We’re more excited than ever to announce the outstanding finalists in the 2023 Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards, thanks to the support of our headline sponsor, Commonwealth Bank’s Women in Focus.
The program recognises an exceptional cohort of women blazing a trail across a variety of sectors, paving the way for future generations. This year’s awards focus on integrity, highlighting the work of emerging women leaders who stay true to their values and principles in the face of key challenges and change.
We’re thrilled to be able to shine a light on their work and help build their profiles and platforms as they continue their changemaking work.
The 2023 Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards are made possible thanks to our excellent partners including the Commonwealth Bank, MECCA M-POWER, the CSIRO, Charles Sturt University and Loco Love.
Tickets are still available to the gala dinner announcing the winners here where Professor Megan Davis will give a keynote address on the eve of the referendum and legendary singer/songwriter, Jack River (AKA Holly Rankin) will perform.
Without further ado…
Small Business Leader of the Year
Michele Miller
Michele Miller is the founder and CEO of Robokids and a self-admitted tech nerd! Robokids was conceived in 2012 when Michele brough robotics into her teaching program. She saw a gap in the curriculum and started servicing her local primary schools and community, offering robotics workshops as an integral part of the schools digital technology program. The multi award winning program facilitates development of teacher digital capacity as well as addressing the gender gap in STEM careers. Robokids has worked with over 300,000 teachers and students with growing operations in NSW, Victoria and Queensland
Lacey Webb
Lacey Webb is the Founder & CEO of Resource Hub, defining efficiency and best practice for the Waste & Resource Recovery (WARR) sector. With over 15 years experience in industry, Lacey is the foremost authority on waste levy regulation and gatehouse operations in Australia, she is a winner of the 2022 Women in Industry Awards, and is a leader committed to supporting the growth of women across traditionally male industries, including WARR.
Div Pillay
Div Pillay leads MindTribes and Culturally Diverse Women. For 10 years she has been advocating for safer workplaces for women and racially and ethnically diverse people. Div and her team have co-created evidenced based solutions with clients and partners; to reduce and eliminate institutional racism and sexism at work. Div has influenced some of Australia’s largest employers at Board and Executive level to invest in inaugural initiatives, changing the game for employees traditionally missed.
Rachelle Towart
Rachelle Towart, a Wonnarura woman from Blacktown, is a beacon of Indigenous leadership in Australia. Acclaimed nationally, she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2018. In 2016, Rachelle founded Pipeline Talent, an Indigenous executive recruitment agency. As its Managing Director, she consistently champions and places Indigenous leaders in key roles across various sectors, reinforcing her commitment to elevating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander talent nationwide.
Helen Whait
Helen Whait is the founder of Australia’s first and only occupational therapy franchise business, ActivOT. She has been a powerful contributor and change-maker within and for her profession throughout her 30-year career. She is widely recognised for challenging the status quo of community based occupational therapy service provision in Australia. Helen’s kind, holistic and innovative leadership style continues to empower allied health professionals nationwide by supporting their success as private practitioners
Emerging Leader in the Private Sector
Georgia Lutvey
Georgia is a passionate and values-driven HR leader at Downer, where she is contributing to their purpose of enabling communities to thrive. In the last year, Georgia has mentored young professionals, managed a program that saw 400 influential leaders undertake a journey of inclusive culture, developed an automated kudos portal fostering peer-to-peer recognition, increased belonging and relationships nationally through her Downer Social Networks passion project, and has seen employee engagement increase across all target metrics. Georgia arrives at work every day with positive energy and a focus on foundational excellence.
Lucy Du
Lucy is the Director of Community & Investor Relations at BFA Global Investors and is the Founder of the BFA Women’s Club. Her vision is to empower women and reshape an industry dominated by men by promoting female-led capital. In the past year, Lucy has created tailored events to educate and mentor female investors, helping them navigate the intricacies of private asset investing and enabling BFA Women to confidently assert themselves at the investment table.
Brittany Johnston
Brittany is a landscape architect and design integrator at Aurecon. Working across multiple sectors of the built environment and construction industry, her leadership and advocacy is driving change in Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity, Designing with Country, Climate Positive Design and Green Infrastructure.
