A new survey of exporters revealed 15 per cent of businesses in Western Australia employed female CEOs, with one in five females nationally assuming senior roles in business.
A new survey of exporters revealed 15 per cent of businesses in Western Australia employed female CEOs, with one in five females nationally assuming senior roles in business.
The latest DHL Women in Export survey of Australian businesses shows Queensland leads the country with 28 per cent of businesses employing female CEOs. In comparison, there are 12 per cent in NSW and the ACT, 11 per cent in Victoria and Tasmania and seven per cent in South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Austrade's Chief Economist Tim Harcourt said countries do better when they have economic participation from women and there are increasingly high tech ways for Australian business women to become part of the exporting community.
"Technology is playing a role in 'advancing Australia fair'. In fact, new technology has helped 34 per cent of Australia's SMEs use e-commerce to sell to overseas customers," Mr Harcourt said.
"With a large 86 per cent proportion of Australia's exporter community made up of SMEs and many women working for them in senior roles, being e-ready is definitely providing an impetus to break down the tyranny of distance.
"Another factor influencing increased export opportunities for Australian business women includes the materialisation of our trading partners increasingly having women earning incomes, which in turn leads them to becoming important consumers. In addition, services are a very important part of our export competitiveness and women have expertise in these areas such as in marketing and communications," he said.
Leading Austrade's Women in Export program, Jenny Mathews said the program is tailor-made to address women's critical information gaps and barriers.
"Austrade's Women in Export program provides the answers that women in business need and access to experienced export advisers to increase the speed of achieving international business success," Ms Mathews said.
South Korea is Australia's third largest trading partner and many export opportunities for women are surfacing. As Austrade's Seoul-based Senior Trade Commissioner Elizabeth Masamune points out there is the emergence of South Korean women becoming quite active in certain sectors which offers partnering opportunities for Australian women.
"A trend has developed where many South Korean women have become involved in sectors such as cosmetics, aromatherapy, child care products and services and training as well as Human Resources related areas," Ms Masamune said.
"A lot of South Korean women working in those sectors share similar experiences to Australian women who've built their businesses in a similar way - they're on the same wave length as Australian women and can become very good partners, particularly if they can co-invest in a brand that an Australian woman has developed."
