Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith, Astrophysicist & Australian Government Women in STEM Ambassador at UNSW on propelling the pathways for young women in STEM.

Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith, Astrophysicist & Australian Government Women in STEM Ambassador at UNSW on propelling the pathways for young women in STEM, how influential family and community are when it comes to engaging children in a more gender-balanced way.

 

Key Insights

(01:55) How did she start her leadership journey?

Lisa started her leadership journey through science and research. As Lisa stepped up the ranks in her field, she started to mentor students and work on large international projects such as building telescopes like the Square Kilometer Array (the world’s most powerful radio telescope) involving collaboration from around the world.

(10:53) How does Lisa use the role of storytelling in shifting societal biases and how is she embedding this in her Initiative, Future You?

Future You is a national awareness raising initiative to help young people understand the different pathways STEM skills can take them. Future You shares the stories of role models from different backgrounds to show young people STEM really is for everyone. By showing a diverse examples of career journeys it allow kids to use their imagination when picturing a future in STEM instead of a particular career path. For example, it explores how technology can bring a unique perspective in the work of First Nations women or, how STEM could also mean getting your hands dirty as a heavy vehicle mechanic.

(23:27) What tools can Lisa share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

To focus on the big picture and identify what's truly important to you and to your organization. By cutting out the dead wood and understanding the core of an issue, you can then effectively articulate a vision and course of action for your organisation.

 

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of ELLADEX and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award. As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: https://elladex.com/ 

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

 

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.