Charlotte Pascoe
Charlotte Pascoe – Director and CEO of Stockdale & Leggo – is a dynamic leader who is passionate about creating an inclusive culture within the real estate industry where respect and a healthy work/lifestyle balance is key. Charlotte has driven strong conversations at State government level regarding real estate policy – particularly land tax. She is also an advocate for disadvantaged youth partnering Victorian youth charity “Bridge Builders” to help improve the lives of young people.
Cecilia Chiu
Cecilia is the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of New Aim. A trailblazer in Australian ecommerce, Cecilia introduced the dropship model to Australia with Dropshipzone. It’s her mission to empower more Australian SMEs to start and scale through ecommerce, by creating a more inclusive ecosystem that levels the playing field. In 2022, Cecilia transitioned Dropshipzone to a B2B2C marketplace helping thousands of retailers, which stands unique in the Australian market.
Emerging Leader in Science
Dr Tiffany Phillips
Tiffany Phillips is a research fellow and epidemiologist for Monash University and Melbourne Sexual Health Centre. Dr Phillips has a passion for health equity and promotion and believes strongly in the value of research co-designed with communities. She utilises and teaches mixed-method study designs to produce and inspire outputs that have a positive impact on priority populations for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV.
Dr Katherine Livingstone
Dr Katherine Livingstone is leading a program of research to improve the diet and heart health of young Australians living in regional communities. Her research is funded by peak national government and non-government organisations, including the National Health and Medical Research Council and the National Heart Foundation. Her team are using state-of-the-art tools and techniques to support young people to live healthier and happier lives.
Amani Abusafia
Amani is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Sydney. She received her B.Sc degree in 2009, and an M.Sc. degree in Computer Science, in 2013 from the University of Sharjah, Sharjah, Unite Arab Emirates.She is currently a recipient of the Research Training Program (RTP) Stipend Scholarship by the Australian Government (2022-2023). Her research interests include wireless sensor networks, data mining and distributed systems.
Dr Hayley Teasdale
Dr Hayley Teasdale is the Manager of Science Policy Projects at the Australian Academy of Science. Hayley works at the interface science and policy, making science accessible to policymakers and helping shape policy to support science in Australia. Hayley also develops innovative methods for producing science policy advice, including new methods for the inclusion of Traditional Knowledges in science policy processes
Dr Devanshi Seth
Devanshi is the founding Head of a unique research program in Australia focused on the molecular and clinical aspects of Alcohol-associated Liver Diseases. Her inclusive leadership style has led her multinational GenomALC Consortium to international recognition by pioneering the genetics of this disease and bringing precision medicine for treatment of patients. As long-time champion of women in STEMM, she leads the DEI at her organisation for cultural change promoting women in their scientific careers.
Emerging Leader in Health
Associate Professor Meru Sheel
Associate Professor Meru Sheel is a globally recognised infectious diseases epidemiologist and vaccine researcher at the University of Sydney. Meru uses population health tools to understand and prevent the spread of diseases and how vaccines programs can prevent diseases. Meru works in the field, in partnership with countries in the Asia-Pacific region to shape policies and practices in global health. Meru is passionate about improving diversity and gender representation in leadership, and actively promotes and trains next generation of global health leaders.
Dr Olivia Ong
Dr Olivia Ong is an esteemed pain and rehabilitation physician, and an expert in burnout and resilience. As a healthcare thought leader in the burnout space, Olivia is passionate about helping doctors and healthcare professionals thrive after burnout. In the past year Olivia has been working with hundreds of doctors, healthcare professionals and leaders in healthcare organisations to improve their mental health and wellbeing in her role as the founder and CEO of Heart-Centred Method institute
Sonita Giudice
Sonita Giudice is a proud Gunggari and Wakka Wakka woman. Sonita is extremely passionate about providing holistic & culturally appropriate care to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander women & their families. Sonita continues her strong passion & commitment as a Clinical Midwifery Consultant within the Office of Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer. She provides her expertise with clinical & cultural knowledge to support the codesign of these models of care. Sonita acknowledges it has been an honour & privilege to be closely involved in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander woman’s care, their families, and the community.
Dr Tess Huynh
Dr Tess Huynh is a highly respected Sydney based cataract and laser refractive eye surgeon. She is the founder and director of iVision Clinic Inner West and co-founder and director of South West Vision Institute. She is on the RANZCO Board of Examiners and has been a lecturer for the Masters of Refractive Surgery at Sydney University. She is highly sought after for her expert clinical experience and involvement in technological research for ophthalmic industries.
Dr Ashna Basu
Ashna Basu is a Sydney-based doctor working in a Mental Health Intensive Care Unit. She is an award-winning advocate for gender equity and serves as Chair of the Young (under 40) branch of the Medical Women’s International Association. Locally, as President of the Medical Women’s Society of NSW, she established a Job Share Registry to increase access to part-time work. Her leadership experience is complemented by a GAICD and Master of Health Leadership and Management.
Emerging Leader on Climate and Sustainability
Anjali Sharma
Anjali Sharma is 19 years old and was the lead litigant of Sharma vs Environment Minister, a legal case which, in 2021, successfully established that the environment minister owes all young people a duty of care to protect them from the impacts of climate change. After this ruling was appealed, Anjali launched a campaign to legislate this duty of care through Federal Parliament, and has successfully seen a bill tabled in the Senate to do so.
Laura Parr
Laura Parr is a trustee with The Nature Conservancy Australian Advisory Board. She also works in technology at Google, and recognises that nature needs technology. She believes that technology is the lever that helps solve our biggest challenges we’re facing around sustainability. Through her unique combination of visionary and participatory leadership, Laura has advanced the sustainability and conservation agenda at both The Nature Conservancy and Google. Laura drives change as a fundraiser, advisor, ambassador and advocate.
Alison Kelly
Alison is the Farm Emissions Specialist for Agriculture Victoria, and has dedicated more than 20 years to the agriculture and climate change sector. During this time, she has delivered various projects that translate science into practical on-farm action. Alison is passionate about meaningful conversations to drive climate change action. In the last 18 months, she has engaged with farmers across Victoria to demystify emissions and help them identify options to achieve emissions reduction goals.
Associate Professor Lihong Zheng
A/Prof Lihong Zheng leads the Imaging&Sensing team at Charles Sturt University. She has delivered $ 7.4 million value by leading 12 multi-disciplinary projects to provide innovative and sustainable solutions to digital agriculture. She was a national winner of the Academia Award as part of the Women in IT Awards, Cisco in 2019. Recently, she has concentrated on increasing public awareness of STEM skills through various promoting, organizing, and mentoring activities.
Dr Breanna Roque
Dr Breanna Roque is the Animal Science Research Manager for FutureFeed. The company was established by CSIRO to commercialise the use of Asparagopsis seaweed as a livestock feed ingredient that can reduce methane emissions by 80%. Dr Roque is the lead or co-author on several groundbreaking Asparagopsis studies. Thanks to her work (and that of her colleagues), Australia is leading the world in its use of this powerful methane supplement.
Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year
Katrina Van de Ven
Katrina is CEO and Co-Founder of LükBook, a company that’s revolutionising fashion for the 66% of all Australian women who are plus size. Since launching in early 2022, LükBook has demonstrated rapid growth, and has to date reached around 3 million Australian women and experienced ~60% MoM growth in sales. A compelling storyteller, Katrina draws on her decades of lived experience as a plus size woman to advocate for a more inclusive fashion industry.
Suzie Betts
Suzie Betts, the founder of Boob Armour, is on a mission to redefine safety and empowerment for girls and women, not just in sports but also in occupations where breast injuries are a concern. Her innovative breast protection solutions are reshaping the landscape, empowering females to pursue their passions with confidence, whether on the field or in their workplaces. Suzie’s values-driven leadership and her commitment to addressing this critical challenge make Boob Armour a transformative force for girls and women, ensuring their well-being and confidence in all aspects of life.
Tara Croker
Tara, a proud Wiradjuri woman, is a successful marketer and entrepreneur. She founded Yaala Sparkling to share the delicious tastes of native plants and to increase First Nations representation in the native food industry which is currently less than 2%. Tara believes in sustainable growth, from the supply chain to business practices. She works with Indigenous wild harvesters and local farmers to create healthy beverages that honour the true flavours her Ancestors have enjoyed for generations.
Helena Turpin
Helena is the Co-Founder of GoFIGR, a venture-backed tech startup blending AI, behavioural science, and human-centered design to revolutionise talent development and retention. Supported by investors from Australia to the US who champion women-led businesses, she’s dedicated to ensuring individuals remain employable and excel, while also helping businesses achieve their goals.
