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-{{ovation.company}}The Geopolitical Impact of COVID-19
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the geo-politics of our planet were being shaped by three big trends:
Each of these trends have been turbo-charged by the pandemic. At the same time, communities have been reminded of the importance of effective government and the need to have policy informed by expert advice.
As the world navigates the continuing health and economic crises, there is an opportunity for governments, the private sector, philanthropy and communities to seize the moment to build back better and create societies that are fairer, greener, embracing of more flexible work styles and positively globally engaged.
In these illuminating and engaging virtual remarks, 27th Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard dives into how to seize the myriad opportunities of this moment, while also highlighting the risks if they are missed. As a trailblazing world leader, chair of the Global Partnership for Education, and Chair of Wellcome Trust, a foundation that works to improve health through scientific research and plays a crucial role in the global response to COVID-19, Gillard approaches the pandemic from multiple perspectives, providing insights and takeaways tailored to each organization. Ultimately, her remarks serve as a galvanizing call to action.
Women's Leadership: Challenge, Adversity and Triumph
Australia's first woman Prime Minister reflects on her life experiences and the continuing challenges women face as leaders.
Engagement in the Asian Century: The Opportunity of Our Lifetime
As Prime Minister, Ms. Gillard developed Australia’s landmark policy paper on its role in the Asia Century. Ms. Gillard discusses the strategic, economic and leadership challenges as Asia rises and the lessons essential to national success in the decades ahead.
How Global Education Can Change the World
As the Chair of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the world’s only global fund solely dedicated to education in developing countries, Julia Gillard seeks to transform the way the world thinks about-- and who has access to-- quality education. Reflecting on her work with GPE and tenure as Australia’s Prime Minister, where she put education reform at the top of the agenda, Gillard discusses why quality education is so crucial to global development, and how it impacts critical issues ranging from climate change to economic stability.
Julia Gillard is a powerful advocate for women’s rights and global health
A world leader on gender equality and women’s rights, JULIA GILLARD is known for her fresh insights on geopolitics, global health, and inspiration and guidance for women in leadership. The first woman to serve as Prime Minister of Australia, the Chair of Wellcome has helmed The Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the world’s only global fund solely dedicated to education in developing countries, and beyondblue, a non-profit focused on mental health. Named to Forbes’ 2021 List of “The World’s Most Powerful Women,” Gillard established and chaired the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College in London, bringing together rigorous research, practice, and advocacy to better understand and address the causes of women’s underrepresentation in leadership positions worldwide, promoting gender equality and tackling complicated issues of women’s treatment in workplaces across industries.
Gillard's prominence as an internationally celebrated feminist was solidified following her now-viral 2012 Parliament speech on misogyny, which became the subject of the powerful documentary Strong Female Lead. Heralded for engagements hat are equal parts inspiring and informative, the co-author of Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons is in demand for keynotes worldwide, regularly receiving praise such as: "She was fantastic and wonderfully well received!... The bar is very high here at The Richmond Forum, and she just sailed right over with ease” (The Richmond Forum) and "I cannot express how important and successful your talk before the Boston College student body turned out..." (Boston College).
Watch Julia Gillard at the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership >>
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's presents a road map for female leaders in her new book Women and Leadership
The first female Prime Minister of Australia JULIA GILLARD is a leading voice on gender equality and female leadership around the world, and has written a new book Women and Leadership which serves as a road map for women seeking leadership roles but who might hesitate about what it means for them and their lives. Gillard interviews and draws out the first person accounts of other powerful female leaders including Jacinda Ardern, Hillary Clinton, Theresa May and Christine Lagarde to share their experiences getting access to leadership, the perceptions of them as leaders, and the trajectory of their leadership. By presenting the lessons that can be learned from women who lead, Gillard and her co-author, Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, provide a road map of essential knowledge to inspire us all, and an action agenda for change that allows women to take control and combat gender bias. Frequently sought-after for insights on female leadership, in publications from The Guardian to The Daily Telegraph's Stellar, Gillard receives praise from audiences such as: "She was fantastic and wonderfully well received!...The bar is very high here at The Richmond Forum, and she just sailed right over with ease” (The Richmond Forum) and "I cannot express how important and successful your talk before the Boston College student body turned out..." (Boston College).
