AWEI Fireside Chats: Sapphire Inspire Award 2026

Join Pride in Diversity for the next in our series of 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 winner of the 2026 Sapphire Inspire Award was:

Professor Sophia Nimphius (she/her), Edith Cowan University

This submission acknowledges the dual impacts or “double glass ceiling” that LGBTQ+ people who are or may be perceived as women deal with in the workplace.

This is most apparent when looking at people in senior leadership roles, where those in the Sapphire cohort are half as likely to be in these roles than both LGBTQ+ men and non-LGBTQ+ women. Year after year, we continue to see differences in AWEI data between the Sapphire cohort (those who are, or are perceived as, LGBTQ+ women, and therefore face many of the same barriers), other LGBTQ+ populations, and the general population. In particular, the Sapphire cohort is less likely to be out in the workforce than LGBTQ+ men, which has an impact on the health and wellbeing, and productivity and engagement of individuals in the workplace.

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.

Having visible role models is even more important for people where they have multiple intersecting under-represented facets of their identities, for example we see LGBTQ+ women in particular value having role models, but they are not seeing them. This is also true for other under-represented LGBTQ+ populations.

This nominee is active and highly visible as an LGBTQ+ employee, but has also made an outstanding contribution to raising awareness, advocating for, and promoting inclusion for LGBTQ+ women and under-represented genders within the organisation.

About the Winner:

Professor Sophia Nimphius (she/her), Edith Cowan University

Professor Sophia Nimphius is a visionary leader who is driving meaningful LGBTIQA+ inclusion across higher education through strategic leadership, governance, and accountability.

As Pro Vice-Chancellor (Sport) and Chair of Pride at ECU, Sophia has championed measurable and sustainable approaches to equity, embedding inclusion into institutional strategy while advocating for the visibility and representation of queer women and non-binary staff. Her leadership has strengthened governance, influenced organisational reform, and ensured that inclusion is recognised as a shared institutional responsibility.

A trusted connector between community and executive leadership, Sophia provides powerful representation in senior roles and continues to open doors for others to see themselves as leaders in higher education and beyond.

About this Session:

Join Pride in Diversity and our guest panellists as we discuss how leaders can successfully contribute to LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts for LGBTQ+ people who are or may be perceived as women across the organisation; and the impact the impacts this has on employees and organisational culture.

Pride in Diversity Co-hosts:

• CB Bonnar (she/they), Senior Relationship Manager

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

Guest Panellists:

• Professor Sophia Nimphius (she/her), Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sport), Professor of Human Performance, Edith Cowan University

• Stevie Lane (they/them), Equity Projects Coordinator, Edith Cowan University

This session will be virtual.

Registration links will be sent out 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.