Emerging Leader in Tech
Dr Susan McGinty
Dr Susan McGinty is an award-winning scientist, global STEM leadership development expert, speaker and author, and the founder/CEO of Aya Leadership. Susan is passionate about uplifting STEM women as leaders and transforming the profile of STEM leadership. Susan’s tailored leadership development for STEM women is expanding the number of female leaders in technology and cyber and changing the profile of leadership in these industries. Susan is a Board Director and Advisory Board member of Women in STEM Leadership.
Pearl Li Ng
Pearl is the Head of Smart City, Innovation & Improvement with the City of Casey. With a future-focused agenda, Pearl leads the integration of smart technology, collaboration, and innovation to enhance sustainability and resilience in the local region. Named as one of the Australian Superstar of STEM, she is passionate about promoting women in STEM and harnessing technology for positive impact.
Mayase Jere
Mayase is a seasoned Agile Product and Project Management practitioner with experience mentoring individuals, coaching and leading software development teams. She has worked in B2B and B2C companies developing platforms and digital products. Her mission is to develop Agile practitioners by empowering individuals to change their organisations through co-design, collaboration, value creation and rapid experimentation. She is passionate about making education accessible and increasing women leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Laura Hill
Laura Hill is the Managing Director, International and Global Chief Partnerships Officer for Sendle, Australia’s first 100% carbon neutral shipping service and first technology B Corp. In this role, Laura leads Sendle’s Australian and Canadian businesses, and oversees all of our global partnerships – challenging postal monopolies around the world to bring simple, reliable and affordable shipping to millions of small businesses.
Luli Adeyemo
Luli Adeyemo, the Executive Director of the TechDiversity Foundation, is a fervent advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in technology workforces across different sectors. She is on a mission to illuminate the transformative power of DEI in boardrooms across Australia. Luli’s compelling discussions with numerous executives have sparked a DEI revolution, showcasing its potential as a catalyst for innovation, competitiveness, cultural enrichment, and as a solution to bridging the skills gap. Luli’s unwavering commitment to DEI continues to shape the tech landscape.
Emerging Leader in the NFP sector
Geena Dunne
Geena Dunne (G.D Anderson) is the founder of menstrual health non-profit, The Cova Project, which provides sustainable solutions to people experiencing period poverty around the world. The Cova Project has provided menstrual cups and MHM education to over 24,000 women in Liberia, Ghana, Uganda, South Africa and Malawi to date. Geena believes in creating locally led initiatives with global impact and leveraging emerging technology to make positive change wherever possible
Evie Wood
Evie Wood is the Co-Founder and President of Coolamon Community, a registered charity based in Northern NSW. Her purpose is to make a real difference at the very start life for an Aboriginal child and mother. Evie seeks to keep babies with mothers and family, improve pregnancy, birthing and infancy health outcomes, actively support the unique Aboriginal mothering experience and empower First Nations women to make informed, respected decisions about their pregnancy and child rearing.
Katherine Berney
Katherine is the Executive Director of National Women’s Safety Alliance, with a membership of over 400 individuals and organisations she is determined we will end violence against all identifying women, non binary people and children. NWSA under Katherine’s leadership is a trusted government advisor, and has influenced major federal policy reforms in Domestic, Family and Sexual violence; There is nothing more important than making Australia a safer place for all who make their home here.
Carla Raynes
Carla is the Founder and CEO of Bridge It, a new youth homelessness organisation in Melbourne. She’s worked in the homelessness field for nearly 2 decades and draws on this wisdom to create high impact housing programs. Carla is a trailblazer in trialling creative approaches to homelessness to make the solution lasting. Carla launched The Cocoon which is a youth supportive housing program for young people who have existed the out-of-home-care system in 2022 which had the potential to be scaled across Australia.
Employer Inititative of the Year
FDC
FDC is a leading Australian building delivery partner with an annual turnover of circa $1 billion, employing 600+ people, with a reputable client and project delivery reputation and industry leading NPS rate of 75+. They have been acknowledged with over 110 MBA awards and drive the Women in Construction Movement, changing the conversation to and the knowledge of females around the construction industry.
