Macquarie Pride Network: Driving LGBTQ+ inclusion and advocacy

Macquarie Pride is one of several Employee Network Groups (ENG) – employee-led groups that are sponsored by Macquarie in line with our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Established in 2011, its mission is to promote a diverse, and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ team members, allies, and clients, where everyone has equitable opportunities to be their authentic selves. It does this through advocating for inclusive policies and ongoing education, awareness, and community engagement.

Over the last 13 years, Macquarie Pride has evolved into a significantly influential global network, with regional chapters in the Americas, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, and Europe. Pride exists to amplify the voices of LGBTQ+ communities, supporting major cultural shifts throughout the organisation. Recently, Macquarie Pride ANZ was recognised as the Employee Network of the Year at the 2024 Australian LGBTQ+ Inclusion Awards.

Expanding the Macquarie Pride Network

"Our Pride network began as a primarily social group. In 2012 we joined Pride in Diversity and started aligning our strategic goals and committee with the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) submission. By 2017, we expanded to a group-wide approach, securing sponsors from each business and central service groups to ensure both top-down and bottom-up action. This expansion allowed us to support national community organisations ensuring we were providing the same lived experience for employees across all our offices in ANZ," says Louise McNaughton, Co-chair of Macquarie Pride.

“We actively partake in, facilitate, and communicate Pride events, activations, and days of significance, celebrating what it is to be a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and an active ally,” says Anne Murphy Cruise, Macquarie Pride’s Chief Executive Sponsor. 

Recently, a reverse mentoring program was created for senior leaders across the organisation to be mentored by LGBTQ+ identifying staff, fostering genuine conversations and insights about the experiences of LGBTQ+ communities. 

“I have found it a rewarding experience where I was able to ask loads of questions, gain a better understanding of the community, and share different perspectives and experiences. This is part of creating a more inclusive workplace where we can all bring our whole selves to work,” says Con Kouzoukas, a Division Director and mentee of the program. 

Empowering our people

In 2023, a new structure for the ENG was implemented, aimed at empowering members to contribute to and lead initiatives. Rather than having a pool of passionate individuals with tasks delegated on an ad hoc basis, dedicated network portfolios were created to allow people to own their workstreams.

The overarching activities of the network were separated into internal and external advocacy streams: internal advocacy focuses on learning and development, communications, and the promotion of initiatives to the broader region and various business groups; external advocacy focuses on collaboration with external stakeholders and engagement with community partners and charities.

Macquarie Pride’s community partnerships stream has dedicated members of the network acting as liaisons with for-purpose organisations that support LGBTQ+ communities. Representatives from Pride meet regularly with these organisations to identify how it can best support their endeavours through events, fundraising, and other initiatives to elevate their success.

Additionally, a new portfolio was created for research, policy, and action – a workstream dedicated to liaising with other corporates and institutions to help Macquarie Pride better understand industry standards and continuously identify areas of improvement for the broader organisation. 

“The creation of network portfolios has been a game changer, empowering our network members to leverage their skillsets in a way that they contribute for greater impact. Our members feel empowered owning their streams of delivery, and it has sparked a wave of innovation and positive change,” says Jay Adams, Co-Chair of Macquarie Pride.

Driving inclusion across Macquarie

Macquarie Pride is a well-established network within the organisation and often provides advice and support to newer ENGs and smaller groups starting out.

“Our network actively seeks out partnerships with other employee networks, collaborating on areas such as neurodiversity, First Nations, and gender equity. This approach has allowed us to tackle intersectionality, celebrating the diverse identities and experiences within our organisation,” says Adams.

Having an engaged executive committee has also been instrumental in the success of the network. The ability to leverage their influence and visibility allows for initiatives to be disseminated through leadership teams and their individual business units. The strong connections that executives maintain with their business unit representatives allow for a customised strategy that meets the unique needs of each business.

“This is critically important in ensuring we hear, understand, and respond to key issues raised by our LGBTQ+ colleagues. The executive committee drives the strategy and ensures alignment with Macquarie’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and business objectives.”

“We also have extremely dedicated and motivated co-chairs, who have overall responsibility for the operations, advocacy activities, and reporting responsibilities to the ENG executive body. The Pride co-chairs are also the key contacts for network members and are an easy conduit for our LGBTQ+ colleagues,” Murphy Cruise said.

The Pride network works closely with the DEI team to support the Group’s broader inclusion strategy. Members of Macquarie Pride are often called upon to review and provide feedback on proposed DEI initiatives, ideas and policy to ensure they capture an LGBTQ+ perspective.

“Macquarie Pride plays an instrumental role in bringing our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy to life, not only for our current employees but for candidates and the broader community. It’s fantastic to work alongside strong networks powered by dedicated and talented colleagues who are passionate about making a difference,” said Holly Johnson, Macquarie Group Senior Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager.