AWEI Fireside Chats: Bi+ Visibility in Action – Celebrating LGBTQ+ Role Models

This year, we’re celebrating the winners of our LGBTQ+ Role Model Award in recognition of Bisexual Visibility Day – recognising the importance and power of representation, visibility, and lived experience.

Join Pride in Diversity as we continue our series called AWEI Fireside Chats: Winners of the LGBTQ+ Inclusion Awards!

There is an array of Awards given at the annual Australian LGBTQ+ Inclusion Awards, based on the results of the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) Submissions and additional nominated categories. This series will focus on the winners in these categories, where each award nomination recognises outstanding advocacy, support and/or contribution to LGBTQ+ inclusion within the workplace by leaders, role models, allies and more.

The winners of the award for the 2026 LGBTQ+ Role Model Award were:

·       Sarah Tell (she/her), Brisbane City Council

·       Ellie Watts (they/them), Australian Retirement Trust

This nomination is for an LGBTQ+ individuals who are highly visible as LGBTQ+ role model sand have made an outstanding contribution raising awareness, advocating for, and promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion within the organisation.

We often hear “you can’t be what you can’t see.”

Year after year, the AWEI Employee Survey and other data shows that LGBTQ+ employees are working in organisation that have improved their workplace inclusion outcomes, including increased sense of safety, health and wellbeing, feelings of belonging, and ability to see a career path for themselves in their organisation, and more. LGBTQ+ employees are seeing other LGBTQ+ people being accepted within their organisation and being successful in their career path – particularly when they see them in senior leadership positions – at growing rates.

About the Winners:

Sarah Tell (she/her), Brisbane City Council

Sarah Tell is a visible, courageous, and deeply influential LGBTQ+ role model whose impact is felt across Brisbane City Council and the wider community. As an out bisexual woman in senior leadership, she leads with authenticity, strengthening belonging and psychological safety through training, mentoring, and strategic influence as Chair of Council’s Pride network.

Beyond Council, Sarah builds strong cross-industry partnerships with external organisations, and speaks at inclusion events, and advances equality through governance and advocacy with the LGBTQ+ Legal Service.

Authentic, collaborative, and compassionate, Sarah creates measurable lasting change, making her a truly deserving recipient of the LGBTQ+ Role Model Award.

Ellie Watts (they/them), Australian Retirement Trust

Ellie Watts is a true LGBTQ+ role model and, famously a triple threat: non-binary, bisexual and neurodivergent. A bicon in every sense of the word, they lead with bold visibility, infectious energy and the kind of humour that disarms a room and makes even the toughest conversations feel possible.

With purple power, unforgettable puns and deep credibility, Ellie turns inclusion into something people actively want to be part of. They bring lived experience, care and rigour into everything they do, from shaping systems to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with community. Their impact is felt not just in policy or programs, but in how people feel: seen, safe and proud.

Ellie proves that inclusion can be joyful and serious at the same time, and that belonging grows fastest when it’s led with heart, humour and courage.

About this Session:

Join Pride in Diversity and our guest panellist as we explore how LGBTQ+ role models can positively influence inclusion efforts and workplace culture, and the meaningful impact this has on all employees and the organisation as a whole.

Pride in Diversity Co-hosts:

·       JB Beninato (they/she), Senior Relationship Manager

·       Will Reilly (he/him), Index Project Manager

Guest Panellists:

·       Sarah Tell (she/her), Brisbane City Council

·       Ellie Watts (they/them), Australian Retirement Trust

This session will be online.

Links will be sent out to registrants the morning of the event.

About the Australian Workplace Equality Index:

The AWEI now stands as the definitive national benchmark on LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion and comprises the largest and only national employee survey designed to gauge the overall impact of inclusion initiatives on organisational culture.

To learn more about the AWEI Submissions, head to our website.

Your organisation can also register for participation in:

·       The 2026 - 2027 AWEI Submissions

·       The AWEI Employee Survey

To learn more about nominating a colleague or campaign for outstanding contributions to LGBTQ+ inclusion within your organisation, check out our Award Nomination categories.