The Australian Amazon Project Ginsburg team is a strong candidate for the 2025 Retail Risk Diversity and Inclusion Award due to their effective implementation of gender diversity initiatives. The team has achieved measurable successes in promoting cultural change to embrace gender diversity and inclusion within an often male-dominated Security and Loss Prevention (S&LP) industry. Three Australian Loss Prevention Managers – Jorden McMah, Olivia Stockwood, and Ysabel Ramos – represent this global initiative, bringing attention to gender diversity in Australia’s S&LP sector. Their work has been invaluable demonstrating the project’s significance in advancing diversity and inclusion in the Australian S&LP landscape.
Project Ginsburg was created to develop and deliver gender diversity initiatives and convert these into business as usual programs within Amazon. The initiatives delivered under the Project Ginsburg team aim to bridge the current gap in gender disparity in the Loss Prevention and Security organization, promoting female interest and career longevity. The initiatives delivered under Amazon Project Ginsburg focus on three key pillars to drive gender diversity a) female talent attraction b) female development & promotion and c) female retention and attrition reduction. The Amazon Project Ginsburg team is a truly dynamic team, consisting of 11 individuals across APAC and EMEA, with Australian based tenured Loss Prevention Manager, Jorden McMah, spearheading the global diversity project, Australian Loss Prevention Manager, Olivia Stockwood driving the development and promotional pillar, and Australian Loss Prevention Specialist, Ysabel Ramos, driving change in the female retention pillar.
In its 18-month life-span, the Jorden, Olivia and Ysabel have delivered on several first-of-its-kind initiatives within Amazon and Australia, detailed below:
1. With recent studies identifying that the longer new mothers are away from paid work, the less likely they are to be promoted, move into management, or receive a pay raise once their leave is over, the Project Ginsburg team created a global program focused on supporting returning mothers to shift this narrative. This program was designed to bridge knowledge gaps that may surface from periods of maternity leave. This ensures a seamless return for females, enabling them to re-integrate and engage in the workplace with minimal disruption. By doing so, the Project Ginsburg team have reduced female attrition driven by maternity leave related issues and enabled positive sentiment to work-life goals, leading to greater representation of females in upper management.
2. The Amazon Project Ginsburg team designed and implemented a female focused global mentoring platform, which went live globally in June 2024. This platform allows female Security and Loss Prevention professionals to register as a mentee or mentor, to gain critical skills, knowledge and insights tailored to their professional growth within Security Operations. This platform generated not only phenomenal interest from female Security professionals within Amazon (with over +200 females registered on launch), but also saw significant participation of male security professionals seeking female mentors. With the launch of this platform, the Amazon Project Ginsburg team continue to support female development and active collaboration within the internal Security and Loss Prevention organization.
3. The Amazon Project Ginsburg team designed and launched a Women’s Six Sigma practical application country exchange program. The Lean Mind Program was designed to provide Amazon Security and Loss Prevention female professionals opportunities to travel globally to seek and deliver on a capstone project, using Lean Six Sigma methodology. By doing so, the Lean Mind program focused on opening career and promotional opportunities female participants, which led to enhanced development, advancement and representation of females within the Amazon Security and Loss Prevention organization.
The initiatives detailed above are just three of many delivered by the Australian leg of the Amazon Project Ginsburg team, focusing on the core pillars of gender diversity. These initiatives have yielded significant positive outcomes, and the team’s efforts have fostered a more inclusive work environment and advanced gender equity within both Amazon and the Australian S&LP landscape. In recognition of their impactful work in driving cultural change, we recommend acknowledging the contributions of Australian Project Ginsburg team members; Jorden McMah, Olivia Stockwood, and Ysabel Ramos. Their leadership has been instrumental in creating a workplace that better embraces gender diversity.