’s speech from the Hon. Kelly O’Dwyer, Minister for Revenue and Financial Services, can be found here: http://kmo.ministers.treasury.gov.au/speech/002-2018/

About Mastercard
Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. Mastercard products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MastercardAU, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.

Mastercard Communications Contact
Sarah Trethewy
strethewy@webershandwick.com
(02) 9994 4461