Dr Diann Rodgers-Healey
PhD, MEd, BA, DipEd, GCertBusCoach
Founder & Executive Director, Australian Centre for Leadership for Women (ACLW)
Adjunct Professor | Author | Executive Coach & Mentor
Overview
Dr Diann Rodgers-Healey is a preeminent Australian leadership analyst, academic, and advocate whose career has been defined by a relentless pursuit of gender equality and workplace reform. With a professional footprint spanning education, corporate, and not-for-profit sectors in both Sydney and London, she is widely recognised for her ability to bridge the gap between rigorous academic research and practical, transformational leadership.
Pioneering Leadership & Advocacy
In 2000, Dr Rodgers-Healey founded the Australian Centre for Leadership for Women (ACLW), a landmark virtual centre dedicated to transforming, empowering, and recognising women’s leadership globally. Under her direction, the ACLW has become a vital voice in national policy reform. She has played a pivotal role in reviewing the Equal Employment for Women in the Workplace Act, the Workplace Gender Equality Act, and has provided expert testimony for the Pay Equity Senate Enquiry.
A cornerstone of her advocacy is the National Leadership Awards Program, which she established in 2006. This flagship initiative has celebrated over 80 recipients—including women, men, and organisations—who have demonstrated a sustainable commitment to advancing women through inclusive cultures.
Policy Reform & Legislation: She has contributed significant research and expert analysis to reviews of the Equal Employment for Women in the Workplace Act and the development of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) and has been a leading voice in the debate surrounding quotas for women in board positions.
National Campaigns: Through ACLW, she has coordinated national submissions on a broad spectrum of issues, including women’s health, the impact of climate change on women, and the unique barriers faced by minority groups in political and corporate leadership
Academic Excellence & Research
Dr Rodgers-Healey holds an impressive academic portfolio, including a PhD from the University of Wollongong (UOW), where her thesis developed a co-existential leadership model for workplaces. She currently serves as an Adjunct Professorial Research Fellow at The Cairns Institute of James Cook University and an Adjunct Professor at Notre Dame University, Sydney.
As a prolific author, her published works tackle critical national issues. Her bibliography includes:
- Considerations for Australia’s Next Woman Prime Minister (2013)
- Abandoning Leadership for a Better Way of Being for Women and Men
- Pathways to Gender Equality – The Role of Merit and Quotas (Editor and Co-author)
- For Ukraine (2022)
Executive Coaching & Cultural Transformation
Beyond academia, Diann is a sought-after Executive Coach and Mentor for middle to C-suite executives. She specialises in facilitating strategic planning and designing leadership programs that foster “authentic and transformational” environments. Her work particularly focuses on the leadership of minority women, where she helps organisations leverage unique skills that are often overlooked in mainstream corporate structures.
Accolades & Recognition
Dr Rodgers-Healey’s contributions have been acknowledged through numerous prestigious awards:
- 100 Women of Influence (2014): Recognised in the Diversity category by The Australian Financial Review and Westpac.
- NSW Premier’s Woman of the Year Finalist (2013): Nominated for her excellence as an inspirational role model.
- TIAW World of Difference Award (2009): Awarded by the International Alliance of Women in Canada for her global impact on women’s economic empowerment. In 2009, only 50 women from 23 countries were named.
- Uuniversity of Wollongong Alumni Award for Social Impact (2015): Honouring her tireless work in community and workplace advocacy.
- University of Wollongong – Early Career Outstanding Contribution to Teaching award (2011).
Dr Rodgers-Healey continues to lead the ACLW single-handedly, steering its vision to “Transform, Empower, Recognise, Globalize, and Give Back” while mentoring the next generation of researchers and leaders.
Diann is also the Founder of the Illawarra Centre for Enablement (ICfE) which she founded in 2019 to enable youth, men and women in the Illawarra to live their personal and professional lives with confidence, clarity of purpose and courage, and be successful. The ICfE Centre also aims to make a difference in the civic life of Illawarra communities and develop knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. The Centre’s website is illawarracfe.com
After nearly 25 years of operating as a business for the empowerment of women, since July 2025, ACLW will no longer be operating as an Australian business. This site is a record of its work and achievements for the community. Diann Rodgers-Healey continues to advocate for gender equality and support women in their agency and self-development. She continues to advocate and enable women in the aged care sector to be confident in their agency and for their rights to be respected, organisationally and at a community level.
ACLW Achievements Timeline
Professional Social Media Profile: