Diane Smith-Gander AO is a prominent Australian business leader, experienced non-executive director and committed advocate for gender equity. She is the Chancellor elect at The University of Western Australia and a past president of Chief Executive Women.
I remember getting into a lot of trouble with my mother, one time, when she was out, and I was minding my younger brother at home. A couple of girl guides knocked on the door and wanted a ‘Bob a Job’ and because my mother always supported these things, I let them in to clean up my toy cupboard.
When my mum came home, she made me pay them, even though I didn't have a whole lot of bobs to give for the job! It was an interesting lesson that if I wanted to be generous, I had to make sure I had the wherewithal to be generous, and not assume other people's generosity. My mum continued to be a strong role model through her volunteer work and giving.
My parents' giving was tied to their church. Even though it wasn't necessarily a requirement, they would always give a certain amount, and they were both very strong volunteers. They believed that the community should look after its own and be alert to the needs of others. I think this alertness to other people's needs and to my own good fortune, is what drives me the most.
Personally, I give of my time and skills to a number of voluntary activities. But my financial gifting started when I was a partner at McKinsey in the US and our office had an expectation of a dollar level of giving that partners would contribute. There were various initiatives that the partnership agreed we would support around the communities, and it was the first time I started giving actual money in a meaningful way.
When I came back from the US, it changed the way I give. When I joined the board of The University of Western Australia business school, I sat down with the dean and asked what other board members gave when the program was being developed to build the future fund and I tipped in that same amount.
Absolutely. I like that idea of everyone gets engaged and has a role. I think this would work well in member-based organisations where you have a particular mission or purpose. It's good to give people the expectation that they can give of their time, but they can also give financially.
There is currently a tax deduction for organisations that are endorsed as deductible gift recipients (DGRs) and I think we could broaden that and make it easier for people to become recipients. Another way of introducing people to giving is through planned programs where you give monthly or annually. World Vision has done this for years, but it hasn’t really permeated.
I think we need to speak about giving more openly and understand the real needs within our community. 20% of Australians live below the poverty line and that delivers intergenerational disadvantage to so many people. My background is in corporate and in that sector facts and data are what make people more inclined to give. People that get involved with the CEO sleep out for example, get a lot of education about what is going on and what the need is in the community.
We need more imagination when it comes to giving in Australia. I remember thinking this when Barnaby Joyce changed his mind about what support should be provided to people on lower incomes when he suddenly had two families to support, and things got tight. It's that walk-in-your-shoes approach. This is one of the key values of one of the companies I'm involved with. But generally, we are not very good at doing that in Australia. We tend to stay in our bubble.
My parents' generation believed that the social contract with the Australian government was that they would get looked after in their elder years it if they worked hard and put that money into the tax system. I think we're still a bit trapped in that world and don’t realise that the government safety net doesn't cover as much anymore. The group who are most likely to be homeless are women over 55 - because of gender pay gaps and lack of employment opportunities. We need to use our imagination to understand what that looks like and how we can change it.
I’ve learned how important it is to be on purpose. Education is my thing. My parents left school before they finished high school, so I was the first kid in my family, not only to go to university but to finish high school. Although, both my parents continued to educate themselves through correspondence courses at the kitchen table and ended up as teachers. This is why I'm absolutely delighted to be Chancellor elect at The University of Western Australia and to hold an adjunct seat at the business school. I always try to give to the university and to education related efforts.
I've learned that if you are on purpose, it feels more intentional. I have a friend who has quite a capacity to give, and she's come from a family which has strong medical ties, so she gives to medical research. She has a very solid criteria and will only fund areas where there is collaboration. Her proxy is that you need to be collaborating with all the people who are working in that area and if she can’t see that, she won’t give. I have also learned that scale doesn't matter - there are so many small charities and little organisations where a small amount of money makes a huge amount of difference. Invest time in finding things that makes you feel good about your giving – maybe it’s in culture or the arts or to an individual who’s participating in one of these areas. It doesn't have to be a great, big thing or a significant amount of money to be valuable. It can be the little opportunity store around the corner from your house that you give a little extra money to when you turn in your pair of worn-out shoes.
I would like to have a 10% giving rule for myself, something that feels like it's got a bit of oomph to it. But there’s also an interesting dynamic around how and who I’m going to help. Do I give to my family versus helping less fortunate people versus helping a cause? I don’t think a lot of people think through how to deal with these different areas, and certainly, if I didn't have my goddaughter, niece and nephews, I'd probably give more money elsewhere. For me, I earned more money than my parents, but that's not the experience of this generation that's coming up. How can we help them achieve their goals?
Is a professional company director with an accomplished business career 40 years in the making. Diane is Chair of Zip Co, Perenti Limited and private health insurer HBF. She is also outgoing National Chair of CEDA, Committee for the Economic Development of Australia. In 2025 she will become the 16th & first female, Chancellor of the University of Western Australia.
A keen advocate for gender equity Diane is past President of Chief Executive Women, Australia’s pre-eminent women’s advocacy group. In 2019 Diane was made an officer in the Order of Australia for services to business, women’s engagement in executive roles, gender equality and the community.
A former representative basketball player, Diane is a past chair of Basketball Australia and Australia's national anti-doping organisation. She now chairs the independent Nominations Committee of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA).
Diane holds an MBA from the University of Sydney and a BEc and Honorary Doctorate of Economics from UWA. A Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Governance Institute of Australia, in 2019 Diane was made an officer in the Order of Australia for services to business, women’s engagement in executive roles, gender equality and the community.
