Science in Australia Gender Equity Limited (SAGE Ltd) is a not-for-profit public company limited by guarantee. Our two founding members are the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.
We are overseen by a Board of Directors appointed by the two founding Academies and led by an independent Board Chair.
Board of Directors
Libby Lyons
ChairIn addition to her role as Chair of SAGE Ltd, Libby Lyons is the inaugural Chair of the Aged Care Workforce Industry Council. The Council was established to implement the 14 strategic actions of A Matter of Care: Australia Aged Care Workforce Strategy. Libby is also a Board member and the WA Chapter Chair for Chief Executive Women.
Most recently, Libby joined CGM Communications as Strategic Counsel. From October 2015 to April 2021, Libby was the Director of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. She oversaw the statutory reporting process that gathers gender equality data from more than 10,000 employers, covering more than 4 million employees.
As agency head, Libby led a program which transformed WGEA into a national powerhouse in promoting evidence-based change for gender equality in Australian workplaces. WGEA garnered international recognition over this period, with Libby invited to speak to governments, private enterprise, industry bodies and unions in Singapore, Chile, Argentina, Mauritius, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, South Korea, the United States and Japan. She also presented at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York in 2018 and 2019.
Prior to joining the Agency, Libby had a distinguished career in corporate affairs and government relations, including leading BHP’s Olympic Dam corporate affairs division, as well as senior roles at Atlas Iron, CITIC Pacific Mining, Alcoa of Australia, the Western Power Corporation and Telstra.
Libby was featured in Apolitical’s 100 Most Influential People Working in Gender Policy in 2018 and 2019 and the book 200 Women Who Will Change the Way You See the World. She was awarded Woman of the Decade for Gender Policy by the Women Economic Forum in 2019.
Libby has a strong personal commitment to public service, having started her career as a primary school teacher. She also sat on the boards of non-profit organisations SIDS and Kids WA, and was Executive Chairman for Kalparrin, a charity that supports the families of children with special needs and disabilities.
In February 2022, Libby was awarded the Curtin University Honorary Doctorate of Letters in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the social sciences as one of Australia’s most influential advocates for gender equity.
Professor James A. Angus AO FAA
Non-Executive Director and Chair, Audit and Risk CommitteeProfessor James Angus is an Honorary Professorial Fellow and Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (MDHS) at the University of Melbourne.
James has held several major leadership roles at the University of Melbourne, amongst them President of the Academic Board (2000–2001), Pro Vice-Chancellor (1999–2001) and member of University Council (1999–2001). In 2013, he completed a 10-year term as Dean of the Faculty of MDHS. Prior to that, he was Professor and Head of the Department of Pharmacology and Deputy Dean of the same faculty.
James was awarded the Gottschalk Medal of the Australian Academy of Science (1984), is a Fellow of the Academy and has been a member of its Council. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. In 2003, he was awarded the Centenary Medal for service to Australian society and science in pharmacology.
In addition to his university appointments, James was a First Vice-President of the International Union of Pharmacology and President of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists. He was also President of Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand (2009–2011).
His current roles include: Director, National Stem Cell Australia Foundation; Director, Jack Brockhoff Foundation; Director, Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation; Chair, Campus Council at RCH; Chair, Australian Advisory Council on the Medicinal Use of Cannabis; and member of the Melbourne University Publishing Advisory Board.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2010 for distinguished service to biomedical research as a leading academic and medical educator, and for his contributions to a range of advisory boards and professional organisations both nationally and internationally.
Dr Richard Sheldrake AM FTSE FRSN
Non-Executive DirectorDr Sheldrake had a 38 year career in the NSW Public Service, and was Director-General of four Departments (Agriculture, Natural Resources, Industry and Investment and Primary Industries) between 2002 and 2013, when he retired.
Richard is currently Vice-President, Diversity and Inclusion, of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), and a member of The Crawford Fund (CF) Board. He Chairs the NSW Committee of CF. He is also a member of the NSW Innovation and Productivity Council.
Dr Victor Sojo Monzon
DirectorDr Victor Sojo is a Senior Lecturer in Leadership at the University of Melbourne. He is also a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, King’s College London and the Australian National University, an Associate Editor of the Australian Journal of Social Issues, and a Board Director at Our Watch (the national leader in the primary prevention of violence against women and their children in Australia).
Dr Sojo’s research focuses on workplace gender equality and leadership development in the public sector. He works with government and private sector organisations to develop evidence-based policies and practices. His research and insights have been published in the Leadership Quarterly, Social Issues and Policy Review, Psychology of Women Quarterly, British Journal of Sport Medicine, The Lancet, and Harvard Business Review.
Heather Watson FCA
DirectorOur team
Dr Janin Bredehoeft
Chief Executive OfficerJanin joined SAGE as its CEO in December 2022.
Janin began her career as a nurse in Germany. However, coming from a rural, low socioeconomic background, her true passion lay in tackling economic inequality. She went on to study economics and immigrated to Australia in 2006.
Since then, Janin has worked in various education, data and policy roles. Most recently, she led the research and education branch of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), where she was responsible for data management, analysis and benchmarking. She completed her PhD at the University of Sydney in 2019, comparing precarious employment in academic labour markets in Germany and Australia.
Having experienced firsthand the barriers facing women and diverse employees, she is more determined than ever to transform all workplaces to be diverse and inclusive. Janin believes that we have enough data and evidence to make this change. We know which behaviours and norms perpetuate inequities; what we need now is action to disrupt the status quo.
Ingrid Klausen
Business and Finance Manager
Tamzen Armer
Senior Advisor – Capacity Building
Heather Champion
Communications and Partnerships Manager
Dr Mei Leow
Advisor – Research and Communications
Jennifer Cameron
Advisor – Accreditation Performance and Analytics
Brendon Houlahan
AV Editor and Administrator
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