Libby Lyons
Libby Lyonsis an Australian former public servant who served as the director of the Australian Government'sWorkplace Gender Equality Agency.She was appointed director in October 2015 and completed her term in April 2021. As director, Lyons played a key role in promoting and improvinggender equalityin Australian workplaces. She has also been a member of and chaired many boards in several sectors.
Early life and education
[edit]Lyons was born inTasmaniaand grew up inMelbourne.She was educated atSacré Coeur Schoolin Glen Iris.[citation needed]
After completing school, Libby trained as aprimary schoolteacher, and started her working life teaching in the outer northern suburbs of Melbourne.[citation needed]
Career
[edit]Lyons has worked in senior management roles across the corporate and government sectors in the energy, resources and telecommunications industries.
In 2014 she moved toWestern Australia,[1]and headed Corporate Affairs forBHP'sOlympic Damproject. She held senior roles atAtlas Iron,CITIC Pacific Mining,Alcoa of Australia,andWestern Power.[2][1]She was also corporate relations manager atTelstra[3]and acting chair and non-executive director ofPerth-based Reclaim Industries.[4]
In October 2015[citation needed]Lyons was appointed director of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. In this position, she advocated to close thegender pay gapand break down occupational gender segregation in Australia.[5][6]She is a strong advocate for ensuringflexible work practicesare normalised for men, as well as women.[7]
In November 2016, Lyons presented Australia's gender equality scorecard, based on the Agency's latest data from employers, at theNational Press ClubinCanberra.In the address, Lyons called on Australian employers to take urgent action to address thegender pay gap.[8]She completed her term as director of the agency in April 2021.[citation needed]
Other roles
[edit]Lyons has chaired a number ofnot-for-profits.She took on the position of executive chairman for Kalparrin,[9]a Perth-based charity that supports families of children with special needs, in June 2013. She was also on the board of directors and the chair of SIDS and Kids WA.[10]
In 2020, Lyons became the inaugural chair ofScience in Australia Gender Equity(SAGE),[11]a not-for-profit that works with Australian higher education and research institutions to address systemic barriers to gender equity, diversity and inclusion.[12]
Following the conclusion of her term as director of theWorkplace Gender Equality Agency,Lyons was appointed as the inaugural chair of theAged Care Workforce Industry Council.[13][14][15]In February 2023, Lyons announced her resignation from the role.[16]
In August 2021 she was appointed WA Chapter chair ofChief Executive Women,for a term of two years.[17]
Lyons was appointedAdjunct-ProfessoratAustralian Catholic Universityin 2021.[18]
In 2021 Lyons was appointed to the Strategic Council at Perth-based consultancy firmReGen Strategic.[1]
Politics
[edit]Lyons stood forLiberal Partypreselection prior to the2008 Western Australian state election,losing toBill Marmionin the seat ofNedlands.She also contested preselection for the House of Representatives prior to the2010 federal election,losing to incumbentTangneyMPDennis Jensen.[19]
In 2021, Lyons ruled herself out of Liberal preselection for the federal seat ofPearceprior to the2022 federal election.[20]
Recognition
[edit]In both 2019 and 2018, Lyons was named in Apolitical's Gender Equality Top 100.[21][22]
Lyons featured in the book200 Women,[23]and was awarded Woman of the Decade for Gender Policy by the Women Economic Forum in 2019.[24][1]
Lyons was named Woman of the Decade for Gender Equality by theWorld Economic Forumin 2019.[1]
In 2022, Lyons was awarded anHonorary Doctor of LettersbyCurtin Universityfor "distinguished service to the social sciences through outstanding and influential advocacy for gender equality in the workplace, with impacts in Australia and internationally".[25]
In 2024, she was inducted into the WA Women's Hall of Fame in the business category.[1]
Family
[edit]Lyons comes from one of the prominentpolitical families of Australia.She is the granddaughter of former Australian Prime MinisterJoseph LyonsandDame Enid Lyonswho was the first woman elected to Australia's House of Representatives, and the first woman appointed to the federal cabinet.[26]Her father was Deputy Premier of TasmaniaKevin Lyons[27]and her brother isKevin LyonsQC, Judge of theSupreme Court of Victoria.[citation needed]
She marriedcriminal lawyerMichael Jones, who died in 2010.[28]
She later married George Bowen.[29]
References
[edit]- ^abcdef"Libby Lyons".Business News.Retrieved4 April2024.
- ^"Lyons moves to BHP".Business News.1 September 2014.Retrieved11 August2019.
- ^"Login".Business News.Retrieved6 May2023.
- ^"ASX Announcement"(PDF).ASX.31 October 2008.Retrieved6 May2023.
- ^Lyons, Libby (14 August 2016)."More men need to be recruited to female-dominated industries".Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved11 August2019.
- ^Lyons, Libby (11 August 2016)."Time for men to sign up to female-dominated caring and sharing jobs".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved11 August2019.
- ^Coade, Melissa (13 October 2016)."Law facing 'brain drain'".lawyersweekly.au.Retrieved11 August2019.
- ^National Press Club: Libby Lyons,Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 16 November 2016,retrieved11 August2019
- ^"News & Events – Kalparrin".
- ^"Not For Profit Board: SIDS and Kids WA".Business News.7 May 2008.Retrieved11 August2019.
- ^Leow, Mei (29 September 2020)."Libby Lyons announced as SAGE inaugural Chair".SAGE.Retrieved10 May2023.
- ^"Science in Australia Gender Equity".SAGE.Retrieved10 May2023.
- ^"New Inaugural Chair Announced".Aged Care Workforce Industry Council.10 June 2021.Retrieved10 May2023.
- ^Campbell, Eleanor."Libby Lyons appointed inaugural chair of the aged care workforce industry council".Aged Care Insite.Retrieved10 May2023.
- ^"National Aged Care Advisory Council".Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.24 February 2023.Retrieved10 May2023.
- ^McKeown, Sean (6 February 2023)."Libby Lyons resigns as ACWIC Chair".Inside Ageing.Retrieved10 May2023.
- ^"Articles: Libby Lyons. Chair, WA Chapter".Chief Executive Women.2 August 2021.Retrieved10 May2023.Media release,2 August 2021.
- ^"Enterprise agreements entrench inequality | ACU".acu.edu.au.Retrieved10 May2023.
- ^Taylor, Paige (16 August 2009)."Liberal Party has second thoughts about dumping Dennis Jensen".News.au.Retrieved2 April2019.
- ^Hennessy, Annabel (3 December 2021)."Why Libby Lyons won't contest Pearce seat".The West Australian.Retrieved10 May2023.
- ^"Apolitical's Gender Equality Top 100 | 2019".Apolitical.Retrieved3 May2023.
- ^"Gender Equality Top 100: The Most Influential People In Global Policy".23 May 2018. Archived fromthe originalon 23 May 2018.Retrieved3 May2023.
- ^"Libby Lyons - 200 Women".200 Women.Retrieved10 May2023.
- ^"Libby Lyons | WEF".19 April 2019.Retrieved10 May2023.
- ^"Community recognition | Curtin Friends".Curtin University.24 May 2021.Retrieved10 May2023.
- ^"Can this woman close the gender pay gap?".Australian Financial Review.1 April 2016.
- ^"The Graduate Union Newsletter November 2017, p11".Issuu.2017.Retrieved11 August2019.
- ^"Stalwart crusader against mandatory terms".The Australian.25 November 2010.Retrieved11 August2019.
- ^Trenoweth, Samantha."Libby Lyons: 'Reducing the gender pay gap will transform our work and family lives'".Now To Love.Retrieved10 May2023.