Marcelle is the Head of Diversity and Inclusion for the Kmart Group, encompassing Kmart, Target and Catch.
Marcelle graduated from Deakin University as an Occupational Therapist, and throughout her career has worked across allied health, community services, ergonomics, wellbeing, accessibility and inclusion.
Marcelle joined Kmart Australia in 2015 within the health and wellbeing field before transitioning into accessibility, diversity and inclusion for the Kmart Group. Marcelle is currently responsible for delivering organisational wide strategies to support inclusion and belonging across a broad range of pillars.
She currently works flexibly from Brisbane, is a mum and loves to challenge herself through freediving, spearfishing and mountain climbing.
With us in conversation is Marcelle Harrison, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at KMart Group. Today’s listeners will learn how Marcelle’s background in occupational therapy has enriched her current role at KMart Group, before becoming privy to some of her core findings in diversity and inclusion. We discuss shifts she has observed in flexibility and accessibility over the past few years, and why it is important to admit that you don’t know everything. Next, Marcelle explores the power of making changes within systems to change attitudes and behaviour. She has seen increasing demands and expectations around inclusivity and highlights some key things you can do to push the agenda even further. Marcelle also gives us some practical examples of what KMart, Target and Catch have done to implement the principle of inclusivity for their customers, and we discuss mentorship and role models in the workplace. In closing, she leaves listeners with some words of wisdom from her own journey, hoping to inspire you to believe in yourself and be brave enough to make a difference.
• An introduction to today’s guest, Marcelle Harrison, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at KMart Group.
• Her background in occupational therapy leading up to her current role at KMart Group.
• Marcelle shares her core findings in diversity and inclusion.
• Shifts she has observed in flexibility over the past few years.
• Accessibility and shifts in prescriptions around physical spaces.
• Advice Marcelle would give to her younger self around DE&I: it’s okay not to know everything!
• Why it is essential for systems to change for us to move towards gender equality.
• How caregiving has shifted in places where there is parental leave for both genders.
• Shifting expectations and demands around inclusivity.
• Key things that can be done to push the agenda even further: breaking the bias through self-reflection, increasing empathy and listening, before the many things businesses can do.
• Examples of things KMart, Target and Catch have done to encourage inclusivity.
• Her thoughts on mentorship and why it is important.
• Who she has looked up to throughout her career.
• Principles Marcelle lives by: listen to people, be brave, and believe in yourself.
“I still think we’ve got a long way to go. But what we do see now is, I think there’s actually a really serious investment in the value of diversity, and inclusion and gender equity.” — Marcelle Harrison [0:05:25]
“We can see in the current market at the moment that flexibility is something people really want and expect at this point in time.” — Marcelle Harrison [0:07:05]
“I think the advice I’d give myself back then is, it’s okay not to know everything. Just keep listening.” — Marcelle Harrison [0:09:30]
