Nikolic is currently the CEO of the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA), with the peak physiotherapy body in Australia announcing her resignation from the role this morning.

She will step down as CEO of APA on 15 March as she begins her new role at the AIDH, the peak body for digital health in the country, on 25 March.

Nikolic said she is grateful for her time at APA and excited to commence a new chapter in her latest appointment.

“Leading the outstanding team at the APA has been a true honour and privilege,” she said. 

“Collaborating with a dedicated board of experts and receiving unwavering support from our broader member community throughout my tenure has been immensely gratifying.

“Together, we’ve accomplished remarkable milestones and cultivated a culture characterised by innovation and excellence.”

Nikolic has helped membership of the physiotherapy organisation reach an all-time high of more than 32,000 members. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she established the APA as a key source of information for physiotherapists, and helped physiotherapists in WA return to practising during lockdown.

Nikolic is an ally for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, women, and people from the LGBTQIA+ community. During her time as CEO, which began in 2019, she established the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Staff Advisory Group, the LGBTQIA+ Advisory Panel and the APA’s fourth Reconciliation Action Plan.

“I am proud of our achievements, and I hold complete faith in the capabilities of the talented individuals who will continue to drive the APA’s strategic vision, and the physiotherapy profession, well into the future,” Nikolic said.

Mark Round, the Chair of the Board at APA, wished Nikolic well for her upcoming role at AIDH.

“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Anja for her outstanding leadership and tireless dedication to physiotherapy in Australia over the past nine years,” Round said.

“Under her guidance, the organisation has achieved remarkable growth and success. We wish her all the best in her future endeavours and know that she will bring the same level of passion and excellence to her new role.”

In a media statement, the AIDH said the team is excited to have Nikolic join their team, replacing interim CEO Mark Nevin FAIDH, who held the role since July 2023.

“The Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH) Board is pleased to advise that Anja Nikolic will soon be joining the Institute as CEO,” the AIDH said.

“Anja is excited to take on the opportunity to grow the influence and impact of the AIDH, to support the digital capabilities of the healthcare workforce and achieve our vision of Healthier Lives, Digitally Enabled.”

The post Anja Nikolic appointed as CEO of Australasian Institute of Digital Health appeared first on Women's Agenda.

The ACIC is Australia’s national criminal intelligence agency, with specialist investigative capabilities under the Australian Crime Commission Act 2002. The AIC is Australia’s national research and knowledge centre on crime and justice.

Adding to over 33 years’ experience as an intelligence professional, Cook’s five year appointment will begin 15 January 2024. She’s an experienced senior executive and strategic leader having worked across government, private sector and academia. 

Cook is also currently a Member of the Distinguished Advisor Panel at the National Security College, Australian National University.

In a statement announcing her appointment, the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP welcomed Cook and thanked Matthew Rippon for stepping in as acting CEO and Director “while the merit based selection process was undertaken”. 

Cook began her career in intelligence in 1989, serving with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service until 1995. She was a Senior Policy Office in the Defence, Intelligence and Security Branch of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet between 2000 and 2002. 

She also served as First Assistant Director-General at ASIO between 2006 and 2015 and as Deputy Director-General until 2023.

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This was how Claire Fenner became a mother and the head of Atomic 212 all in the space of a year. Despite the juggle of it all, not only is motherhood everything she dreamed, but her business has never been more successful.

“It’s absolutely been challenging,” Claire Fenner, CEO of media agency Atomic 212 said, “but also really exciting.”

‘An intriguing opportunity.’

Fenner was appointed head of Atomic 212, which accrued $100 million in new billings last year, in March 2023 when she returned from parental leave. She had her daughter, Audrey, through IVF treatment and is now raising her on her own.

Fenner began her time at Atomic in 2013. She had worked in the industry for more than five years and was actually leaving her previous employer to take a career break.

“I had in my mind that I’d take a few months off and try to decide what I wanted to do,” she said.

