182: The Politics of Politics - Licia Heath

The pun on words is not lost on me! We are discussing The Politics of Politics – and while this podcast is in essence a non-political show, I believe we can’t escape that politics shapes our society and impacts everyone at some level.

I personally love politics. In fact, I was a NED on a board to help more women get elected to public office for a few years. I recall I was passionate about why that was vital for a country like Australia where we still have only ever had one female PM. Here is where I met my guest Licia Heath who today is the inaugural CEO of Women for Election and she’s dedicated to inspiring and equipping more women across the country to run for public office at the local, state, or federal level. In addition to training women to run for office, Licia is also focused on engaging more women in Australia’s political process and educating them on the various roles they might like to take to help another woman get elected. She sets the tone that gender-balanced governments improve quality of life for women and girls and all of society.

Licia ran in the high-profile Wentworth by-election in October 2018 (when former PM Malcolm Turnbull was suddenly leaving his political seat) and helped shape the political debate on a national platform.

In an earlier life, she spent nearly 20 years in finance and asset management and worked at Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse in London and Australia. She helped establish Ironbark Asset Management, an Australian-based asset management business.

Licia shares with us:

1. What do you think makes the term politics so polarising for people and why do we need to overcome this or not?

2. I have heard you mention in the past how “opaque” the pathway to politics is and how many talented and capable candidates, perhaps because they can’t get their foot in the door base or they lack the specific networks, or finances or education needed to make them shine and have a chance to win office.

3. What made you want to run for office in 2018 and did that experience show you anything surprising about the way elections are run and won?

4. How can diversity become normalised in politics locally and globally

5. Takeaway: What is your final takeaway message for us on The Politics of Politics?

CONTACT INFO:

LinkedIn: LinkedIn

Web: https://wfe.org.au

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