This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is #EachforEqual. The theme reinforces that each of us have a role to play in creating a gender equal world for Shayne Boogaard, Senior Franchise Development Manager NSW.

“To me, Each for Equal has never been so timely or important. It takes a unified approach to working towards gender equality to achieve such a milestone,” Shayne said.

Shayne believes that the benefits of a gender equal world will be significant.

“I think creating a gender equal world is critical to the success of our lifestyles and business.  It provides the balance you need to be both economically and socially successful. While we’re not quite where we need to be in terms of gender diversity, we’re making positive progress. When we reach this milestone I believe we will see drastic benefits across a number of sectors,” she says.

Shayne joined 7-Eleven as a district manager, was promoted to senior district manager before taking the opportunity to grow her skills when the franchising manager role became available in NSW.

“I started working for 7-Eleven as a district manager with responsibility for approximately 10-12 franchised stores, before becoming a senior district manager with two district managers reporting to me.  I was then asked if I would be interested in becoming the NSW franchising manager.  Although I hadn’t previously worked in that area, I was excited to learn. With great support from leaders in the 7-Eleven business, I was able to develop into the role, learning new aspects of the business and developing a new skill set,” she said.

Developing in her skills and career in her time with 7-Eleven Australia has been something Shayne is proud of.

“I’ve been able to complete a certification as well as learn a range of new skills during my time with 7-Eleven. I learnt a lot during the transition of stores from Mobil to 7-Eleven, which was quite an intense period. The learning journey has continued throughout my time with 7-Eleven as the business evolves,”

“I continue to learn from leaders, colleagues and mentors in the business.  I have relied on their experience and appreciate their time and effort.  I am especially grateful for the support I have received from senior management in my role. While there’s many great people who have supported me, Sue Owen our National Retail Manager, Karen Mennie NSW State Manager, and Claudia Iannucci our State Secretary, have been really special parts of my career at 7-Eleven.”

While progress towards a gender equal world has been made, continuing to focus on making a difference for equality is important for everyone Shayne says.

“No matter how far we’ve come in the past fifty years, there’s still a way to go to achieve equality. Equality is so important and sometimes we don’t recognise it until we’ve come out the other side, so we need keep pushing.”

“Much like this year’s theme, I believe that young women entering the workforce have the right and should feel supported to reinforce the message that each person has a role in achieving gender equality. I would encourage both young men and women to fight for what they know will create a difference to the workplace. Don’t be afraid to stand up for what you believe in, or to say something when you observe behaviour that’s not conducive to achieving equality. It takes someone to say something to make a difference,” Shayne concluded.