When chief executive of Talent International Mark Nielsen was in the early days of an investment banking career, he was grappling with the idea of coming out both at work and to his friends.

“My biggest fear was always in the back of my mind: ‘What happens if I am exposed as being gay? How will this impact my career?’ [I also worried about] my parents finding out – a real snowball effect. I would overcompensate and pretend I was straight, and nobody really knew the real me. It took a lot of energy to try to live that life,” Nielsen says.

Things shifted just after he turned thirty. Neilsen decided to switch industries, and with it, was determined to ensure he felt comfortable at work in being open about his identity in future. In his fourth interview for a new role, he told his soon-to-be boss he was gay.

“That was the first role where I could be myself and from there my career really took off. I did not have to utilise the energy in order to have this double life and I could just be who I was. I could really focus and give that business my all,” Nielsen says.

The experience taught Nielsen a lot about leadership.

“The best advice I’ve received is you – as the leader – have to set the tone in the organisation, and you have to make sure that everybody in your organisation follows that,” he says.

Sally Goldner is a diversity consultant and LGBTIQA+ diversity educator who has been speaking with workplaces on the topic for over 20 years. She says while organisations’ understanding has improved, there are plenty of gaps.

“One of the things that needs change is that diversity education that is specific to or largely focussed on one group in LGBTIQA+ communities is best delivered by people (or if two presenters, at least one person) with the lived expertise. I have sadly seen too many presentations where this has not been followed resulting in ‘101 fails’ and lack of legal compliance,” Goldner says.

Lifeview Aged Care and Monash University are two long-term clients Goldner says she remains impressed by.