Justine Cullen talks about the future of the workforce, authenticity and more

Posted on 8 November, 2022

She was the Editor in Chief of Elle magazine and is currently the Editor in Chief at InStyle Australia—but now the award-winning editor, author, mother-of-four boys is coming to Canberra to talk about business, life and the lessons she learnt in the process.

We sat down to talk with Justine Cullen—and she believes as a new generation hits the workforce, they will create change that has only been talked about for years.

“Gen Z has such an incredible expectation of businesses and corporations taking some responsibility for the care of the people who are working for them and so clearly defined when it comes to their values and what matters to them,” says Justine.

“I think as we see more of them coming through in the workforce those changes will start to happen because they have to. Otherwise, we won’t be able to get the talent that we need. It seems so clear to me that they [Gen Z] will be able to impact the change that we’ve only been talking about.”

Perfectly curated pictures? Going…going…gone.

Real, raw and authentic is in and platforms are shifting and changing to reflect this. Sorry to break it to you but if you don’t know the difference between a Reel and a TikTok, now is the time to get caught up on the trends. And Justine is no exception.

“I just think it’s an essential thing…Particularly, in the media, I have to know where the tide is turning, and if I want to make sure that my business or product is current, that’s something that is really vital,” Justine says.

“The world is moving so rapidly all the time. My message would always be to have tunnel vision, don’t worry about what anyone else is doing because that never works. Stay hungry and keep looking for whatever the new thing is and work out how you can make the tide work in your favour, rather than having it leave you behind.”

Remember the avocado on toast debates over why Millennials can’t afford houses? Well, according to Justine, Gen Z has not escaped the stigma of being the youngsters in the workforce trying to get their voices heard.

“I mean, we do this every generation, right? Like Gen X was slackers, and everyone rolled their eyes at Millennials for being entitled. Now, it’s about Gen Z, being too stupid or too sensitive and I think that is the most ageist attitude that we can possibly have.”

And while we’re all sick and tired of hearing about the pandemic, as Justine explains there’s no denying that as a workforce we have seen an evolution over the past couple of years.

“I think that topic of empowerment is always such an interesting one, particularly at the moment because I feel like we’re going through a shift in terms of how we feel about ambition, and how we feel about work, and there’s a lot of interesting things to talk about in that area,” Justine says.

Paying for parking, fuel and cute office clothes is something many of us have not missed from the shift to remote learning. Another benefit? All the doors and even the windows have been thrown open for job opportunities.

“I think the idea that I love as a manager is that if I was looking for someone for a role, then I can open that up a little bit. I can look at every role and the requirements of that role on an individual basis. It’s really all about who’s the right person and geography is not mattering so much anymore, which is wonderful,” Justine says.

Keen to know what else is on Justine’s mind? Coming to Canberra next month as a keynote speaker for Inspire’s second event for 2022, hosted by the Canberra Outlet Centre on Saturday 19 September, Justine will be talking about business, life and all the lessons she learnt in the process.

It’s an event designed to help aspiring Canberran’s get inspired in their careers and business journeys—and from being the Editor in Chief of Elle magazine to her current role as Editor in Chief at InStyle Australia, Justine is the perfect choice to guide the next generation of boss babes.