Julia Gillard

In October 2012, Julia Gillard received global attention for her speech in parliament on the treatment of women in professional and public life. Julia’s blistering attack on sexism and misogyny was a defiant turning point in the advancement of women in political leadership, but despite gains made towards equality, women still only make up around a quarter of parliamentarians, news-media leaders and judges worldwide.

Since leaving politics, Julia has continued to advocate for gender equality, founding the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King's College in London to better understand the challenges women face in leadership and the barriers that prevent them fully participating in economic, political and community life.

Women and Leadership, co-authored by Julia and acclaimed development economist Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, combines research with interviews with some of the world’s extraordinary women leaders. They spoke with Jacinda Ardern, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Bachelet, Joyce Banda, and more, to examine the influence of gender on women’s access to positions of leadership, the perceptions of them as leaders, the trajectory of their leadership and the circumstances in which it comes to an end. Julia talks to Jacqueline Maley about her advocacy and research, the radical shift required to close the gender gap, and her inspirational new book that she hopes will provide women with a road map of essential knowledge and an action agenda for change.

This live-streamed event is now available to watch below

Julia Gillard (Australia)

Julia Gillard was sworn in as the 27th Prime Minister of Australia on 24 June 2010 and served in that office until June 2013. Ms Gillard is the first woman to ever serve as Australia’s Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister. As Prime Minister and in her previous role as Deputy Prime Minister, Ms Gillard delivered nation-changing policies including reforming Australian education at every level from early childhood to university education, creating an emissions trading scheme to combat climate change, improving health care, commencing the nation’s first ever national scheme to care for people with disabilities, addressing the gender pay gap for social and community sector workers and delivering an apology to all those who had suffered through the practice of forced adoptions.In October 2012, Ms Gillard received worldwide attention for her speech in Parliament on the treatment of women in professional and public life. She currently serves as the inaugural Chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at Kings College in London, which through research, practice and advocacy, is addressing women’s under-representation in leadership. Ms Gillard is the Chair of Beyond Blue, one of Australia’s leading mental health awareness bodies; is Chair of global funding body for education in developing countries, the Global Partnership for Education; and is Patron of the Campaign for Female Education. Ms Gillard’s memoirs, My Story, were published by Random House in September 2014

Jacqueline Maley (Australia)

Jacqueline Maley is a columnist and senior writer for the Sydney Morning Herald and Age newspapers, where she writes about politics, people and social affairs. She has also worked on staff at The Guardian in London and The Australian Financial Review, as well as contributing to numerous other publications including Gourmet Traveller and Marie Claire. In 2016 she won the Kennedy Award for Outstanding Columnist. Her debut novel The Truth About Her will be published by HarperCollins in 2021.