One of the partners of Atomic 212 approached Fenner, asking her to join the team. In the early days of the agency’s life, there were just 20 staff members.

“It was an intriguing opportunity,” she said.

“I didn’t believe in my potential as much as others did at the time, so I was attracted to an opportunity where someone was willing to support me and mentor me and help me grow, when I didn’t necessarily see that potential.”

But since the media agency was just starting out, having the chance to shape Atomic 212 as a business was appealing to Fenner. So after a couple of months, she decided to take the job.

“When I joined, the team were predominantly digital experts,” she said.

“They didn’t have much of the experience I did, which was more traditional media planning and buying.”

Bringing her experience to the company gave Atomic 212 a whole new edge, allowing the organisation to be where it stands today.

The media agency represents clients including Entain Australia, Aware Super, Beyond Blue, Origin Energy, Bupa and so many more. 

From the 20 staff members Fenner met a decade ago when she joined, Atomic 212 now has more than 160 staff.

“There’s so many of us that were there in those early days, and are still here, that have shaped and driven what the product is now, the success of Atomic,” she said.

“It’s been an amazing journey.”

Motherhood

In 2020, when she was managing director at Atomic 212, Fenner decided to have a baby.

“It was a very interesting experience, because I made the decision to have a child right before COVID hit – like two or three months before lockdown first happened in 2020 – before I even heard of the word COVID,” she said.

“And I think the experience would have been very different if COVID hadn’t happened at that point. I mean, it possibly would have been better in some ways and worse in other ways.”

Fenner began treatment for IVF mid-2020, when most of the world had transitioned to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

“In some ways, being at home in lockdown was a blessing because there wasn’t pressure to keep up my lifestyle and be out socialising constantly,” she said.

“I didn’t have any demands on my time, so I could actually just relax and rest and look after myself.

“I don’t know what it would be like going through IVF in a normal social environment.”

Fenner said her company’s paid parental leave (PPL) policies are “extremely generous” and made the early days of parenthood much easier for her, particularly as a single mum.

“I honestly don’t know what it would be like as a single person having a child and needing that time off, but not having any salary or minimal salary to fund that. I think that would be incredibly challenging,” she said. 

“(PPL) takes a lot of pressure and stress off where you can just focus on your child and learn everything there is about parenting, which is chaos in itself.”

Somewhere in between her IVF treatment, her pregnancy, giving birth, raising Audrey and preparing to return to work, Fenner even managed to co-author a book: How to do Effective Media: Media Planning as a Science.

That’s not to say Fenner’s career success and journey into motherhood wasn’t without sacrifice.

“The mentality that women can have it all is amazing, but I always feel like there’s an undertone that women should do it all… there is an expectation that you should be able to do everything,” she said.

Returning to work

Something that came to a surprise to Fenner was how easy it was to return to work. But Day 1 of work post-maternity leave was also Day 1 in her new role – the CEO of Atomic 212.

“I actually found it easier than I expected,” Fenner said.

“It wasn’t a feeling of coming back into the same role and dealing with the same challenges I previously dealt with prior to parental leave. It was something new to focus on.

“It’s actually nice to have work take my focus for nine hours a day, and not have to worry about my daughter for those nine hours and have her well cared for.”

Overseeing the business as the CEO of Atomic 212, rather than getting her “hands dirty” with the “doing of the business” in her previous roles, has been the hardest part for Fenner’s return to work. But it’s clear she loves a challenge.

“It’s absolutely been challenging, but also really exciting to latch on to as I came back to work,” she said.

Although she said she is “the worst” at routine, Fenner said having some sort of routine, as well as a solid support system, is what makes her juggle with single parenthood and being the CEO of a company all possible.

“If I didn’t have some semblance of a routine, it would be much harder,” she said.

“And I think making sure you’ve got that support in place is really critical… because there are going to be those times when you get a call from daycare and have to pick your child up in the middle of a day full of meetings.”

But the biggest piece of advice from Fenner to single parents? “Don’t lose yourself,” she said.

