Libby Lyons is one of Australia’s most powerful advocates, with decades of leadership experience in corporate affairs and issues-based advocacy.
Libby’s experience includes heading up BHP’s Olympic Dam corporate affairs division, as well as senior executive roles at Atlas Iron, CITIC Pacific Mining, Alcoa of Australia, the Western Power Corporation and Telstra.
In April 2021, Libby completed her appointment as the Director of the Commonwealth Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), a role she held for five and a half years.
As agency head, Libby led a transformational program through which WGEA is now recognised as a national powerhouse in promoting evidence-based change for gender equality in Australian workplaces. Over this period, WGEA has also become internationally recognised, with Libby invited to speak to governments, private enterprise, industry bodies and unions in Singapore, Chile, Argentina, Mauritius, Indonesia, Vietnam, The Philippines, South Korea, the United States and Japan.
Libby was listed in Apolitical’s 100 Most Influential People Working in Gender Policy for both 2018 and 2019. She was featured in the book 200 Women and was awarded Woman of the Decade for Gender Policy by Women Economic Forum in 2019.
She also presented at the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women in New York in 2018 and 2019.
Libby started her career as a primary school teacher in the outer northern suburbs of Melbourne. She has served on the boards of non-profit organisations SIDS and Kids WA, and was Executive Chair of Kalparrin, a Western Australian charity that supports the families of children with special needs.
Libby’s current board appointments include member of the National Aged Care Advisory Council, inaugural Chair of the Aged Care Workforce Industry Council and Chair of Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Ltd. . She is the State Chapter Chair and national board member of Chief Executive Women. Libby is also Strategic Counsel for ReGen Strategic and is Adjunct Professor Australia Catholic University
In February 2022, Libby was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Curtin University in recognition of her distinguished service to the social sciences through outstanding and influential advocacy for gender equality in the workplace in Australia and internationally.
