We asked some of our committee to talk about WIS and what being a member has meant to them. Here's what they have to say:
New South Wales Chair, Keri Pratt
New South Wales Deputy Chair, Susan Roberts
South Australia Chair, Thomay Gatis
Tasmania Chair, Joanne Fenton
Victoria Chair, Sue Schlesinger
Victoria Committee Representative, Amanda Field
Western Australia Chair, Clare Speed
New South Wales Committee Member, Marian Poirier
New South Wales Committee Member, Sarah Driscoll
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Keri Pratt
New South Wales Chair
How long have you been a WIS member?
I have been a member since the mid 1990's.
What does it mean to to be a WIS member?
I joined WIS to support and encourage women to seek senior positions in the industry. Whilst some progress has been made it still seems we have a way to go to achieve anything like equal representation across the industry. I also enjoy the camaraderie that exists in our industry, and the legislative changes ensure that it’s never dull!
What WIS initiatives have you been involved in?
The Mother's Day Classic sponsorship committee in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011; NSW State Chair and National Committee representative since 2008. I established and am Chair of the National Policy Committee in 2010 (this committee is producing policy position statements and has established the WIS National Advisory Panel, a group of senior women from across the super industry).
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Susan Roberts
New South Wales Deputy Chair
How long have you been a WIS member?
I attended the first Women in Super meeting in Sydney many, many years ago and have been involved off and on since then. I have been much more involved in the last 3 years.
What does it mean to be a WIS member?
It gives me the opportunity to work for change in two key areas of interest to me. Firstly, to work towards the goal of equality of outcomes for women in terms of their standard of living in retirement, and also to increase the influence and participation of women at senior executive and Board levels within the superannuation industry. I also enjoy the networking opportunities and the education provided by the regular lunches.
What WIS initiatives have you been involved in?
I have been a member of WIS NSW committee for several years, and also a member of the National Committee. I have been actively involved on the fund raising committee for the Mothers Day Classic, in organising regular lunches, setting up the National Policy commmittee and drafting policy statements as well as having a focus on increasing the membership of WIS NSW.
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Thomay Gatis
South Australia Chair
How long have you been a WIS member?
I have been a financial member for a number of years and involved for approximately 8-9 years.
What does it mean to you to be a WIS member?
I feel that I’m part of a supportive and effective network that I can learn from and have had the opportunity to help grow. It’s a great feeling that as a WIS member I am part of a group with a local focus and national voice.
What WIS initiatives have you been involved in?
I have been a part of the WIS SA Committee for a number of years, Chair since January 2006 and involved with the Mothers Day Classic since its first run in Adelaide, May 2005. The South Australia Committee also holds an annual networking night in October to raise funds, which for the first time will be used in part, to establish a professional development scholarship for financial members in 2011. I enjoy my involvement with these events such as the WIS lunches and networking nights, as they provides an opportunity to engage with WIS members and supporters in the industry on a professional basis. Being involved with the Mother's Day Classic is a fantastic feeling as it provides an opportunity to be a part of a huge local and national movement to raise funds for a very worthwhile cause, the NBCF, and to be a part of an event that touches so many in the community.
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Joanne Fenton
Tasmania Chair
How long have you been a WIS member?
I have been a Women in Super member for just over 10 years both in Western Australia and Tasmania as a committee member, and more recently elected as the Tasmania Chair in September 2011.
What does it mean to you to be a WIS member?
As a Women in Super member, it gives women in the Industry the opportunity to network with peers and mentors and learn a great deal for one another. WIS also supports and encourages women to aspire and work toward enhancing their careers within the industry including involvement on Boards. As someone that has had family affected by breast cancer, WIS and everything that is done to support NBCF made me want to be involved and also get more involved with the Mother's Day Classic (MDC) which is a fantastic event across the nation.
What WIS initiatives have you been involved in?
I have been part of the MDC Committee in Tasmania since my arrival back to Tasmania 5 years ago as the Volunteers Coordinator. The event has been a great success and continues to grow each year. My role as a Committee member for WIS in Tasmania was as Functions Coordinator until the recent change.
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Sue Schlesinger
Victoria Chair
How long have you been a WIS member?
I have been a member for five years.
What does it mean to be a WIS member?
I would like to keep working towards improvements in the superannuation arena to better secure women’s futures.
What WIS initiatives have you been involved in?
I am Victorian WIS Chair and member of the National WIS Committee.
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Amanda Field
Victoria Committee Representative
How long have you been a WIS member?
I joined in 2005, soon after I moved to Melbourne from overseas. I thought it would be a good place to start to build a local network. I have taken away something postive (either a contact or an idea) from each event or meeting ever since.
What does it mean to you to be a WIS member?
It's particularly important to me as I am the sole representative for Inalytics in Australia. Women in Super gives me an opportunity to form new relationships, build my network and keep up to date with Super initiatives.
What WIS initiatives have you been involved in?
Currently, I have a few roles in Women In Super, both of which I enjoy. I am a member of the Victorian Committee, the National Committee, and contributor to the Women in Super quarterly newsletter.
I have also been involved in national initiatives including setting policies for the National Policy Committee and Sponsorship Committee. I have helped create member surveys and monitor the responses at both state and national level.
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Clare Speed
Western Australia Chair
How long have you been a WIS member?
I have been a WIS WA member from the time WIS was reformed in 1996 just prior to the inaugural MDC launch for Perth in 1997.
What does it mean to you to be a WIS member?
I joined Women in Super to meet with other women in the industry. However, I also joined the Women in Super committee at the same time as I felt that I wanted to give back to the industry which has provided me with such great career opportunities. I wanted to be part of assisting the committee to provide WA super women with opportunities to feel comfortable with meeting, networking and sharing ideas with others in the industry in an informal environment. I also wanted to hear the story’s from high profile women in the industry including their personal and career journeys. Of course most importantly I wanted to participate in the Mothers Day Classic and raise money for the NBCF.
What WIS initiatives have you been involved in?
I was involved as a committee member in 2006 when the WA branch reformed after a couple of years of inactivity and I took the chair role in 2011. Also in that time I have sat on the Mothers Day Classic committee when the inaugural Perth MDC was held in 2007 and have seen the numbers grow substantially each year as the event gains wider recognition in Perth. The WA committee like to hold events which are quite different to what perhaps other groups concentrate on by having speakers who talk quite informally about their career path and also provide an insight into their own personal story.
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Marian Poirier
New South Wales Committee Member
"I co-head the institutional business at BNP Paribas Investment Partners and am based in Sydney. I have been a member of WIS since my relocation to Australia in 2003. I believe it is a part of my role as a female working within the superannuation industry to network with my peers and to strive for a better industry for all participants not just women. I take part each year in the Mothers Day Classic and have recently played a role in our focus groups to promote more women to the boards of corporate Australia, an initiative which I believe is critical to helping Australia move into the 20th century"
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Sarah Driscoll
New South Wales Committee Member
"As a fund manager and service provider to superannuation funds, WIS provides an excellent forum for me to further understand the issues that are being faced by our investors, and gain insight of the particular issues which may be important to our female investment partners."