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In the Women in Digital community we hear a lot about female developers, coders, leaders, marketers and those working in startups. But it isn’t so often we talk about women in AV which is why we sat down with QLD Director of Scene Change, Gareth Percey. In this interview we talk about carving out non-traditional career paths, diversity in AV and the female role models leading the industry. We hope you enjoy this Q&A.

Q: Give us your elevator pitch – what is Scene Change in 50 words or less?

Scene Change is a national event technology company specialising in big screen video, sound, lighting and staging. We mainly work with event producers and big brands for special events, product launches, awards nights and conferences.

Q: Obviously Scene Change is across Australia and you are looking after the AV for hundreds of events a year. What has been the most memorable event for you?

The first gala event held in the Howard Smith Wharves Precinct for 600 people in the disused riverside shed that now houses Felons Brewery, before any of the development had started, they even had to build a false floor for the event. We created a virtual pixel mapped view of how the precinct would look in the future. It was a great night and the start of something special for Brisbane.

Q: How did you get into a career in AV?

It was a case of right place right time and willing to give anything a go. While working my regular job for a local retailer I answered the call to help out a mate who needed assistance at midnight to pack down an outdoor event. Imagine the middle of winter in Hobart, rain and snow coming in sideways, it wasn’t ideal but I was interested. Two weeks later I was offered a full time technical role and 19 years later it has been much better than retail.

“Female techs are a scarce, valuable resource. We have four on our Brisbane team and are constantly looking to increase this.” – Gareth Percey

Q: When people think of AV they commonly think of a group of guys in all black geeking out over the latest audiovisual tech. Do you think the AV industry (as a whole) has a diversity issue?

Yes that has historically been the case, what sets Scene Change apart is that we select techs for their personal skills and understanding of presenters rather than tech geekiness. That prevents the annoying mansplaining that annoys our 80% female client base when they find it elsewhere. Female techs are a scarce, valuable resource, we have four on our Brisbane team and are constantly looking to increase this.

Q: Why do you think that is?

The industry hasn’t had many female role models active in the technical area until recently, but that is changing.

Q: What things are Scene Change implementing to help create a more diverse industry?

Training of crew on how to create a more inclusive industry. A lot of our crew are younger and bring a much more inclusive attitude than old-school industry types. We also support the Women in AV Group which has done a lot to highlight this issue in the last two years.

“A more diverse workforce makes our business a better place to work.” – Gareth Percey

Q: What made you want to get involved with Women in Digital?

As I have two daughters of my own I am keen to support industry groups that break down the barriers so that they can feel comfortable in following nontraditional career paths. Also a more diverse workforce makes our business a better place to work.

Q: What women in AV inspire you?

I look up to any of our female techs for bringing their wider skills into our industry, it is sometimes not easy for them and in the future they will be looked up to as pioneers. Particular respect to Toni McAllister who founded the Australian Women in AV Group which has done a lot of valuable work in a short time. And Kim Crofts from our Sydney office who was literally the first tech hired there, and she has been with us for 13 years.

Creating an awards night like the Women in Digital Awards is no small feat. This year with the awards hosting over 500 national guests at the iconic Howard Smith Wharves, we were in search of an AV partner that:

a) Wouldn’t blow the budget and,

b) Could help us deliver an unforgettable and seamless experience for our guests.

We are so very thankful for Gareth and the entire Scene Change team for helping us make this happen and more importantly, for actively working to create a more diverse and inclusive AV industry.

Want to learn more about Scene Change? Head to their website, Facebook, or Instagram.

Want to learn more about the Women in Digital community? Subscribe to our newsletter and be sure to follow us on Instagram.

Gareth Percey is the Director – Queensland for Scene Change.

Gareth is an experienced director with a demonstrated history of working in the events services industry. Skilled in Special Events, Live Event Producer, Technology Management, Live Events, and Audio Visual System Design and generally a really nice guy, he is someone you should want to connect with.

Find him on LinkedIn here.

Inspired. Motivated. Focused. Three words summarising how I felt walking out after two days at the Liquid Learning, Women in ICT and Digital Leadership Summit 2019.

I’m Emma Judd, Group Marketing Manager at Place Design Group and I was the lucky winner of the Women in Digital LinkedIn competition, to attend this Summit from July 23 2019 to July 24 2019.

You may have seen, I took over the @womenindigital Instagram Stories for the duration of the conference and can view my stories on their highlights here.

