IWD: Interview with Jen Paetow
Jen’s story is part of our International Women’s Day series, where we’re celebrating women’s achievements in the small/medium business space.
Today I had the pleasure of speaking with Jen Paetow, the Executive Director of Operations and Marketing at AllianceCorp, to learn more about her experience with bias in the workplace, and how she believes we can inspire other women to pursue growth in their careers.
She leaves us with one important message for this International Women’s Day - When women support each other, incredible things happen!
1. Tell us a little about you and your background
Jen: My name is Jenelle Paetow, I am the Executive Director of Operations and Marketing at AllianceCorp Property Experts.
Jenelle Paetow
My role at AllianceCorp is to support our Managing Director, to help execute his vision for the organisation. I directly oversee the marketing and operations division and empower my team members to ensure the business runs smoothly, and we achieve excellence for the business and our clients.
When not at work, I love spending time with my husband and our three children Charlotte (17), Jackson (10) and Ace (5).
I adore animals - we have a Golden Retriever (Buddy), Groodle (Ivy) and a Ragdoll cat called Sushi.
We love eating out, travelling and spending time at the beach!
2. Take us through your career to date – What has been some of the biggest accomplishments you’ve had in your career? What are you particularly proud of?
Jen: I graduated uni with a Bachelor of Communications majoring in Public Relations. I stumbled into a great internship in my third year for a non-profit organisation who helped regional communities set up town websites and I fell in love with getting to know small towns all across Australia.
A significant accomplishment for me was during the Black Saturday bushfires back in 2009. I was able to help many affected areas build websites to communicate with one another - back then, social media wasn’t prevalent and these websites were instrumental in providing communication to people in need.
From there I spent a number of years working in the technology industry for the industry body who regulates the .au domain space. I was able to work on a program for many years recognising companies that were doing amazing things in the areas of accessibility, diversity, communication and security. The CEO at the time invited me to join him at a global conference in San Francisco to learn from other countries. The keynote speaker at the conference was President Bill Clinton, and as a 25-year-old, being recognised by leaders and being there with one of the world’s most powerful people was a huge moment for me!
I then found myself spending around five years working in Agribusiness. I adored meeting farmers and learning about the intricacies of grain trading, supply chain and how food is produced around the globe. I was able to work for a number of international companies which also gave me a lot of insight into cross-cultural business practices.
A huge accomplishment for me during my time in Ag was project managing the ‘Women in Australian Agribusiness Awards’. My boss at the time, Kylie Taylor, who was always a huge inspiration for me, came up with the idea after a prominent publication showcased top women in business nationally, but didn’t feature anyone from the agribusiness space. We quickly responded with a national award program that recognised 100 women across Australia who worked in Agriculture - from farmers, to CEOs, to scientists. The program turned into a sensational conference in Melbourne and the event trended number 1 on twitter in Australia that day with the then Ag minister Barnaby Joyce re-tweeting a lot of the activity. As a PR gal at heart, that was a pretty special moment.
“A huge accomplishment for me during my time in Ag was project managing the ‘Women in Australian Agribusiness Awards’.”
Finally, six years ago I decided to join my husband Jason, the founder and director of AllianceCorp, to head up the marketing and communications areas of the business. Over the past six years I have learnt so much about what it takes to run a business, going through the ups and downs of the property market, leading a business and our clients through a pandemic, and expanding to triple the size! Over time, I moved into running Operations for the business which is where my true passion lies - leading and developing people and engineering business systems and processes to solve problems, create opportunities and grow!
3. Have you ever felt career barriers or witnessed bias in the workplace due to being a female?
Jen: I really have had a blessed career professionally with so many opportunities. I believe this is because I have always worked for companies that included women in their leadership teams and had good gender balances.
That being said, as I have moved into leadership roles, I have witnessed a big difference between men and women in the way they back themselves. It is well documented that women will sell themselves short and not put their hand up for roles or opportunities unless they are exceeding criteria. Men on the other hand seem to be bolder and are happy to back themselves with less experience.
4. How can we inspire other women to pursue growth and leadership positions in their career?
Jen: As leaders, we need to encourage young women to not sit back and wait for opportunities, but make them happen for themselves. Encourage them to sit with HR or their manager and talk about their aspirations and ask for guidance on the steps they need to take to help them achieve their goals.
We also need to ensure we are always providing a safe and inclusive workplace where they feel supported. If you hear a colleague using gender-biased language, pull them up on it.
When someone is underselling typically female attributes: i.e. empathy and nurture, remind them of the huge advantages those attributes bring. Be the voice of inclusion in your organisation and this will inspire and pave the way for other women to step up.
“As leaders, we need to encourage young women to not sit back and wait for opportunities, but make them happen for themselves.”
5. Do you have any female role models that you look up to?
Jen: Absolutely - they are everywhere - from my friends, to my daughter, to the amazing women I work with at AllianceCorp. One popular role model that I look up to is Mia Freedman - I love reading her articles and listening to her podcasts.
Seeing what she has built and the opportunities she has created for other women is inspiring to me and doing it all while raising three kids and working alongside her husband is remarkable. I also love that she doesn’t take herself too seriously and enjoys the lighter things in life - you don’t have to be super serious in order to be successful and you can enjoy yourself while you are doing it.
6. What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
Jen: IWD is a great opportunity to remind us all about the great contribution that women make, and how much better all aspects of society are when there is balance between genders.
Women are still under-represented in business and politics. We have an enormous domestic violence problem in Australia with the majority of those affected being women. IWD is a reminder that we have come far, but there is still a long way to go.
7. What is your #BreakTheBias pledge for this International Women’s Day?
Jen: My pledge is to keep lifting other women up in my organisation and create opportunities for them to grow.
8. What is a key message or piece of advice you’d like to leave us with?
Jen: When women support each other, incredible things happen!
Jenelle Paetow is the Executive Director of Operations and Marketing at AllianceCorp.
More information about International Women’s Day can be found here.