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: CONTESTED GROUND: The information advantage – how AI is reshaping influence, competition and power
Episode 10: PODCAST: Next-generation equipment at Land Forces 2026, with Aquaterro’s Graeme Bulte
Episode 9: SPOTLIGHT: Defence electronics supply chains, counterfeit components and shortages
Episode 8: PODCAST: AUKUS, China and Australia’s defence industrial future, with former prime minister Scott Morrison
Episode 7: CONTESTED GROUND: When AI goes rogue – the emerging threat Australia isn’t ready for
Episode 6: PODCAST: Frontier AI, cyber warfare, and defending Australia’s military networks, with Wendi Whitmore and Tom Scully
Episode 5: PODCAST: Australia’s 2026 Intergenerational Report and national security implications, with Phillip Tarrant and Robert Dougherty
Episode 4: CONTESTED GROUND: AUKUS, deterrence, and the deepening Australia–UK strategic partnership
Episode 3: SPOTLIGHT: Unlocking Australia’s Defence estate through divestment, with Stantec Australia
Episode 2: CONTESTED GROUND: Is Australia ready to secure its place in an increasingly contested space domain?