While it was two days jam-packed with an amazing lineup of speakers, the below will give you a brief insight and share some knowledge nuggets and relatable advice I personally took from this event.

DAY 1: 23 July

On day one of the summit we heard from some fantastic speakers, with the line-up including:

Joanna Murray, Program Manager, Transformation & Innovation, Boral
Chris Locke, Chief Information Officer, Flight Centre
Deb Assheton, Expert Facilitator, The Amplify Group
Wendy Bryant, Chief Information Officer, Transport for NSW
Keli Saville, Regional Head of Data, AsiaPac, Vanguard
Niamh Collins, General Manager, Digital, HFC
Jade Carson, Director, IT Investments, Department of Education & Training
Kirsty McKay, Group Manager, Program Delivery & Digital Transformation, Coates Hire
Katie Payten, Director, Technology Assurance & Governance, Australian Securities & Investments Commission
Kylie McLean, Chief Digital Officer, Australia & New Zealand, IBM
Simon Noonan, Chief Information Officer, SportsBet

The first day, the first speaker at a conference is always exciting and generally sets the tone for what you can expect and Joanna Murray, Program Manager, Transformation & Innovation at Boral, did just that.

Setting us up for the day, Joanne asked us to reflect back to the start of our careers. Did we know what we wanted to be, and how we planned to get there? I know myself. I definitely had a plan and thought it would go a certain way but reflecting back, it was actually a very different path I’d taken. I think this is a really positive thought to reflect on, especially if you are a mentor or in a leadership role guiding your team through their career journey.

My favourite quote from Joanne’s presentation was, “Great leaders don’t think they’re great; great leaders think they’re human.”

From career reflection to career reflecting. Chris Locke, Chief Information Officer, Flight Centre, shared some great career advice which I’ve shared below:

Don’t be afraid of trying different things in different industries
Make a plan and make it happen
Be resilient, but patient
Get experience – think outside the square

This was also a lovely flow into the third speaker, Deb Assheton, Expert Facilitator, The Amplify Group, who spoke on the importance of true self-confidence, the value of vulnerability and gratitude along with self-awareness.

A nice reminder that Deb left us with was that the struggle ends where gratitude begins. Practising daily gratitude makes us 5-10% happier, and costs us nothing.

“What are you grateful for today?”

I think one of my favourite, most thought-provoking parts of the day was Wendy Bryant’s presentation. Wendy Bryant, Chief Information Officer, Transport for NSW, spoke on ‘Unconscious Bias’. To explain this, Wendy made this really relatable asking us all to discuss at our tables if there were any roles we automatically associate with a man or a woman; knowing perfectly well that both genders actually worked in that particular role. For example, when one thinks of a pilot, a doctor, a nurse or a kindergarten teacher, does one stereotype a particular gender? Needless to say, most people, by default of unconscious bias, did so.

Wendy also reflected on her time as the only woman in an IT team working with all men. She refused to be the ‘cake cutter’ at workplace celebrations, as the default was to ‘leave it to Wendy because she was the woman’. Reflecting on our own workplaces, I feel there is so much that can be consciously done or implemented to improve this default gender bias. Some ideas Wendy shared with us included:

Unconscious bias training
Focus on bias in AI – change your Siri voice to male
- I found this topic extremely interesting. Here is an article from Google that discusses it in more detail.
Specific actions on diversity in hiring processes and opportunities

Post lunch, we returned to the room for a panel discussion on ‘Whether work-life balance is possible?’. And great news – it is! And here are the panellists’ top tips for making it happen:

Find what works for you. If you play a sport or enjoy gym as an outlet – prioritise that and make a routine that works.
Plan holidays in advance and stick to them – If you’re busy, it’s easy to not plan your downtime, but time with family and friends is important. Book it in. Booking it in advance gives you something to look forward to.
Don’t hesitate to raise your hand if you need help. A great tip. Learn to delegate and ask those around you for help when needed.
Work smarter using smarter working techniques. Again something to Google, but what it comes down to is the fact that we all have 24 hours in a day. Use them wisely. The one thing money can’t buy is time.
As women in leadership, WE need to support flexibility. This is so important. If your team comes to you wanting to discuss flexible working options, be the change. Listen to their request and see what may be possible.
Flexibility in the workplace. Break down the barriers and become outcomes-based. This is such a positive and practical way to frame this thought process, as just because someone sits at their desk all day, it doesn’t mean they are being any more productive than someone working from home. Change the focus to be on outcomes, not on the number of hours sitting at a desk, and encourage flexible working arrangements.

