Biography entry for Sharyn Cederman, feminist and banking executive. Sharyn was one of the pioneers of the women’s movement in New Zealand, alongside a burgeoning banking career. She was promoted to chief manager of marketing services for Westpac, before being diagnosed with myelofibrosis, a rare bone marrow cancer. 

Biography entry for Sir Ian McLennan, engineer and company executive. McLennan began with BHP as a cadet, and was eventually promoted to Managing Director of the company, in addition to several other non-executive directorships.

Using a mixed-methods approach, we explore the extent and change over time of both gender and ethnic diversity in leadership, and diversity disclosure in company annual reports, for Australia’s largest firms (ASX100) between 2005 and 2020. We interpret our findings with institutional theory, comparing the institutional ismorphisms driving change in each organisational form, and examining the extent to which there is rhetorical decoupling between them. Our findings suggest a disconnect between public commitment to diversity and Indigenous engagement, and the practice of appointing non-white corporate leaders. A lack of regulation surrounding diversity reports has contributed to this uneven disclosure and practice, with different outcomes for gender and ethnic diversity the result of different institutional isomorphisms.