Though she was born without a nationality, Australia is the only home Tuanh Nguyen has ever known.

Key points: Only 1.6 per cent of Asian-Australians become CEOs

Only 1.6 per cent of Asian-Australians become CEOs Cultural upbringing can jar with outspoken 'anglo' leadership styles

Cultural upbringing can jar with outspoken 'anglo' leadership styles New report advises workplaces to embrace cultural differences



Born to Vietnamese parents in an Indonesian refugee camp, Ms Nguyen and her family were granted asylum in Australia, moving to Melbourne when she was six months old.

Her family fled Vietnam in 1982 while her mother was pregnant — but some of her aunts didn't make it and were thrown in prison.

"Still under the cover of darkness, my parents made it to the port of departure and onto a tiny, overcrowded, rickety wooden boat," she said.

Ms Nguyen has now risen through the professional ranks to become the legal director of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Australia.

But breaking through the "bamboo ceiling" wasn't easy.

Like the "glass ceiling" metaphor of an invisible barrier looming above women in the workforce, the "bamboo ceiling" refers to a multitude of cultural factors impeding the rise of Asian Australians to the upper levels of the professional world.

Tuanh Nguyen, pictured with her parents and sister, was born in a refugee camp and had no official nationality at birth. ( Supplied )

Tuanh Nguyen, left, said comments about Australia being "swamped by Asians" deeply affected her. ( Supplied )

According to a recent study on Asian-Australian leadership in the workplace, stereotypes and racism play a significant role in limiting professional growth, as Ms Nguyen has experienced first-hand.

She found herself trying to make her Australian accent more pronounced in a bid to fit in.

"I need to constantly justify that I'm an Australian," she told the ABC.

"When [Pauline] Hanson came along and made her maiden speech, it was the first time that I felt that I didn't belong here in this country.

"That really had a profound impact on me."

Cultural biases, stereotypes and systemic barriers

But social discrimination translates to the board room, too.

According to an Australian Human Rights Commission report last year, less than 5 per cent of Australians of Asian heritage make it to senior executive levels — only 1.6 per cent become CEOs.

Ms Nguyen is the legal director of PwC Australia and former president of the Asian-Australian Lawyers Association. ( Supplied )

In Ms Nguyen's field — the legal profession — Asian-Australians are grossly underrepresented, according to Australian race discrimination commissioner Chin Tan.

"Asian-Australians account for… only 3.1 per cent of partners in law firms, 1.6 per cent of barristers and 0.8 per cent of the judiciary," Mr Tan said earlier this year.

"Research shows that underrepresentation impacts not only the individual, but in areas such as justice, it also has a community and systemic impact."

Citing data from the Diversity Council Australia, the recent leadership report said 82 per cent of Asian-Australians "believe there are cultural biases and stereotypes that place barriers on their push into leadership roles".

The opportunity gap Migrants who've settled in Australia in the last 10 years are more likely to rate career opportunities as a problem for them personally

Migrants who've settled in Australia in the last 10 years are more likely to rate career opportunities as a problem for them personally 57 per cent of recent migrants say career opportunities are a problem, compared with 44 per cent of Australians born here

57 per cent of recent migrants say career opportunities are a problem, compared with 44 per cent of Australians born here 68 per cent of recent migrants say they'd be happier with a better job, compared with 41 per cent of Australians born here Source: the Australia Talks National Survey

Further, "61 per cent of Asian-Australians feel pressure to conform to the Western — or 'anglo' — style of leadership that values self-promotion and assertive direct communication and often misinterprets the more quiet, reserved, humbleness and respect for seniority to be lack of confidence."

The report, by research and consulting group Cultural Intelligence, said its interviewees articulated how their cultural upbringing impacted their work life: for example, some said children of Asian immigrants carried a reluctance to challenge elders or, for example, would feel disinclined to voice an opinion unless spoken to or asked.

At the same time, the report highlighted the importance of workplaces not falling prey to stereotyping and blanket cultural biases.

"They do not see themselves to possess the Asian stereotype and yet acknowledge their leadership styles are influenced by their cultural upbringing," the report said.

Ms Nguyen said that resonated with her and was something she continues to struggle with after progressing through leadership levels.

"On one hand there's this model of what a leader looks like. And it's very white, it's very male, it talks about the outspoken, the salesman, 'in your face' style of leadership and that doesn't sit comfortably with me," she said.

"How do I stay authentic to what my values are and what my way of doing things?

"I'm always going to feel like I need to work that bit harder in order to be accepted."

'You don't need to look and sound like them'

The report found cultural upbringing can influence leadership styles. ( Supplied )

Report researcher Christine Yeung said it was important to understand workplace behaviours in order to crack the bamboo ceiling.

She said employers should make an effort to understand cultural differences and view them as an asset.

"We cannot ignore it anymore. We are not talking only about discrimination," she said.

"The way we work is just different, so why not reach out to us and talk about the differences and leverage it?

"I don't think any organisation can survive without diversity of thought, and that diversity of thought comes from leveraging the uniqueness in each individual."

Ms Yeung said she hoped the findings in the report would help to embolden future Asian-Australian generations to forge a path forward for themselves despite the lack of culturally relatable roles models in senior level positions.

"[It's for the next generation] to know that there is a possibility and hope that you don't need to look and sound like them," she said.

Ms Nguyen agreed, adding that businesses were reluctant to tackle institutional racism head-on.

"We don't want to talk about racism. It's this taboo word," she said.

"But the reality is if you want to have a proper conversation about cultural diversity … particularly at the senior leadership levels, you need to have meaningful conversations about race and the role it plays in people's judgments."

Read the story in Chinese: 相关中文文章

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