NEW EQUIFAX RESEARCH REVEALS THE FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF GENDER-DIVERSE LEADERSHIP

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – 28 September 2026 – Following its recent sponsorship of The Gender Index (TGI) Australia, Equifax Australia has released new research uncovering the financial benefit of gender-diverse leadership in Australian business.  

While The Gender Index establishes a national baseline on female business participation - exposing a "scaling cliff" where female representation drops from 42.2% among sole traders to just 7.0% in large enterprises - Equifax research, building on TGI’s findings, applies a financial risk lens to reveal how leadership gender diversity can mitigate credit risk and protect bottom-line capital.

The research shows that leadership gender inequality can carry a quantifiable monetary cost for Australian businesses and lenders. Analysing over five million national director records, Equifax Australia found:  

• Strong Credit Performance: Entities with majority female-led businesses hold Australia’s highest business credit scores, averaging 959.6 out of 1200.
• The 50/50 Equilibrium: Gender-equal (50/50) leadership represents an optimal balance of credit safety and commercial scaling across many different industries. Gender-equal leadership carries a 945 average score and maintains a low default rate of 0.4%.
• Reduction in Defaults: When default events occur, businesses with gender-equal leadership teams incur an average default loss severity of $594.69, compared to $2,099.64 for all-male teams. This represents a 3.53-fold (71.7%) reduction in loss severity, demonstrating that gender-diverse leadership acts as an internal capital loss buffer.
• Capital Velocity vs. Risk Disparity: Early-stage male-led businesses log 1.28 times more credit inquiries than female-led peers, despite male-led firms exhibiting lower average credit scores (821.2 vs. 834) and higher default rates (1.2% vs. 1.1%).
• Sectoral Differences: Overall female leadership is still heavily concentrated in lower-default service clusters such as Healthcare (23.6% female-led; 0.93% default rate), whereas male leadership dominates capital-intensive sectors like Construction and Transport.

Melanie Cochrane, CEO and Group Managing Director of Equifax A/NZ said, "At Equifax, our purpose is to help people live their financial best, and financial inclusion is an important pillar in building a resilient national economy. Our research shows how gender equality in business leadership isn't just about representation - it can have a clear commercial advantage. Through our research, we can see how gender-balanced leadership teams can help strengthen businesses against credit losses and financial distress. When I think about what The Gender Index highlights, it’s clear that unlocking growth capital for female-led businesses presents economic opportunities for Australian market leaders today." 

“Our insights highlight how important the national conversation from participation to progression is - encouraging capital providers and institutions to take active steps to help women-led businesses scale."

The Gender Index research underscores that while Australian women enter entrepreneurship at high rates, systemic barriers, capital allocation patterns, and unequal procurement pathways prevent them from advancing into medium and large enterprises.

John Cushing, APAC CEO of mnAi & Co-founder of The Gender Index globally said, "It's fantastic to have Equifax Australia on board as an official sponsor and data partner, helping us shine a light on the structural realities facing women in business across the country. Bringing these insights to the forefront is vital if we want capital providers, policymakers, and institutions to take active steps in helping women-led businesses scale."

Melanie Cochrane concluded, "The data confirms that Australia doesn't have a shortage of female entrepreneurial ambition - it has a structural barrier at scale. It also highlights the commercial power of female and gender-balanced leadership teams, providing deeper insights to business founders and to help the broader Australian economy understand a way to unlock greater economic growth."

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ABOUT EQUIFAX INC.
At Equifax, we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employers, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by nearly 15,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit www.equifax.com.au or follow the company’s news on LinkedIn.

Equifax Media Contact
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NOTES TO EDITORS ABOUT THE RESEARCH
Data for this analysis was developed in partnership with mnAI (parent company of TGI), encompassing business profiles categorised by gender leadership metrics, operational scale, and revenue tiers. Equifax Australia analysts matched entity records using Australian Business Numbers (ABNs) and Australian Company Numbers (ACNs) to commercial bureau intelligence, evaluating business credit risk scores and default histories. The analysis reflects active registered entity data as of August 2026, drawn from the Equifax commercial bureau dataset covering the preceding 24 months.

ABOUT THE GENDER INDEX AUSTRALIA
TGI Australia is a national data and research initiative focused on building a consistent, large-scale understanding of female-led businesses. The programme combines firmographic data, advanced technology, and structured analysis to create a view of the corporate landscape that does not currently exist in a single, unified form. By establishing this baseline, TGI Australia enables organisations to move beyond anecdotal or fragmented insight, towards evidence-based understanding and decision-making. The report was authored by Griffith University’s Professor Naomi Birdthistle.

The TGI model was established in the UK to address a lack of consistent, large-scale visibility into female-led businesses.

Since its launch, the programme has:

• Analysed millions of company records
• Created one of the most comprehensive firmographic views of female-led businesses
• Supported national-level discussion across finance, policy, and industry
• Become a recognised benchmark for data-led insight in this area
• UK Programme Achievements

The Australian programme builds on this experience, adapting the approach to reflect the structure and dynamics of the local market. Find out more about The Gender Index here. 

DISCLAIMER
Purpose of Equifax media releases:
The information in this release does not constitute legal, accounting or other professional financial advice. The information may change, and Equifax does not guarantee its currency or accuracy. To the extent permitted by law, Equifax specifically excludes all liability or responsibility for any loss or damage arising out of reliance on information in this release and the data in this report, including any consequential or indirect loss, loss of profit, loss of revenue or loss of business opportunity.