HR company Crossmark Host Australia and New Zealand managing director Hilary Lamb has been appointed Chair of The 100% Project, a not for profit organisation that aims to address gender inequality.

The 100% Project’s mission is to challenge organisational leaders to change the practices and mindset within their organisations to fully realise the leadership potential of women and men. It is positioned as the catalyst for change through raising awareness of gender imbalance in leadership opportunities.

Lamb has more than 20 years experience in human resources. She is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds concurrent roles as managing director of Crossmark Host and director people & culture for Crossmark Asia Pacific.

Her career began in the UK in sales and marketing, before moving into learning and development and human resources. Having worked in large corporations and owned and built medium sized businesses, Lamb’s multiple perspectives give her unique insights to influence people development strategies, diversity and gender equality initiatives in large and small enterprises.

Commenting on her new role, Lamb said: “I was attracted to The 100% Project because it is actively using data insights and relevant research to add value to the gender equality debate.  As it is not generally seen as a burning issue, creating awareness of the business benefits of a balanced workforce, particularly in senior and influential roles, is more likely to get the attention of business leaders.”

The 100% Project recently released a report, entitled “Adaptive leadership – An answer to gender imbalance in the workplace?”, which found a significant link between an organisation’s adaptive capacity and its record on gender equality in leadership. In addition, employees who saw greater adaptive capacity in their workplaces were more likely to say their organisational culture supports women in leadership. These organisations generally also had a higher number of women in senior leadership positions.