A true male champion of change

Recently, Keith reached out to Women in Safety asking how he could be more involved as a true advocate and male champion of change in the Health and Safety industry. I asked Keith what makes him want to be involved and what drives him to be a male champion of change....his response...well I have just copied and pasted (with his permission) below to share. You will see from the response that his passion is incredible!!

This is why I do what I do, and enjoy connecting, collaborating and sharing conversations!

Dear Alanna,

We all have amazing female mentors in our lives.

For some of us they are family (grandmothers, mothers, aunts, cousins and sisters) for others; school friends or it begins in the workplace with colleagues and Managers.

My sister was the primary reason my family came to Australia; because she wanted to become an Aerospace Engineer.

I saw my sister complete her course and I saw her apply for an Engineering role on a Mining site to be knocked back by a male manager recruiting for the role; because she was “a girl” and a mining site is no place “for a girl like you”. I’m thankful that my Sister was resilient enough and determined enough to not let that stop her from achieving everything she wanted. However, this experience left an inedible impression on me.

I am now a father to a young girl and an Uncle to two young women who will be starting their professional careers in a few years. I see that I have a role to play in my own field and where I have influence to ensure that every workplace is represented by a workforce that is as diverse as the world we live in. I want to make the world a more equitable place for those in my family that I love and for others that I may never meet; so that they will never share my sister’s experience.

To the women that were my mentors as I started in a safety role; I am eternally grateful.

To those women that I have been privileged to manage and lead; I hope that I have provided a foundation that will allow you to thrive and be successful in your own right

To those that I am yet to meet; I will strive to be a Champion for Change that removes barriers towards equality.

-- Keith Govias National Health & Safety Manager

The Reject Shop