Forsythe, Marilyn - Project Leader

Marilyn joined BPW in 1999 and was National President from 2007 to 2013. Marilyn is currently Oceania Sub Regional Coordinator (2014 to 2017). In 2010 Marilyn became a Life Member of BPW Australia.  From 2011 Marilyn has been the Project Leader of the UN Global Compact (UNGC) encouraging Federations to become Participants to the UNGC. Marilyn has a passion for equal pay and gender equity. While President of Australia Marilyn started a campaign for Australian women to have Paid Parental Leave and it was successful when the National Government introduced Paid Parental Leave in 2001. Marilyn was the Leader of the National Equal Pay Alliance that was started by BPW Australia and now has 100 member organisations and over 300,000 women members. For her commitment to gender issues and the rights of people, Marilyn has received two awards from BPW International. Marilyn has a commitment to charity work and was a Board Member of UNIFEM Australia (UN Women) for three years and the founder of the global UNIFEM Spring Walk Campaign. The campaign raised thousands of dollars to help the women of East Timor who had suffered during the guerrilla insurgence. Marilyn had a 35 year career in middle management in NSW Public Hospitals. Marilyn was honoured by becoming a Life Member in 2011 of the Health Services Union for her advocacy and representing members across a broad spectrum of women and men. Marilyn holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Management) and a Graduate Diploma Change Management.