“It’s literally two jobs – parenting and work. So it’s very hard to find time for yourself in there, especially as a single parent.

“It’s something I’ve really come to realise over the last six months that I haven’t been doing well enough, so I need to find more opportunities to prioritise myself in the mix.”

The post A CEO and a single parent: How Claire Fenner achieved it all in the space of 12 months appeared first on Women's Agenda.

Currently, only 10.5 per cent of ASX 200 leaders are women.

Helen Lofthouse, ASX, CEO since August 2022

Lofthouse has been working as a financial markets executive for the past two decades, holding roles in companies including UBS and J.P. Morgan. When she stepped into her role as ASX managing director & CEO in August last year, she was the first women ever to helm the position.

Her wide-ranging expertise in the financial markets include clearing and settlement services,  OTC clearing, derivatives prime brokerage, credit markets and cash equities. In 2021, she was announced as one of the World Federation of Exchanges’ (WFE) Women Leaders.

Susan van der Merwe, The Lottery Corporation, CEO since June 2022

van der Merwe stepped into the role of CEO of The Lottery Corporation after the demerger from Tabcorp Holdings last year. Prior, she had leading Tabcorp Holdings’ Lotteries & Keno. Over the past three decades, she has been a key figure in Australia’s lottery industry, helping acquire multiple lottery licences and successfully integrating businesses. 

As the Chairperson of the Asia Pacific Lottery Association, she sits on the World Lottery Association Executive Committee. In 2016, she was inducted into the Public Gaming Research Institute’s (PGRI’s) Lottery Industry Hall of Fame. 

Jolie Hodson, Spark New Zealand, CEO since July 2019

Before heading New Zealand’s largest telecommunications and digital services company, Hodson had worked at Spark for a number of years,  leading different areas of the operating business including Customer Director, CFO and Board Director. 

As a passionate climate advocate, Hodson became the Convenor of the Climate Leaders Coalition in 2022, along with a group of New Zealand businesses that account for almost 60 per cent of the country’s gross emissions in an effort to make more businesses climate accountable. 

She is also a strong advocate for diversity and women’s leadership — she is the founder of On Being Bold — an organisation that empowers women towards purposeful leadership, and a member of Global Women. 

Last year, she was named Deloitte Top 200’s CEO of the year. After her win, she gave aspiring female CEOs some advice:  “Aim high, be courageous and curious enough to try new things and keep learning, build the teams around you that will help you drive the change you want to see, and never lose sight of ‘your crew’ — the people who will support and challenge you through the good times and the bad.”

Amanda Margaret Lacaze, Lynas Corporation, CEO since June 2014

Lacaze heads the world’s second largest producer of rare earths, Lynas, helping to supply our most advanced technological devices including electric vehicles, electronics and renewable energy.

She began her career in marketing, working for Nestle before moving onto the role of Managing Director of Marketing at Telstra.

Throughout her diverse career, she has worked a number of industries. She is currently  a Non-Executive Director of ING Bank Australia Ltd, a board member of the Minerals Council of Australia and a member of Chief Executive Women and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

For her role as CEO of Lynas, she has received several public nods, including being listed as one of the Top 10 Australian Financial Review Magazine’s ‘Power List’ in 2019, and named CEO of the Year in 2018 by MiningNews.Net Awards.

Tennealle O’Shannessy, IDP Education, CEO since August 2022

As a recognised leader in global education, O’Shannessy was picked to lead IDP Education after a world-wide search last year. 

As the former CEO of Adore Beauty, she has spent years building successful digital businesses with a customer-centric approach. Before her leadership role at Adore, O’Shannessy worked at SEEK within a range of  global leadership roles, including the role of Learning Head of Strategy — helping to expand the company’s multinational education services and digital platforms.  

Marnie Baker, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, CEO since July 2018

Prior to her role as CEO of Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, Baker held executive roles within the bank, including Chief Customer Officer, Executive Customer Voice and Corporate Resources. She has been part of Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, one of the largest retail banks in Australia, since 1989, extending her wide range of financial services expertise across multiple sectors within the industry. 

