TOURISM PROFILE: ONE-ON-ONE WITH TASSIE’S FEMALE “BEER BOSS”
Photo credit: Museum of Old and New Art
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or most of her professional life, Lauren Sheppard has been a minority in traditionally maledominated businesses. As General Manager at Tasmania’s largest independent craft brewery, Moo Brew, Lauren’s CV traverses the finance, superannuation, automotive and wine industries.
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But she – like so many other female powerhouses in the Tasmanian tourism industry – doesn’t want her success to be defined by her gender. “I don’t want people to mention my gender. The product, the business and me as a businessperson with iconic Tasmanian brands is what should be important,” she says. “But what has become evident in the roles that I’ve worked in is that, in order for us to eventually talk about (gender equity) less, we first need to talk about it more.”
It’s a conversation that Lauren believes will continue past this generation before the necessary change comes to fruition. Indeed, global economic reports have Australia sitting at 50th in the world for gender gaps on economic, political education and health-based criteria. For Lauren, it’s a conversation for which she is a reluctant but willing exemplar.
