Episode Details

Women make up just 20% of Australia’s highly technical workforce. After age 40, that drops even further. So what is happening at the exact point when women’s experience should be becoming more valuable?

In this episode of AI Ready Women, Georgie Hubbard and Lou Compagnone are joined by Adair Robins, former Head of Diversity and Transformation at the Tech Council of Australia, to unpack why women are leaving technical careers mid-career, what AI could mean for that trend, and why the next few years could also create a huge opportunity for women.

Adair shares insights from the Women in Highly Technical Occupations research, including the finding that women leave highly technical roles at almost twice the rate of men during mid-career.

We also talk about what happens when career progression collides with caring responsibilities, why flexibility and workplace culture still matter, and why women need to be part of the teams designing, leading and implementing AI.

Plus, Adair shares the story behind Back in the Code, a full-day agentic engineering course designed for parents currently on or recently returned from parental leave.

Resources mentioned

Back in the Code — Melbourne, 24 September
https://events.techcouncil.com.au/agentic_ai_course_cohort2

Back in the Code — Future Cohort Waitlist
https://events.techcouncil.com.au/agentic_engineering_waitlist_form

Tech Careers Hotline Podcast
https://techcouncil.com.au/tech-careers-hotline-podcast/

Women in Highly Technical Work Report
https://techcouncil.com.au/research/

✨ 60 Day Bold Move Career Accelerator
https://www.georgiehubbard.com/bold-moves

📚 The Bold Move
https://www.theboldmovebook.com

Connect with Georgie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard
Website: https://www.georgiehubbard.com

Connect with Lou Compagnone:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loucompagnone/

Connect with Adair Robins:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adair-robins/