As the daughter of dairy farmers from Cohuna, a small farming town in Northern Victoria, she decided to study accounting at university before venturing into business studies, eventually graduating with a Bachelor of Business from La Trobe University in 1994. In 2003, she became the first female CEO and Managing Director of Sandhurst Trustee. 

Katie Page, Harvey Norman, CEO since 1999

High-profile CEO of Harvey Norman, Katie Page began working at a Harvey Norman store in Sydney when she was still in her 20s. In 1988, she became the second wife of the company’s co-founder, Gerry Harvey. In 1999, she became the CEO of the company, with her husband as executive chairman. 

Since then, she has been involved in backing several professional sports and sports teams — in 2004, she was the first woman to be elected to the board of the National Rugby League (NRL) and helped introduce the NRL’s Women in League a year later.
Her company sponsors the Women in League round and Indigenous All Stars matches.

She co-owns (with her husband) the Magic Millions bloodstock sale. They also sponsor the Gatcombe Three Day Event in the UK.  

Julie Coates, CSR Limited, CEO since September 2019

Coates has spent decades holding senior roles at other ASX 200 companies, including Woolworths Limited and food manufacture Goodman Fielder in Australia and New Zealand. 

She has also been the managing director of Big W, utilising her expertise in supply chain efficiency, optimisation and operation processes. Coates is an avid supporter of getting more women into leadership roles. She was a member of the Champions of Change National Group in 2017, along with other leaders within male-dominated spaces. 

Jane M. Hastings, Event Hospitality & Entertainment (EVT), CEO since June 2017

Before heading the entertainment provider business, EVT, Hastings was the CEO of The Radio Network between 2012-2014 and CEO of New Zealand Media and Entertainment until 2016. She began her career as a management trainee at Air New Zealand  before venturing into several roles across the tourism, hospitality and entertainment sectors. 

Throughout her career, she has consulted for major companies in Asia, including Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Shell, Pan Pacific Hotels & Resorts and Mars Inc. In 2007, she became the Group General Manager of SkyCity Entertainment Group. 

Maxine Jaquet, Healius, CEO since March 2023

When Maxine Jaquet was appointed CEO of pathology and diagnostic imaging company, Healius, last December, she became one of the youngest of the 14 female CEOs on the ASX 200. 

Now 45, Jaquet leads the company, formerly known as Primary Health Care — which has 97 medical laboratories and employs over 11,000 people across Australia. Jaquet has been with  Healius since 2015. In August 2019, she became the company’s Chief Financial Officer. In January 2021, her role expanded to include Chief Operating Officer. 

O’Neill has 27 years experience in the global oil and gas industry, working in the USA, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. She’s now the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Woodside, having first joined the company in May 2018 as Chief Operations Officer.

Along with leading Woodside’s producing facilities, and supporting production, logistics, drilling HSEQ and reservoir management activities, O’Neill is on the Boards of West Australian Symphony Orchestra, APPEA, AMMA, GLX Digital and the University of Western Australia Business School. She’s originally from Colorado and graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with degrees in Ocean and Chemical Engineering.

Brady became the CEO and Managing Director of Telstra in September 2022, having first started with the company in 2016. Most recently, she was the Chief Financial Officer and Strategy & Finance Group Executive with Telstra. Before that, she was Telstra’s Head of Consumer & Small Business function.

Prior to working at Telstra, Brady gained extensive leadership experience in telecommunications and services companies in Australia and internationally, including roles at Optus, SingTel and KPMG. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the Australian National University and a Master of Science in Management from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

Jablko became the CEO and Managing Director at Transurban Group in August 2023, having first joined the company as Chief Financial Officer in early 2021. She has had a broad portfolio of responsibilities while also playing a strategic role in major projects and transactions. 