The final two presenters for day one, Kylie McLean, Chief Digital Officer, Australia & New Zealand, IBM and Simon Noonan, Chief Information Officer, SportsBet, touched on workplace culture. Kylie really drove home the message that as leaders, it’s so important to create a culture that gets your team to thrive. This was a fantastic leeway into Simon’s Case Study around transforming workplace culture, with SportsBet as an example. Honestly, SportsBet sounds like an amazing place to work with a fantastic culture. Guided by its purpose, and underpinned by its values, SportsBet doesn’t just have its values hung on the wall; they live its values, which makes all the difference.

DAY 2: 24 July

Inspired from day one, excited for day two and it did not disappoint. The fantastic line-up of speakers included:

Stuart Harrison, Chief Information Security Officer, Medibank
Megan James, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Data Centres & President, Women in IT & Communications
Arabella Macpherson, Founder & Communications Coach, Resonate Communications
Jade Carson, Director IT Investments, Department of Education & Training
Brendan Mills, Chief Information Officer, NIB Health Funds Limited
Sarah McCullough, Head of eTech Operations, Essential Energy
Kathryn Porter, Director, Customer Experience, Cisco
Joyce Harkness, Chief Information Officer, Avant Mutual Group Limited
Kirsten Murray, Director International, Faculty of Engineering & IT, the University of Technology Sydney
Catherine Nolan, Director & Principal Coach, Gender Gap Gone

Stuart Harrison, Chief Information Security Officer, Medibank, kicked-off day two proceedings by sharing some words of wisdom about realising your leadership potential. A key theme that came through reflecting on day one was to show vulnerability. As leaders, you do need to stay strong for your team, but vulnerability is not a sign of weakness, but a sign that you are human. Showing vulnerability can often lead to building rapport and relationships with your team. A really lovely reminder for all leaders.

From the importance of vulnerability in leadership to the importance of resilience as leaders. Resilience was the topic Megan James, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Data Centres & President, Women in IT & Communications, covered in her personal career journey she shared with attendees. Megan is a very inspirational woman, and since the conference, I have shared parts of her story with many of my colleagues. They say you may not remember what people say, but you will always remember how they made you feel. In this case, I remembered what Megan said because of how it made me feel and how much it resonated. If you get the opportunity to hear Megan speak, I would highly recommend you take it and hear her story first-hand. I will share my key takeaways from Megan’s presentation below and hope you take some inspiration from this too:

Stay in your lane and stand up for what you believe in – no matter what
Always hold true to your values – above all else
Value your soft skills – emotional intelligence
Be present and always show up
Everyone has a story – so listen
Engage with people – see how you get the best out of people – allow the creative opportunity
Don’t compromise on any of the above

As leaders and mentors, it’s always useful to have references or tools to provide the best possible guidance and advice to enable meaningful conversations with your teams and mentees. Arabella Macpherson, Founder & Communications Coach, at Resonate Communications shared with us some great tips for unleashing your power as a mentor. I’ve summarised them below:

Coaching
- Ask questions
- Make suggestions
- Share experiences
Chunking
- Use chunking to open up or delve deeper into topics
Matching
- Give all of your attention
- Match 60%: physically and vocally
- Repeat words and phrases back to show acknowledgement

Towards the end of day two, the discussion changed to be more around the future of work. Jade Carson, Director of IT Investments, Department of Education & Training, spoke passionately on the topic of engaging and attracting future female leaders to IT roles.

Some ideas and strategies Jade touched on started right back at engaging young girls to show interest in IT. Whether that be at home, at school or at play. It’s also about attracting girls and women to a career in IT by changing the image/perception of tech, promoting meaningful careers and addressing the unconscious bias. On top of this, growing the focus on the culture around tech, closing the confidence gap through training and education and having strong female mentors or sponsors will help attract female IT talent. Jade concluded that we should keep a focus on culture being equitable and reflective of diversity. And that job design or redesign for flexibility is important. Overarching, she highlighted female role models across the IT industry is key.

