Corrs Chambers Westgarth has appointed Lisa Annese as the firm’s first diversity manager. Annese joins from the Diversity Council Australia, where she was programs director, working with Australian businesses to help develop and implement their diversity initiatives. Prior to this Annese worked with the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) where she was instrumental in the development of the first census of ‘Australian Women in Leadership’, the first ‘Business Achievement Awards’, the creation of the ‘Employer of Choice for Women’ citation and the development and implementation of the policy framework for the EOWA Act (1999) with Australian businesses. She has also co-authored Chief Executives Unplugged: CEO’s Get Real About Women in the Workplace.

Christine Covington, partner and chair of the Corrs diversity council said Annese’s appointment reinforced Corrs’ commitment to its 2015 diversity strategy. In her new role Annese will be responsible for driving and implementing a range of diversity initiatives, including Corrs’ participation as an industry partner in the Melbourne Business School Gender Equality Project and publishing an ASX Guideline compliant diversity policy.

Meanwhile, Norton Rose partner and chair Sally Macindoe has been named Diversity Leader for the Advancement of Women by EOWA. Each year, EOWA presents the Business Achievement Awards which commend organisations and individuals that have demonstrated their commitment to advancing women in the workplace. Diversity Leader for the Advancement of Women is awarded to the person who understands equal employment opportunity (EEO) for women issues and how to address them; integrates EEO for women into the business strategy; educates the organisation on the issues affecting women’s employment; takes action on issues relating to the employment matters; and delivers improved outcomes for women and the business.

Since beginning her diversity work at the firm in 2005 there has been a doubling in the number of women working flexibly at Norton Rose Australia and the firm has more than doubled the number of women at partnership level.