Prior to her positions at Transurban, Jablko was Chief Financial Officer at ANZ for just under five years, following almost 20 years of experience in investment banking and commercial law. She holds a Bachelor of Laws with honours from Monash University.

Weckert became CEO and Managing Director of Coles Group in May 2023, having first joined the company in 2011– she held several senior roles across Coles Group in that time. Most recently, she was Chief Executive, Commercial and Express leading the supermarkets business units and the Coles Express business. Before this, Weckert was Chief Financial Officer and played a role in the demerger from Wesfarmers in 2018. 

Prior to joining Coles, she worked at McKinsey & Company and Fosters Group. Weckert holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) from Adelaide University and a Bachelor of Science from Adelaide University.

Cassidy became CEO of Xero in February 2023. She’s an experienced CEO, digital leader and board member with more than 25 years experience building and scaling global companies such as Google, Amazon, Yodlee Joyus and StubHub.

With deep international and fintech experience, Cassidy started her career in investment banking with Merrill Lynch in New York and London. She is a Canadian national, and is strongly associated with technology companies in Silicon Valley. Along with this, Cassidy is an advocate for advancing diversity and inclusion, having founded the BoardList– an online talent marketplace connecting CEOs with qualified diverse board candidates who are peer endorsed.

Carmel became CEO of Ramsay Australia in October 2020, having worked across hospital, corporate and global positions in Ramsay for more than two decades, including as Group Chief of Staff and Group Head of Marketing and Public Affairs. 

Before joining Ramsay, Monaghan was the Manager Public Relations and Media for the Queensland Branch of the Australian Medical Association. She holds a Bachelor of Business (Communications) and a Master of Business Administration

The post Women leading ASX 200 companies today appeared first on Women's Agenda.

His resignation comes just 5 months on from an embarrassing poll instigated by Musk, when he asked Twitter if he should vacate the position. 57.5 per cent of more than 17 million Twitter users said yes.

“I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job!” Musk tweeted at the time.

After months of what Musk deemed an overhaul of the social media company, but which others would call anarchy, Twitter employees and users alike were far from sympathetic or encouraging of Musk’s announcement.

“WHAT TOOK U SO LONG??? RUINED THIS APP,” one person posted. Another added: “ … have you considered transitioning to another company instead? Seems like there is most likely (definitely probably) a better fit out there. Better for us, at least.”

Musk’s controversial tenure included firing the majority of Twitter employees – with a large cohort of those remaining quitting on their own. He also reinstated the profiles of several divisive, far-right figures including Donald Trump and Kanye West who had been suspended from the platform.

Others mocked his announcement further, suggesting that the new CEO would be called ‘Elonia’, doctoring images of Musk to look like a woman.

Another user humorously asked ChatGPT to speculate who Musk might appoint as CEO.

Possible candidates included Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of YouTube, Sarah Friar, the CEO of Nextdoor and Aileen Lee, the founder and managing partner of Cowboy Ventures.

Musk had always suggested that his role as CEO would be temporary, conceding that it was “too much work” and that he had often been sleeping at the social media company’s San Francisco headquarters while rolling out his master plan.

Many have criticised Musk for letting the running of Twitter overrule his other high-profile jobs running Tesla and SpaceX.

Twitter has also been contending with a significant drop in advertising revenue – tipped to be less than $US3 billion this year, compared with $US4 billion in 2022.

The post ‘Elonia’ or…? Elon Musk resigns as Twitter chief announcing new undisclosed female CEO appeared first on Women's Agenda.

Hudson is the current Chief Financial Officer of Qantas Group, and is set to step into one of the most high-profile positions in corporate Australia in November. She will replace Alan Joyce, who has been in the role for almost 15 years. Hudson is described as already having a “deep understanding of the business”, having first joined Qantas in 1994.

Chairman Richard Goyder also said in statement today that “a lot of thought has gone into this succession” including with the board considering a number of “high quality candidates” both from within Qantas and outside of it.

