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CEW Senior Executive Census 2025: A defining moment for corporate Australia
The 2025 Census reveals where we stand - and where we need to go.
Each year, CEW releases the most comprehensive analysis of women's representation in executive leadership across Australia's largest companies. We began this work nine years ago, believing that shining a light on gender imbalance would drive swift change.
After nine years of tracking women's representation in executive leadership, we must confront an uncomfortable truth: traditional approaches aren't delivering the progress Australia needs.
The Current Reality
The CEW Census found:
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Nine years of data tells us that awareness alone hasn't been enough. The problem isn't a lack of talent or good intentions. The problem is a lack of accountability.
What Actually Drives Change
Not all companies are struggling. The Census identified clear patterns among those achieving gender balance:
- Companies with women CEOs foster systemic change, averaging 46% women in leadership compared to 31% across all companies.
- Organisations setting 40:40 gender targets are 2.7 times more likely to achieve gender balance.
- Businesses that broaden leadership pathways beyond traditional CFO/COO routes access wider talent pools and drive innovation.
Where accountability exists, change happens. Where it doesn't, the status quo persists.
The Opportunity We're Missing
Australia faces critical economic challenges: sluggish productivity, skills shortages, and global competition for talent. Yet nearly 30% of our highly educated women work part-time compared to 11% of men, representing vast untapped potential.
Achieving gender equality could add $128 billion to our GDP. Companies with diverse leadership are 21% more likely to outperform. The business case is proven.
We have the evidence. We have the talent. What's been missing is accountability.
What Needs to Change
For too long, gender equality has been treated as optional. As something that can be deferred when other priorities emerge. CEW calls for practical, proven actions that make it non-negotiable:
- Set 40:40 gender targets with genuine accountability.
- Invest in diverse CEO and executive talent pipelines.
- Build inclusive, flexible and respectful workplaces.
- Challenge the leadership blueprint.
Read previous CEW Census Reports
With the 2025 CEW Senior Executive Census now available, you can also explore the findings from previous years. Each annual report, developed in partnership with our strategic partners, tracks the evolving representation of women in ASX300 company leadership. These past reports offer essential context and valuable benchmarks to better understand and advance gender equity in corporate Australia
UNLOCKING LEADERSHIP: Conversations on Gender and Race in Corporate Australia
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Explore our report on the experiences of culturally and racially diverse women in senior leadership roles in ASX300 companies. Gain insights into barriers faced, and actions for unlocking diverse leadership potential.
MERIT TRAP
CEW and the Champions of Change Coalition are working together to identify approaches towards this end, put them into practice, and disseminate those that are successful.
STEM: WHY DON'T WOMEN GET COOL JOBS
We highlight actions to advance women in STEM leadership roles through insights from women who are leading the way, in conjunction with Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
ADDRESSING AUSTRALIA'S CRITICAL SKILLS SHORTAGE
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Illustrating how to address the Australian economy’s current and future skills gaps in partnership with Impact Economics and Policy.
ACCELERATING WOMEN'S REPRESENTATION INTO EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
A deep dive into how Australia’s leading organisations foster gender balance on their executive teams, created in partnership with Bain & Company.
FLEX FOR SUCCESS: Five Practices That Build a Flexible Workforce
Changes in the workplace that both illustrate the value of flexibility and create an opportunity for a permanent shift.
CEW SUMMIT 2023 WHITEPAPER
Explore the insights, actions and results shared by thought leaders at the CEW Leadership Summit 2023, focused on accelerating gender equity. Learn more about the commitment to fast-track equality and the imperative of taking bold actions to drive change.