Telstra
Telstra is Australia’s leading telecommunications and technology company, offering a full range of communications services and competing in all telecommunications markets. They believe it’s people who give purpose to technology. That’s why they build technology and content solutions that are simple and easy to use. Telstra’s Women in Tech program was developed with the aim to empower women in tech roles, at all stages of their careers.
Private Media
Ai Mawdsley is COO of Private Media – a 20 year old publisher of independent journalism. Through a deep passion for equity & inclusion, relentless execution of strategy, and implementing the Juniversary Performance Program, Ai has transformed the business – promoting emerging female leaders to represent 60% of management (from 36%), profoundly evolving company culture and ultimately supporting the business’ to achieve record revenues (CAGR of 24%).
Fujifilm Business Innovation Australia
Elevate is FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia’s Employee Resource Group supporting female employees through programs and tools to offer a space for personal and professional development, empowering and encouraging success and influencing positive change. This initiative is proudly making strides to enable unprecedented growth in female leadership and new female hires – serving as an inspiration to all those within FUJIFILM BI Australia and across the ICT industry.
Paypa Plane
Paypa Plane is a fintech revolutionising the world of payments across Australia and the US. Paypa Plane has made a commitment to team members to increase paid parental leave for both parents to 12 weeks. This policy removes the traditional concept of ‘primary and secondary parents’ and allows both parents to take leave flexibly. Paypa Parents gives parents equal access to paid parental leave, including super contributions during this period, in a bid to increase equality.
Agenda Setter of the Year
Charmaine Hunzwi
Charmaine is a Changemaker as President of Incubate Foundation, an organisation supporting young African Asutralians to reach their fullest potential; and Founder of Safe Space Media which creates content that challenges the narratives of under-represented communities. From designing and delivering the first ever African Australian Student Conference for over 350 students to challenging status quo through her Can We Talk About It?! Podcast, Charmaine’s passion is creating safe spaces for the Black community in Australia.
Angelique Wan
Angelique Wan is the co-founder and CEO of Consent Labs, a youth-led not-for-profit that is working to reduce the prevalence of sexual violence in Australia through education programs delivered to high school students, their educators and parents. To-date, Consent Labs has delivered programs to more than 50,000 people nationally. Previously, Angelique has been recognised as the 2022 NSW Young Woman of the Year and a 2022 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australian.
Ashi Bhat
Ashi Bhat is the founder of INSIDER, where she’s revolutionising brand loyalty programs, using blockchain technology. INSIDER enables brands to deliver highly personalised customer experiences, while giving consumers enhanced control of their data. In the past year, she’s spoken to thousands of audiences on emerging technology for social impact, through her TEDx Talk, keynote speaking, mentorship and columnist roles for leading publications.
Jean Linis-Dinco
Jean Dinco stands at the forefront of unmasking governmental propaganda, especially surrounding Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis. Driven by a burning passion for justice, she earned the esteemed title of Peace Ambassador by the European Commission and One Young World in 2022 and was spotlighted in Vanity Fair’s February 2023 edition as a global beacon for the UN’s 2030 Agenda. Beyond accolades, like the YoungChangemaker award, Jean’s heart beats for the voiceless—championing stateless and migrant rights with an unyielding spirit. Her impassioned open letter addressing freedom of expression led her to be a Nobel Peace Prize Challenge finalist in 2022, while her human rights gamification project secured an award at the United Nations- Oxford Competition.
Dr Parwinder Kaur
Dr Parwinder Kaur is an award-winning scientist, a passionate leader and positive role model as a mother, and a professor in science for the next generation of diverse scientists to pursue their passion for science and discovery. Her work addresses Earth’s biodiversity for sustainable solutions, uniting disciplines and empowering individuals. Recognized as the Australian Sikh Woman of the Year in 2023, she’s a renowned community leader, author, and speaker, contributing to policy committees and STEM initiatives. She inspires through dedication, innovation, and a commitment that transcends boundaries, leaving a lasting impact on science and society.
Sam Payne
As the Founder and CEO of the Pink Elephants Support Network, Sam is on a mission to ensure that no one faces the journey of pregnancy loss alone and that they receive the support they need and deserve. Sam is an empathetic, engaging, knowledgeable, and impactful advocate for those experiencing early pregnancy loss. She challenged and changed federal legislation to include miscarriage in 2021 and she’s not stopping there. She is challenging cultural norms, breaking the silence, and initiating much-needed change.