Hudson said in the statement: “It’s an absolute honour to be asked to lead the national carrier”

“This is an exceptional company full of incredibly talented people and it’s very well positioned for the future. My focus will be delivering for those we rely on and who rely on us – our customers, our employees, our shareholders and the communities we serve.”

Hudson has spent almost three decades with Qantas, across roles in Australia and internally. She has worked in commercial, customer and finance. “She has a huge amount of airline experience and she’s an outstanding leader,” Goyder said.

“For the past five years Vanessa has had a direct hand in shaping our strategy as a member of the Group Management Committee, and her handling of the finance and treasury portfolio during the COVID crisis was outstanding. She also led the fleet selection process in 2022 for the renewal of our domestic jet aircraft over the next decade.

“A key strength of Qantas is the sheer depth of talent it has, and Vanessa will be supported by a deep bench of executives across the organisation as well as by the Board.”

Hudons became Chief Customer Officer of Qantas in 2018, and then in October 2019 was appointed CFO, meaning she held this critical role during the COVID-19 pandemic as border closures saw most Qantas flights grounded.

Hudson had shared her desire to become the next CEO of Qantas with Bloomberg, back in 2022. She said that if the board selected her she would e incredible proud and honoured to do so, but also noted there were a “number of candidates competing for that role.”

Just five per cent of airlines are led by women, according to the International Air Transport Association. However, with Hudson’s appointment Australia will be well-ahead on women leading airlines, with Jayce Hrdlicka the CEO of Virgin Australia Airlines.

The post Vanessa Hudson named next CEO of Qantas and first woman in the role appeared first on Women's Agenda.

Business partnerships between the CEO and EA could learn a thing or two from how dancers work together. To develop a strategic business partnership, both the EA and the CEO need to read the other, give them the creative freedom needed to excel and support their virtuoso performance as they achieve the business’s mission together. 

So, what are the specific skills and steps needed for the intricate dance of a strategic partnership for each partner to be able to lead, follow and balance the other towards success?

The first step we need to take is to understand that the Administrative Profession is not ‘just a job’ – it is a career. When we shift the focus and look at roles in the profession as careers, we change our perception of what these positions can achieve. 

Gone are the days of Executive Assistants being ‘coffee makers and copy takers’. The world has moved on. And today, as Jeremy Burrows was quoted in the Huffington Post article What Executive Assistants really want you to know about their jobs “an assistant is actually a chaos tamer, a culture creator, a pulse taker. Assistants are inefficiency disruptors, strategic partners, fearless negotiators, game changers, relationship builders, time benders, operations experts.”

Businesses need to stop undervaluing the role of an Executive Assistant and give them a seat at the table as a leader. However, that position needs to be earned; Executive Assistants can’t expect to enter into a partnership with the CEO and be given the keys to the castle.   

We’ve spoken to numerous CEOs and Executive Assistants about what they believe is required from the other to take a strategic partnership’s performance from ordinary to extraordinary.

Authenticity

‘Be authentic’ is easier said than done, but it is an essential quality in any relationship. If you are genuine, you are being true to yourself. You can be present and act with confidence and conviction. You become predictable and reliable because your ethics and morals never waver, and the people around you know what they will get. 

For the CEO, this means they can trust that their EA will execute tasks or decisions consistently. They can rest comfortably knowing that their EA is trustworthy and honest; they don’t just ‘talk the talk’. They ‘walk the walk’. They put their money where their mouth is, which the CEO can rely upon.

For the EA, it means knowing where they stand with their CEO. They have the opportunity to learn and grow from someone that will intrinsically seek to add value to others. An authentic CEO will be more likely to make conscious decisions and create meaningful action that has positive outcomes for their team. An Authentic person is also more likely to accept new ideas, which means the EA has the chance to present considered solutions that contribute to the success of the CEO and business deliverables.

Mastery

Mastery means that the individual has attained a deep, secure, extensive, and adaptable understanding or skill in a role, activity, or business. To achieve this level, the individual must put in time in the trenches, have received training and worked to develop their skillset. 

