For four generations, Alberts the business and the Albert family itself was largely male, beginning with Swiss immigrant Jacques Albert, who founded the business in 1885. While Jacques’s daughter Pauline was a trailblazer as a music publisher and owner of Pauline’s Song Shop at a time – the early 1900s – when working women were the minority, she was an outlier. From Jacques onwards, the next century and beyond would see the business predominantly managed by men.
There have been exceptions. In 1990, long-time Alberts employee, Fifa Riccobono AM, became the company’s CEO, the first female chief executive in the Australian music industry; while in the 1950s, Frank Albert’s trusted associate, Clare Fanning, became Alberts first female director, and Australia’s highest paid woman at the time.
But it is fair to say under the first four generations of management Alberts was very male.
Fast forward to 2026 and the business looks very different. Not only does the fifth generation include six women, all of whom joined the board in 2014; but Alberts has prioritised equality, focussing initially on gender diversity, in the business and beyond.
Today, 61 per cent of the staff are women, including a strong female leadership team; while Gabrielle Trainor AO was appointed board chair in 2025 following Her Excellency The Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, who became Alberts’ inaugural female board chair in 2022, stepping down in 2024 to become Australia’s current Governor-General.
Executive team members (from left): Emily Albert, Ben Edmonds, Kirsty Albert, Gabrielle Trainor AO, Ingrid Albert and David Albert.
“We believe it’s essential to have diversity of thought for stronger business performance, stronger financial performance and better decision making,” says Kirsty Albert, Executive Director at Alberts and Head of Legal, People & Culture, noting the welcome recent addition of Tracey Duff GAICD to Alberts’ Investment Committee. “Gender equity isn’t only good for women – it’s good for everyone. Advancing gender equity ensures we build stronger teams, support a more inclusive and sustainable economy and serve our stakeholders and community more effectively.”
In the lead-up to UN International Women’s Day on March 8, Alberts recognises not only how important, but advantageous it is to ‘Balance the Scales’, UN Women Australia’s 2026 official theme.
“This year’s theme is a reminder that fairness, justice and equal opportunity don’t happen by accident, we need to use leadership and conscious action to create a more equitable society. Too many systems, structures and habits still tip the scales unevenly, and it’s up to all of us to help even them out,” Kirsty says.
Alberts is proud to have implemented a number of initiatives to support and promote gender diversity. In February, the business was recognised as an employer of choice for women through its recertification with WORK180, a platform that pre-screens employers to ensure they meet strict standards for gender equality, pay equality and inclusive workplace practices such as paid parental leave and flexible workplace arrangements.
(From left): Scale Investor’s Samar Mcheileh, Equity Clear lead Noga Edelstein, Alberts’ Kirsty Albert, and Giant Leap’s Rachel Yang.
Alberts has also supported female and mixed-team founders through Alberts Impact Ventures, its portfolio of impact-focussed companies launched in 2021, including six currently solving for equity.
In 2024, Alberts Impact Ventures Investment Manager, Lisa Fedorenko, helped publicly launch Equity Clear, a national initiative co-founded by Scale, Giant Leap and Alberts and now led by Noga Edelstein, focused on driving the collection and publication of diversity data in order to increase transparency, to see where diverse founders are lost in the funnel and to ultimately increase investment towards female-led and diverse startups. By mid-2025 50% of Alberts deals comprised all-female and mixed gender founders.
“While we didn’t set targets for backing female founders, we’ve outperformed the industry,” Kirsty says. “We attribute that in part to the diversity of our investment committee. Diverse perspectives influence how risk and opportunity are assessed – particularly in underfunded sectors such as women’s health where opportunities may be overlooked by more homogenous teams.”
In 2025, Alberts updated its Responsible Investment Framework for the investment portfolio of Alberts philanthropic arm The Tony Foundation, considering impact alongside financial return in every investment decision. While the Framework, implemented in 2019, doesn’t directly address gender, the business is currently working on a screen to assess a fund’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and how they incorporate that commitment in practice.
“We will set targets and work to achieve those targets,” Kirsty says.
Kirsty Albert (third from right) at the 2025 2X Global Summit in Manila with Australian peers from Minderoo, DFAT, Small Giants, and The Dea Network.
Advocacy is an impactful tool Alberts uses to encourage collaboration and advance initiatives that drive gender diversity and equality. Alberts became a member of 2X Global in 2025, a membership organisation that mobilises capital to advance gender-smart investing and improve outcomes for women. Last August, Kirsty was appointed to the board of Australians Investing in Women (AIIW), a leading not-for-profit that strengthens society by catalysing greater capital across philanthropy and investment for women and girls.
“[AIIW’s] mission deeply aligns with Alberts’ commitment to embedding diversity, equity and inclusion across all that we do to help build a fairer, more inclusive and economically stronger world,” Kirsty says.
While Alberts’ current focus is on advancing gender diversity, we recognise that gender does not exist in isolation and meaningful process requires an intersectional lens that considers how race, culture, disability, sexuality, and other identifies shape experience and opportunity.
Alberts has recently had its first Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) endorsed by Reconciliation Australia and as part of that process is working to understand the extent of the impacts on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the particularly complex challenges faced by First Nations women, alongside the extraordinary resilience of First Nations peoples.
Kirsty Albert and The Dea Network’s Seri Renkin celebrated 15 years of Australian’s Investing in Women in November.
“International Women’s Day is a hugely important day to recognise the significant achievements and contributions all women make in everyday life,” says CEO David Albert, who spearheaded the move to appoint Alberts’ first female chair and has been a key driver in ensuring the business has a diverse gender makeup.
“As CEO of Alberts, I believe we have an opportunity to use our capital and resources to help maintain the momentum and pressure and ultimately level the playing field. I am convinced that gender equity is crucial for a more balanced, successful and fairer world.”
