Women account for four out of every five employees in the health sector, yet when it comes to the C Suite, only 40 per cent of CEOs are female, according to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.

This under-representation at a senior level is an issue familiar to the banking sector. That’s why NAB, Australia’s leading health business bank, is sharing best practice with customers and colleagues at the Women in Health Leadership Symposium in Sydney today, Friday 1 May.

Held at the MLC campus in North Sydney, the event will see more than 100 leading health professionals in NSW come together to learn more about how to promote gender diversity in health.

The event is being held in partnership with the Australasian College of Health Services Management (ACHSM) to discuss some of the key barriers that prevent women from progressing in the sector. The event will provide motivation, collaboration and support for current and aspiring health CEOs.

NAB is developing a stronger pipeline of female talent and breaking down barriers that prevent women from taking on senior positions. This includes paid parental leave for both male and female primary carers, flexible working, mentoring and coaching programs.

NAB Health General Manager Nehemiah Richardson believes the event will be invaluable for the sector. “Partnering with the ACHSM is a great opportunity for us to share the lessons we have learnt in banking with our colleagues in health,” he said.

“We see similar problems in highly qualified women not taking up senior opportunities, and we want to do what we can to enable this to happen.

“We’re trying to make NAB a supportive place for women to work, grow and thrive.

“We have a target of one in three of our senior leaders being women by the end of this year, and we’re working to achieve this by running talent programs, providing mentoring opportunities and creating a workplace that understands our employees have responsibilities outside of work.”