Panelists
Managing Director, Merck Life Science
Rebecca Lee is the Managing Director at Merck Life Science and Country Speaker of the Merck Group in ANZ. She has over 20 years of experience in the Australian & New Zealand science and chemical industry and is passionate about making a difference.
Rebecca is a strong advocate for diversity, having led the implementation of a framework for achieving gender parity on the board for the German Chamber of Commerce and supported the founding of SCAA Women in Coatings.
She champions STEM education, with Melbourne University and through Merck’s partnership with Deadly Science, developing resources for remote Indigenous communities. Rebecca is also a keen golfer and community leader.
Executive Vice President Fujitsu Asia Pacific (APAC) and CEO Fujitsu Asia Pacific
As a transformational leader, Graeme is passionate about connecting work with purpose and impact and is accelerating Fujitsu’s journey to becoming an Employer of Choice. Under Graeme’s leadership, Fujitsu has introduced several purpose-led initiatives winning Fujitsu Australia a gold award from the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) 2022 in recognition of the organisation’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and ensuring inclusion in the workplace.
Graeme is an accomplished technology executive with over 30 years of experience in senior management, sales, consulting, M&A and product management roles across the APAC region. He has worked across start-ups and well-established companies, such as IBM, Salesforce, Experian and Akamai. As a change agent, Graeme strongly advocates for digital transformation, a better future and opportunities for females and minorities in the workplace.
Graeme’s qualifications are in Business, Economics and Business Administration from RMIT University and has completed executive management courses at Northwestern University, Boston University, INSEAD and Harvard Business School. He is on the Board of Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN) a purpose-led, not-for-profit organisation that brings businesses and schools together to address educational disadvantage. He is also a member of the Business Council of Australia (BCA). Outside of work Graeme is a keen AFL fan, enjoys all types of music and cycling and is married with two sons and a daughter.
Founder of STEM Sisters
Dr Ruwangi Fernando is an accomplished Information Technology expert and AI specialist with a strong academic and consulting background. As a champion for women of colour in STEM, she advocates for intersectional diversity and inclusion in the Australian STEM sector.
Dr Fernando founded STEM Sisters, an organisation aimed at empowering women of colour in STEM, which to date has received national-level accolades, including the Techdiversity Business and Media Awards, Victoria Multicultural Excellent Award, and WISE grant from the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
Her dedication to fostering diversity, inclusion, and intersectionality in STEM has earned her numerous accolades, including STEM Women Changemaker and Asian-Australian Game Changer.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Regional Futures) and Vice-President at Edith Cowan University (ECU)
Professor Cobie Rudd is focused on increasing engagement opportunities in regional, rural, and remote Western Australia to better support the educational, research, community, and industry needs of the regions.
Professor Rudd leads ECU’s Athena SWAN initiative, a gender equity and diversity evaluation and institutional accreditation process. Under her leadership, ECU achieved the Athena Swan Bronze Institutional Award in December 2018.
They received the first Athena Swan Cygnet Award in Australia in August 2022 for their actions, outcomes and impact in improving access to flexible work. She was welcomed as a CEO for Gender Equity in October 2021. Most recently, they have won a second Athena Swan Cygnet Award for their work on retaining and progressing women in STEMM.
Moderator
Co-chair, Women in STEMM Australia
Professor Madhu Bhaskaran FTSE is a multi-award-winning electronics engineer and innovator. She co-leads the Functional Materials and Microsystems Research Group at RMIT University which she established in 2010.
She is also Chief Investigator of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems and Deputy Director (Research) of the ARC Hub for Connected Sensors for Health.
Her work on electronic skin and wearable sensors has been patented and her group now works collaboratively with multiple industry and design partners to commercialise the technology for healthcare and aged care.
She is a migrant Australian and a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion. She co-founded the RMIT Women Researchers’ Network, has served on RMIT Athena Swan Committee, and was a Member of Expert Working Group of the ‘Women in STEM Decadal Plan’.
She is currently the IDEA Director for the ARC Centre of Excellence TMOS, on the Advisory Board for STEM Sisters and proudly co-leads Women in STEMM Australia.