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Herbert Smith Freehills’ joint Regional Managing Partner Sue Gilchrist has been announced as a WGEA Pay Equity Ambassador. 

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) is a federal statutory agency charged with promoting and improving gender equality in Australian workplaces. Pay Equity Ambassadors take WGEA’s Pay Equity Pledge to commit to analysing talent data and taking action to ensure equal pay within their organisation.

Sue’s pledge to become a WGEA Pay Equity Ambassador reflects her career-long commitment to improving gender diversity within the legal profession.

“I am proud to be a WGEA Pay Equity Ambassador. The work the agency does is essential to ensure that the issue of the gender pay gap is being proactively addressed by the business community within Australia. Taking the Pay Equity Pledge is a reflection of my commitment to work towards the agency’s goal of making gender pay equity a standard business practice”, said Sue.

Herbert Smith Freehills is committed to building an inclusive and diverse culture and publicly advocates for gender equity. It has announced its gender target of 30% of women in global partnership and leadership roles by 2019. This target is supported by KPIs, sponsorship, active talent development and monitoring.

“At the firm, we are absolutely committed to creating an inclusive culture with gender equity as a particular focus. In addition to our gender targets, we also have programs in place to address the issue from a practical perspective, including unconscious bias and inclusive leadership training. We understand the importance of actively supporting flexible working arrangements within the firm, to support our people to feel more engaged while ensuring optimal client service. These actions help to ensure that we are a leading firm for the attraction, promotion and retention of women”, Sue added.

In addition to strategies promoting gender diversity, the firm is also keenly focussed on multiculturalism and has recently launched a cultural background survey for all people working in its Asia-Pac offices. LGBTI inclusion is also one of the firm’s priorities with an active employee network and sponsorships of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Pride WA, Brisbane Melt Festival and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. The firm’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Policy is available on its website.

 

About Herbert Smith Freehills

Operating from over 26 offices across Asia Pacific, EMEA and North America, Herbert Smith Freehills is at the heart of the new global business landscape providing premium quality, full-service legal advice. We provide many of the world’s most important organisations with access to market-leading dispute resolution, projects and transactional legal advice, combined with expertise in a number of global industry sectors, including energy, natural resources, infrastructure, technology and financial services. www.herbertsmithfreehills.com

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Sue Gilchrist photo

Sue Gilchrist

Partner and Head of Intellectual Property, Australia, Sydney

Sue Gilchrist

Media contact

For further information on this article please contact

Arriarne Kemp-Bishop

Arriarne Kemp-Bishop, Head of External Communications

Melbourne