Manuela Vollmann, Austria

Setting the Benchmark for Gender Equality Across the Board.

A Force to be reckoned with in Industry!

Manuela Vollmann is the founder and Executive Director of abz*austria, an independent, non-party and non-profit organisation aiming to achieve gender equality within the labour market. Besides the work for and with women abz*austria also addresses gender equality issues for men, private companies and key actors in politics and in the field of science. The company’s hard work is financed through many high profile projects. For instance within its portfolio of clients are: the Austrian Employment Service, regional governments, national ministries, the European Union, and, private companies.

Since abz*austria was founded in 1992, Manuela has been active for equality requirements in business and political life, representing women at all levels of education and across all social levels, regardless of origin and age.

abz*austria is Austria’s largest organisation operating in this field with this mission. It currently supports 70 employee and also 30 self-employed consultants, and trainers. They are involved in five competence fields, developing solutions for the following areas: Gender Mainstreaming and Diversity Management; Reconciliation: Work: Family: Private Life; Work: Youth: Age; Lifelong Learning; and Work: Migration: Mobility.

Throughout this time, women’s education and job qualification as well as their secured subsistence and career achievement, have remained Manuela’s priority. Her aim is to support women in finding employment that will earn them a living, whilst at the same time provide them with satisfaction. Manuela says, ”I want my organisation to help women become, and stay, economically independent.” Her work experience in academia is also drawn upon, when aiming to facilitate these goals for women.

Manuela’s collective areas of expertise such as gender, labour market, social and economic policy all intersect in the running of her company. Her area of responsibility includes all the functions and tasks relating to the image and strategic development of the organisation, as it pursues correcting the balance for gender inequity. In nearly 20 years of commitment to abz*austria, her reputation as an expert for issues regarding the equality of both women and men in the labour market, have reached far beyond Vienna. She is regularly invited to expert forums on economics and politics as a speaker and participant in discussions, both nationally and internationally.