A Podcast of One's Own with Julia Gillard
As chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, which works to better understand and address the causes of women’s underrepresentation in leadership positions worldwide, Former Prime Minister of Australia JULIA GILLARD offers timely and shrewd insight into how empowering women leaders helps solve global issues. In this role, Prime Minister Gillard presents A Podcast of One's Own. In each episode, Julia leads a thoughtful but fun discussion with well-known female (and some male) leaders from the worlds of business, entertainment, media, sport and many more. By celebrating their stories and learning the lessons from their lives, the podcast gives us insight into what needs to be done so more women get to lead. Earnings from the podcast go back into funding for the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, furthering the work they do to create a world in which being a woman is no barrier to being a leader. Check out recent episodes >>
Julia Gillard offers fresh insights on geopolitics
A world leader with fresh insights on geopolitics, the global economy, and women's rights, JULIA GILLARD is at the helm of two world-renowned organizations-- The Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the world’s only global fund solely dedicated to education in developing countries, and beyondblue, a non-profit focused on mental health. Regularly making headlines thanks to her work with GPE, which enjoys the impressive backing of mega-star Rihanna, Gillard is heralded for keynotes that are equal parts inspiring and informative. Regularly in-demand for keynotes worldwide, Gillard's talks are on topics ranging from "Diplomacy and Leadership in an Age of Disruption" to "Engagement in the Asian Century." As chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, which works to better understand and address the causes of women’s underrepresentation in leadership positions worldwide, Gillard also offers timely and shrewd insight into how empowering women leaders helps solve global issues.
Watch some of JULIA GILLARD's talks here > >
Julia Gillard in the News
The first female Prime Minister of Australia JULIA GILLARD is a leading voice on gender equality and female leadership around the world. Named to Forbes’ 2021 List of “The World’s Most Powerful Women,” Gillard serves as the Chair of Beyond Blue, Global Partnership for Education, Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, and Wellcome, a global charitable foundation which supports science to solve urgent health challenges. Her book Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons, which is co-authored by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, serves as a road map for women seeking leadership roles but who might hesitate about what it means for them and their lives.
Gillard offers timely and shrewd insight into how empowering women leaders helps solve global issues at events with The Economic Times Women’s Forum, Simmons Leadership Conference, The Richmond Forum, China APEC Development Council, and many others. Recent media appearances include:
6.1.2022 Former PM Julia Gillard says women could be left behind as men return to the office | News.com.au
3.9.2022 VIDEO: Julia Gillard on mental health and anxiety | ABC News
12.7.2021 Julia Gillard Named to Forbes’ List of The World’s Most Powerful Women 2021 | Forbes
9.7.2021 The power of a documentary in laying bare the misogyny experienced by Julia Gillard | Women’s Agenda
Julia Gillard is a global leader on education
A world leader with powerful insights on education, JULIA GILLARD is at the helm of The Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the world’s only global fund solely dedicated to education in developing countries. Board Chair at GPE since 2014, Gillard's groundbreaking worth with the organization regularly makes headlines, and enjoys the impressive backing of mega-star Rihanna, as Gillard seeks to transform the way the world thinks about-- and who has access to-- quality education. Gillard's term with GPE was unanimously extended thanks to her effective and eye-opening work. As GPE's CEO said: "Julia Gillard has become one of the most recognized and powerful global advocates for ensuring the world’s children receive the quality education they deserve and need to thrive.” Gillard has been sought-out for her insights on global education at elite events, such as at the London School of Economics, where she delivered a keynote entitled "Education for All: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century," and the prestigious Global Teachers Forum. A passionate education advocate, Gillard also transformed education while serving as Australia's Prime Minister. While in office, Gillard reformed the country's education at every level from early childhood to higher education with a special focus on disadvantaged children. She delivered new standards to improve the quality of childcare and access to early childhood education for every Australian child and developed a needs-based funding system for every school and ensured that funding was tied to a quality improvement agenda of better teaching, individual learning plans and parental engagement. She also established Australia’s first national curriculum and ensured significant investment in school buildings. Additionally, Gillard currently serves as Commissioner at the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity, Chair of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King’s College, Patron at CAMFED, the Campaign for Female Education and Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution.
