Gina Field knows what it takes to succeed in a so-called man’s world.
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She’s been showing how it is done for the best part of 30 years.
The 2017 NSW Business Woman of the Year was one of the first women to solely own and operate a security company in NSW.
That’s why it came as no surprise that Ms Field was invited to share her story at a new speaker series launched in Wollongong last Friday by the NSW Government and the Sydney School of Entrepreneurship.
Empowering women and girls in NSW to be entrepreneurs was the focus of the November 2 event held at the iAccelerate Centre at the University of Wollongong.
“I am so proud to be standing here today after being one of the few women to enter into the security industry more than 30 years ago,” Ms Field said.
“Challenging traditionally male-dominated fields and encouraging female entrepreneurship is so important for our society.
“Today is all about encouraging women to achieve their dreams in the business world by sharing our experiences and insight.”
Minister for Women Tanya Davies also attended the Encouraging Female Entrepreneurs event, which was the first of a series of talks providing insight into the world of business and helping women develop entrepreneurial skills.
“Women make up a minority of entrepreneurs, with only 28 per cent of NSW small business owners being female,” Mrs Davies said.
“We want to turn this around by attracting more women into entrepreneurial opportunities.
“The aim of this event is to encourage women to join the exciting world of business by sharing insights and lessons learned.”
Mrs Davies said the event delivers on an action item outlined in the NSW Government’s Year One Action Plan for the state’s new NSW Women’s Strategy 2018-2022, released in August this year to progress gender equity across NSW.
Ms Field for her part was just happy to play a small role in empowering and inspiring young girls and women to chase their dreams.
“I’ve been very instrumental in not only working in the male dominated industry but also advocating for more women to join the industry and show that it is a career for women,” she said.
The Nepean Regional Security managing director said there were much more opportunities for women these days compared to when she was trying to break into the security industry back in 1988.
“I just used my speech to offer advice. I think it went well, with many women saying afterwards that they got a lot out of it,” Ms Field said.
Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
