People

A message from Vanessa Freeman – Chief People Officer, MECCA

As a female-founded and female-led business, we have an unwavering commitment to advancing gender equality and creating meaningful opportunities for women to thrive.

With more than 7,500 team members across Australia and New Zealand – 95% are women – we’re proud to be an organisation that reflects the power and potential of women at every level, with over 75% of our senior leadership roles held by women across our Executives, General Managers and Heads of Department.

Beauty and retail continue to attract a high number of women to the workforce, and we’re proud to be part of that. At MECCA, 82% of our team work in stores, and 97% of those team members are women. We have no gender pay gap across our store teams and we’re deeply committed to nurturing this community. We know the many pathways it can offer, from flexibility and career growth to leadership and creative expression.

We invest intentionally in our people. Each year, we commit approximately 3% of our turnover to team member learning and engagement – three times the industry average. These education programs extend beyond role-specific capability to build leadership, emotional resilience, financial literacy and lifelong skills.

For many, MECCA is a first job, and we take the responsibility that comes with shaping early career experiences seriously. Our Founder, Jo has always hoped that parents would breathe a sigh of relief when their child secured an opportunity with MECCA, knowing the education, development and support they would receive.

By prioritising equitable pay, an inclusive culture, education, opportunity, and meaningful benefits, we strive to create a workplace – in store, at our Distribution Centre and at our Support Centre – that people genuinely want to be part of. The extraordinary tenure and loyalty of our team members reflect that commitment.

At the same time, we know there is more work to be done.

While men make up just 5% of our workforce, 42% of them are employed in our Support Centre, primarily in technology roles which are typically paid higher than frontline retail positions. This is a key driver of our Gender Pay Gap. That’s why we’re focusing on removing barriers for women in technology, ensuring bias-free recruitment, and strengthening pathways to promote from within because progress requires both transparency and intent.

We believe everyone at MECCA has a role to play in this change, including our small but mighty cohort of male champions of change. We empower our teams to influence, innovate, and challenge the status quo, sparking their inner entrepreneur to push boundaries, recognise opportunities and help shape the future of our industry.

Beyond the workplace, we also have a long-standing commitment to driving systemic change for gender equality through M-POWER, MECCA’s social change initiative. Fuelled by our belief that when women are empowered, communities thrive, we have committed over $35 million to initiatives supporting women and girls, creating lasting impact for the next generation.

MECCA was born from a desire to employ, promote and celebrate women, and that purpose continues to guide every decision we make. Gender equality is not only part of our history, but also integral to our future.