ESSA celebrates the pioneering women in exercise & sports science industry for International Women’s Day

Yesterday was International Women's Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, while also marking a call to create a gender equal world: #EachforEqual.

Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA) continues to celebrate the presence of gender balance throughout its organisation and the pioneering women in its industry who may not always have the chance to be recognised for their commitment and hard work.

“Equality is not a women's issue, it's a business issue, and at ESSA we are unique in that 50% of our membership is female, including our newly appointed President. As an association that represents over 8,000 professionals, there is always more that ESSA can do to build a more gender-balanced industry.”

“We are committed to continuing our support to develop female leaders and pioneers all year round through various networking events, learning opportunities and campaigns. Reports have found that for women to thrive, they need to see other women demonstrate and achieve the possibilities they have. We want to encourage female industry leaders to step into the spotlight.”

In light of this, ESSA has continued to support the development of female leaders in the industry by announcing the ‘2020 Female Leaders in Exercise & Sports Science’ as nominated by their peers.

“We are inspired to have a wide range of industry leaders within our membership, both male and female, however, in celebration of International Women’s Day, ESSA is recognising three women who portray true leadership and influential change within their professions and in their day-to-day lives,” adds Anita.

The 2020 Female Leaders in Exercise & Sports Science are:

Nicole French – Nicole is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist and the Managing Director of Exercise for Rehabilitation & Health in Melbourne. Nominated for her continuous dedication and constant achievements, Nicole has been recognised as key figure leading the exercise physiology industry, specifically for her contributions to the diabetes, obesity and young adults’ community.

“Women are incredible at leading with empathy, being solution focussed and embracing vulnerability rather than fighting it. To all of our future female leaders, look for the gaps, dream it then draw it, recognise that you bring value and then build the pathway to achieve the impact that you know you can.” – Nicole French.

Kate Fuller – Kate is a Level 1 Accredited Sports Scientist and has led the AIS’s National Sports Science Quality Assurance (NSSQA) Program, which accredits high performance athlete testing facilities in Australia, since 2006. Nominated for her value’s driven and innovative leadership, Kate’s 20 years’ experience delivering business improvement outcomes to high performance sport has not gone unnoticed.

“Over the years that I have worked in high performance sport, I have observed a significant improvement in gender balance across a range of roles, which is fantastic to see. As an industry, we need to work together to address existing systematic biases and continue to support and develop talented women so that they feel confident to take on leadership roles.” – Kate Fuller.

Associate Professor Margaret (Marg) Torode – For over 40 years, Marg has played a significant role in the academic space of the exercise and sports science industry. Marg was nominated for her passion and continuous promotion of the industry, of ESSA, and most importantly, of the graduates at the universities she has worked for, a key attribute of a true and respected leader.

“For women who are wanting to take on more leadership roles – take the risk, embrace the challenge, involve others and take a team approach so that any successes are shared. Be enthusiast, inclusive and transparent, seek out a mentor and be prepared to seek advice.” – Assoc. Prof. Margaret Torode.

For more information on International Women’s Day, please click here.

ESSA also has available a free Exercise & Women’s Health eBook that can be downloaded here.