Julia Gillard is renowned for her mental health advocacy work
The first woman to serve as Australia's Prime Minister JULIA GILLARD is a renowned world leader and passionate advocate for mental health. Among Gillard's many accomplishments while in office include her strong commitment to mental health and work spearheading mental health reform in Australia. Since leaving office, Gillard continues to be outspoken about removing the stigma surrounding depression and anxiety as the new chair of Beyond Blue, Australia's largest non-profit dedicated to addressing a wide range of mental health issues. Gillard frequently makes headlines for her Beyond Blue work and advocacy on issues like, what it takes to adequately address women's mental health needs; changing employer's perception of mental illness; and a new initiative to tackle mental health problems in early adolescents called Be You. Gillard is candid about her own struggles with anxiety and stress while in office, and brings much-needed compassion and tremendous policy knowledge to the conversation surrounding mental health.
Hon Julia Gillard AC
27th Prime Minister of Australia
Julia Gillard was sworn in as the 27th Prime Minister of Australia on 24 June 2010 and served in that office until June 2013.
As Prime Minister and in her previous role as Deputy Prime Minister, Ms. Gillard was central to the successful management of Australia’s economy, the 12th biggest in the world, during the Global Financial Crisis and as Australia positioned to seize the benefits of Asia’s rise. Ms. Gillard developed Australia’s guiding policy paper, Australia in the Asian Century. Ms. Gillard delivered nation-changing policies including reforming Australia education at every level from early childhood to university education, creating an emissions trading scheme, improving the provision and sustainability of health care, aged care and dental care, commencing the nation’s first ever national scheme to care for people with disabilities and restructuring the telecommunications sector as well as advancing a national broadband network. In foreign policy, Ms. Gillard strengthened Australia’s alliance with the United States, secured stronger architecture for the relationship with China, upgraded Australia’s ties with India, and deepened ties with Japan, Indonesia and South Korea. Ms. Gillard has represented Australia at the G20, including winning Australia’s right to host the 2014 meeting, the East Asia Summit, APEC, NATO-ISAF and chaired CHOGM. Under Ms. Gillard’s leadership, Australia was elected to serve on the United Nations Security Council.
Prime Minister Gillard in 2012 established the Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses To Child Sexual Abuse, which issued its landmark report on these crucial societal issues in November 2017.
Ms. Gillard is the first woman to ever serve as Australia’s Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister. In October 2012, Ms. Gillard received worldwide attention for her speech in Parliament on the treatment of women in professional and public life.
Ms. Gillard is a non-resident Distinguished Senior Fellow with the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution in Washington. In February 2014, Ms. Gillard was appointed Chair of the Board of Directors of the Global Partnership for Education, the only multilateral organization dedicated to expanding access to quality education in developing countries. Ms. Gillard also serves as Patron of Camfed, the Campaign for Female Education, which tackles poverty and inequality by supporting girls to go to school and succeed, and empowering young women to step up as leaders of change.
In July 2017, Ms. Gillard became Chair of the Board of Directors of Beyond Blue, which is committed to helping Australians understand and manage their mental health. She was recently appointed as the Chair of Wellcome, a global charitable foundation which supports science to solve urgent health challenges.
In April 2018, Ms. Gillard was appointed Inaugural Chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at Kings College, London. Through research, practice and advocacy, the Institute will address women’s underrepresentation in leadership positions and the way gender negatively impacts the valuation of women leaders.
Ms. Gillard also serves as an Honorary Professor at the University of Adelaide, and is Patron of the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library in Perth, Western Australia.
In recognition of her public service, Ms. Gillard was awarded a Companion in the Order of Australia in January 2017.
Ms. Gillard’s memoir, My Story, was published by Random House in September 2014. The second edition of her book was published in July 2015. Her second book Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons which is co-authored by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was released in 2020.