THE POSITION
Defending Australia's Growing Attack Surface
With 22% of the global workforce being women (ISC2, March 2025), we recognise that a narrow talent pool limits our collective defensive discipline. We bridge this gap to ensure Australia's sovereignty is protected by a diverse and capable future.
THE EVIDENCE
THE BUSINESS CASE
45%
BCG REVENUE
Companies with above-average management diversity earned 45% of their revenue from innovation against 26% for below-average, with EBIT margins nine points higher.
39%
MCKINSEY PERFORMANCE
Top-quartile gender-diverse executive teams are 39% more likely to outperform their industry median financially, according to a global sample of 1,265 companies.
3.5X
FORRESTER INCIDENTS
Security teams without psychological safety report 3.5 times more internal incidents than the global average, highlighting the critical need for a defensive culture.
Procurement Argument
Strategic Social Procurement
The Victorian Social Procurement Framework and New South Wales Social Procurement Framework recognises enterprises certified by Social Traders as social benefit suppliers. ShieldMaiden's certification is in progress, ensuring our engagement aligns with national social procurement goals. Furthermore, the Australian Skills Guarantee applies to ICT procurements of $10 million or more, with our paid ICT cadets contributing labour hours to the mechanism, strengthening the workforce this country defends itself from.
Source: Victorian Social Procurement Framework, Australian Skills Guarantee