• Sydney Airport welcomes announcement that Sydney will host the 2018 Global Summit of Women
• Business Events Sydney congratulated on their work to secure the event
• Summit to attract 1,000 public and private sector leaders to Sydney

Sydney Airport has welcomed this weekend’s announcement that Sydney will host the 2018 Global Summit of Women.

The event will attract 1,000 of the world’s public and private sector leaders to Sydney, providing a significant injection into the NSW economy.

Sydney Airport Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Kerrie Mather congratulated Business Events Sydney for securing the event, which will spark new discussions on improving economic outcomes for women.

“This is fantastic news for Sydney, once again showing the great work Business Events Sydney do showcasing our city on the global stage,” Ms Mather said.

“I’m a strong supporter of bringing this event to Sydney, given the great work of our businesses, governments and communities to advance women’s empowerment here in Australia.

“The Summit also highlights our ability to attract and deliver some of the biggest and best business events in the world, which brings important economic benefits to our state.”

Ms Mather was among more than 50 industry and government leaders that supported Business Events Sydney’s bid for the Summit, highlighting the strong support for attracting the event to Australia.

The bid was also supported by Sydney Airport non-executive director Ann Sherry AO, who has been named on the Sydney Global Summit of Women Steering Committee. The Summit aims to accelerate women’s progress worldwide and highlights programs that are improving economic outcomes for women.

Delegates from about 80 countries are expected to attend the event, which was first held in 1990.

Sydney Airport strongly supports diversity in the workplace and is working towards increasing female representation among its staff. In 2016, female staff made up 36.4% of the workforce, and 33.8% of all management positions were held by women.

Sydney Airport’s community investment program also supports women’s leadership, as a partner of both the AFL Women’s GIANTS and the Qantas Australian Women’s Rugby Sevens teams. We’re also investing in the next generation of female business leaders through our support for the Chief Executive Women scholarship program.