During March the South Australian Business Chamber has been sharing content, information and feature articles circulating the topic of women in business, headlined by a major luncheon hosting 710 guests on 8 March for International Women’s Day.
During the event, guests were gifted insight into the lives of two fabulous Women.
Genevieve Rueger, Firefighter and former Blackhawk helicopter pilot for the Australian Defence Force, and Linda Williams, Deputy Police Commissioner have dedicated their lives and their careers to the service of their communities and their countries.
Genevieve Rueger, International Women’s Day 2023. Photo — South Australian Business Chamber
Standing on stage, in front of a sea of businesspeople eager to celebrate the achievements of women, Genevieve Rueger opened her keynote presentation with eight words, “I want to talk about the F word”, and not one person was prepared for it.
For Genevieve, her world has been built on the F word… failure.
Little did the audience know only one minute in, Genevieve’s story which presented an unconvincing commencement, would quickly turn into an anecdote of success, built on a foundation of hard work, resilience, effort, and passion for purpose.
Watch Genevieve’s keynote presentation here
Deputy Police Commissioner Linda Williams, Elspeth Hussey — International Women’s Day 2023. Photo — South Australian Business Chamber
Linda Williams started in the police force at a different time. Upon graduating from the academy in 1982, Linda started her career in a skirt, blouse, and a handbag, where she would be required to store her firearm.
Fast forward to 2023 Linda now celebrates the equality of the police force, with their aspirational target of a 50/50 female-to-male officer ratio. Currently, SAPOL has a sworn female workforce of 34.6%, a growth of 7% in just five years.
In a profession often bigoted by gender bias, Linda explained during a powerful 21-minute interview with Elspeth Hussey from 7NEWS the important role women play in the police force today. Linda notes communication and the ability to listen and de-escalate situations to avoid confrontation are among the abundance of skills women bring to the force.
Watch the full interview with Deputy Police Commissioner Linda Williams here
Thank you to the 710 guests that joined us at our annual International Women’s Day luncheon on March 8. You can see photos from the event by clicking here.
