Driving change: Nine’s Gender Equity Community in action

At Nine, diversity and inclusion is an ongoing commitment to creating a supportive and equitable workplace. This International Women’s Day, we’re shining a light on the work of our Gender Equity Community and the passionate individuals leading the charge. Co-chairs Kerri Elstub, Director nine.com.au, Steve Burling, Director of Morning Television, and Melissa Stevens, Head of Life, share their insights on the progress made, the work still to do, and why gender equity matters to everyone.

Leading the gender equity conversation

The Gender Equity Community is one of Nine’s employee-led communities (ERG’s), established in 2022 to bring Nine’s shared purpose to life. The Community exists to drive connection and change around gender equity while supporting Nine’s D&I objectives. It provides a platform for employees to connect, contribute to an inclusive culture, and champion meaningful progress.

“The role of the co-chair is to help drive gender equity initiatives and events while supporting the People and Culture team with their ongoing work in this space,” says Kerri. “We are big believers in community and support networks. Our aim is to ensure all our nationwide events and initiatives focus on starting conversations and building connections.” 

Kerri was one of the founding members of the Gender Equity Community and Steve joined not long after. For Steve, stepping into this role was a no-brainer. “I was inspired after a conversation with Kerri – someone I’ve worked with for decades and respect enormously. She suggested that I should be part of the conversation on gender equity, and honestly, I couldn’t agree more. Gender equity is a societal issue, and it’s not the responsibility of just one gender. There’s still a real gap, and I wanted to be involved in helping to close it.”

Melissa stepped into the role to cover the parental leave of Co-chair Julia Naughton. However, Melissa’s passion for gender equity has been longstanding. “I’ve benefited from the progress made by previous generations, and I feel a real responsibility to pay it forward. There’s still so much work to do.”

Driving change through community

Having employee-led communities like this one is making a real difference at Nine. “It’s great to see people from all departments across Nine working together to promote gender equity,” says Kerri. “I’ve learned so much from my fellow co-chairs and community members, and these are lessons I’ll take with me beyond this role.”

Steve agrees. “The Gender Equity Community plays a significant role in effecting real and positive change; It’s about providing a platform where everyone has equal access to opportunities.”

The Community has already helped drive significant workplace improvements. “One big win the community has supported has been the continued evolution of Nine’s parental leave policy to better reflect diverse family and caregiving roles,” shares Melissa. “These changes create an environment where everyone feels not only supported but encouraged to pursue their professional goals, while also maintaining a healthy work-life balance” Steve adds.  

Looking ahead

One of the most successful initiatives of the last year was the launch of the Gender Equity ‘Speaker Series.’ “In our first session, we were joined by finance guru Effie Zahos who spoke about financial literacy. It was really great to hear from the women who attended the event, how empowering they found the advice – particularly the young women” shares Melissa. “We want to continue collaborating with other Nine Communities and plan to expand our Speaker Series to bring even more valuable conversations to Nine.” 

Collaboration with other Nine Communities from an intersectional lens will feature heavily on the 2025 agenda. “Frequent conversations and awareness of what’s happening across all our fabulous Communities is essential. There are positive and very real changes happening across all of our groups, and this should be celebrated” explains Steve. “Gender equity isn’t an isolated issue – it intersects with so many aspects of diversity and inclusion. By working together, we can make a bigger impact.”

Nine is on a journey toward greater gender equity. While there’s still work to do, the passion and commitment of the Gender Equity Community – and all of our Communities – are driving meaningful change.