Continuing the future of work discussion, panellists’ thoughts covered:

The importance of business and IT partnerships – with the increase in technologies in the workplace, it’s important for businesses and IT leaders to work closely for the best possible outcomes
Portfolio careers – showing depth and breadth of experience
Being location agnostic – it’s not about where you’re physically working from. With technology, you are enabled to work from anywhere. This also ties into the earlier discussion around being outcomes focused.
Gig Economy – presents great opportunities but also new challenges

And that’s a wrap! Catherine Nolan, Director & Principal Coach, at Gender Gap Gone, was our facilitator across the two-day summit and presented a great summary of the insights from across the event. A few practical tips she left us with include:

Create a Vision Board – use Pinterest or Canva to get started. If you see it, you’ll achieve it.
Create your 40-page resume – a dumping ground for YOU only. List examples as they happen so that when the time comes, you have the content and are ready to apply for that dream job.
Watch the Amy Cuddy Ted Talk – ‘Your body language may shape who you are’

There were honestly so many fantastic insights and inspirational moments over the two days. I hope this blog post shares just some of that post-summit magic with you all.

Thank you for reading.

Emma Judd

Instagram: @emajudd

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emajudd/

Do you have more insightful leadership tips? Share them in the comments below.

You just announced the relaunch of Collective Hub – congrats! What can we expect?

One thing I know for sure – taking the time to “break the brand” to “remake” it was the best thing (apart from starting it) that I have ever done! What I also know for sure is that our purpose remains stronger than ever “to ignite human potential”. As far as what the deliverables look like – we are still working through that – but expect a lot more digital content and a lot more face-to-face events.

What does your day in the life generally look like?

No one day is the same. I run multiple content verticals across multiple geographic locations with a very decentralised team working from all over the world. So it really depends on the focus at the time – be it an event series we’re rolling out, or a tour that I am putting together (or delivering) or a multitude of other channels. My days could involve photo shoots, interviews, strategy, planning, visioning. These days every day also includes very consciously and purposefully “time and space” for me to think and be and recreate. I love moving forward.

How do you de-stress from a busy workday?

Consciously making time for not negotiables – exercise, good food. Time to seek, listen, education myself, explore and get into nature. Time with my partner and my cavoodle Benny in nature or by the sea is bliss.

Where’s your favourite place to visit when you’re in need of inspiration?

No one place. In fact when I truly need inspiration I put myself in very counterintuitive places. I’ll purposefully go somewhere I’ve never been – be it a different suburb, coffee shop, retail store or a myriad of other things. I think if you are open and you hold your purpose close – there is inspiration and opportunities in abundance and sometimes from the most unexpected places and spaces.

What’s your go-to breakfast before a big day?

Big green smoothie packed with baby spinach, nuts, half a banana and 2 dates. YUM – fills me up and I’m starting the day right!

Name one thing that intimidates you?

Nothing.

We know you value work-life balance and embracing a healthy lifestyle. To what extent do you feel it contributes to productivity and/or innovation?

My health is my absolute number one not negotiable priority. Without it, we have nothing.

Name three women who inspire you.

We’ve done over 6000 interviews in Collective Hub print mag and online over the past five years. The pages are FILLED with inspirational women – it’s too tricky to drill down to three…

Do you have one motto or inspiring quote that has stuck with you over the years?

“Here’s to the Crazy Ones…” Steve Jobs

“The art of doing more with less.” This really resonates with us. How could this idea be applied to digital, and in particular disruptive digital ideas?

The ability to scale tapping into digital resources is unparalleled. Be it social or a myriad of apps and tools that are now available. As my team is decentralised and in multiple locations we use digital technology and tools every day to time save. We can also automate so much now using technology. I could write an entire book (and probably will) on how technological advances have helped us to be more productive and efficient.

What are you feelings or attitudes towards artificial intelligence?

I think all technological advances are good and exciting when used in an ethical and educated way. Like anything it’s about education and understanding the limitations and risks associated.

Why do you feel groups and awards such as Women in Digital are important?

I think so often we glorify being “busy” and we don’t take the time to stop and acknowledge our achievements. I think it’s beautiful to a) take the time to acknowledge yourself and use this as an opportunity to capture and document the legacy of what you’ve achieved to date. And secondly I think it’s really wonderful to give visibility to so many extraordinary businesses and individuals. We can all learn from one another and it’s great to shine the light on so many wonderful innovations, entrepreneurs and business leaders.

How important is it for women in the digital industry to support each other?

I am a strong believer that all of us – no matter our gender, race, industry or geographic location should support each other and lift one another higher. I am all about reciprocity, abundance and collaboration. There is enough room for everyone.

What would you want to tell young women starting out now?

Have an insatiable self-belief. And just know that anything you can dream is possible. This I know for sure.

Lisa, you truly are a force in your field. Any last words?

Just start.

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Women in AV: Creating a more diverse and inclusive AV industry with Scene Change