THE PROGRESS REPORT: From pink suits to progress – finding your place in defence industry

Joint-capabilities
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By: Robyn Tongol

What do you do when you walk into your first defence event in your early 20s, wearing a bright pink suit … and realise you’re the only woman in the room?

What do you do when you walk into your first defence event in your early 20s, wearing a bright pink suit … and realise you’re the only woman in the room?

In the premiere of The Progress Report, Defence Connect’s Natasha Taylor sits down with Olivia Agate – president of Women’s Defence Connection and HR partner at Navantia – to unpack what it really takes to show up, speak up, and stand tall in a still male-dominated industry.

From rainbow dresses at 6am breakfasts to the quiet power of allyship, Agate and Taylor trade stories of imposter syndrome, backing yourself (and each other), and how simply saying yes can change the entire trajectory of your career.

Listen in as two women pull back the curtain on what’s working, what’s not, and what still needs to change across Australia’s defence industry.

The Progress Report. New voices. Real stories. Big shifts.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Progress Report team

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Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:

Episode 11: THE PROGRESS REPORT: The mission to make military children visible
Episode 10: PODCAST: Righting the ship, balancing the force, with Senator James Paterson, shadow minister for defence
Episode 9: SPOTLIGHT: Modern electronic warfare, spectrum congestion and the Australian defence ecosystem, with DEWC Services’ Rian Whitby
Episode 8: CONTESTED GROUND: The intersection of finance, organised crime, terrorism and foreign interference, with Keith Bulfin
Episode 7: CONTESTED GROUND: The fragility of Australia’s energy ecosystem, with AVM (Ret’d) John Blackburn AO
Episode 6: PODCAST: The MC-55A Peregrine and the future of ADF airborne reconnaissance, with Alan Clements
Episode 5: CONTESTED GROUND: Australia faces fallout closer to home as Iran continues to fight back
Episode 4: PODCAST: AUKUS infrastructure, public perceptions and nuclear-powered submarines, with Fred Thomas MP
Episode 3: THE PROGRESS REPORT: From the cockpit to the dockyard
Episode 2: PODCAST: Iran escalation, munitions supplies and the Middle East’s path to peace

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