Partnering with an EA that is at, or willing to work towards, a Mastery level means that the CEO has someone who can be entrusted with the strategic tasks rather than the transactional tasks; the Global Skills Matrix helps us further understand these levels of support.

As an EA, you can leverage the comprehensive knowledge and expertise of a CEO at the Mastery level to develop your business acumen, which in turn supports your career development in the profession.

A Mastery level EA will be able to intuitively understand how to analyse critical factors that affect the business’s long-term success; the CEO has a strategic partner that is an extension of their brand and voice when they aren’t there. The EA has the opportunity to be a leader in their field.

And in today’s climate, with people changing roles more frequently than we change the bedsheets during ‘The Great Resignation’, a CEO that invests time in supporting their EA to attain a Mastery level may mean their strategic partnership will make it out of the ‘honeymoon phase and into a long-term collaboration.

Accountability

EAs and CEOs that demonstrate Accountability create a constructive atmosphere of responsibility. A partnership built on Accountability sets common expectations around the values and goals of the business or department and holds both parties responsible for realising them.

To balance this out, however, CEOs also need to give their EAs a little self-governance in their role so that they feel empowered to complete their deliverables and take ownership of their work. According to a Forbes article: “Senior leaders must create cultural experiences that support the necessary beliefs required for the team to take proactive action to get results.”

You need consistency and execution from the CEO and EA to weave Accountability into the culture of your business relationship. Being accountable for one’s actions will yield a high-performance partnership.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

A proclivity for emotional intelligence increases our leadership abilities; we can make sound decisions, manage stress, handle change and accomplish our goals more quickly.  If an EA and a CEO both have strong measures of EQ, they are more likely to be receptive to subtle changes in the other party. Each will take time to understand different perspectives and, in doing so, will help the other to feel seen and heard.

The role of an EA is service-based and being perceptive of the needs of the CEO is crucial for understanding how you can create a path of least resistance for them to achieve their deliverables effectively and efficiently. 

Understanding your partner’s non-verbal cues, whether you are the CEO or the EA, allows you to communicate successfully. You can address situations before they become problems and help ease more negative emotions around particular scenarios. 

For example, if the CEO is heading into a meeting where they may be reprimanded because that quarter’s numbers weren’t great. The EA might schedule some breathing room on either side of that meeting to allow them time to prepare and space to reflect or debrief.

With both the CEO and EA displaying strong Emotional Intelligence, the partnership becomes one that encourages active listening, patience and empathy and is intuitive in nature. 

Interestingly, it was the soft skills that took the spotlight when we spoke to CEOs and EAs about what they felt made a strong partnership and whilst the hard skills play an essential part in the whole; it would seem they are not the critical steps needed to give a virtuoso performance. 

And just like in a pas de deux between two dancers, “The best leaders are also the best followers,” as Simon Sinek would say. If the EA and CEO can cultivate Authenticity, Mastery, Accountability and Emotional Intelligence, they will create a strategic partnership that goes from ordinary to extraordinary.

The post How to be a strategic partner for your EA or CEO appeared first on Women's Agenda.

Business partnerships between the CEO and EA could learn a thing or two from how dancers work together. To develop a strategic business partnership, both the EA and the CEO need to read the other, give them the creative freedom needed to excel and support their virtuoso performance as they achieve the business’s mission together.

So, what are the specific skills and steps needed for the intricate dance of a strategic partnership for each partner to be able to lead, follow and balance the other towards success?

The first step we need to take is to understand that the Administrative Profession is not ‘just a job’ – it is a career. When we shift the focus and look at roles in the profession as careers, we change our perception of what these positions can achieve.

Gone are the days of Executive Assistants being ‘coffee makers and copy takers’…the world has moved on, and today, as Jeremy Burrows was quoted in the HuffPost article ‘What Executive Assistants really want you to know about their jobs’ “an assistant is actually a chaos tamer, a culture creator, a pulse taker. Assistants are inefficiency disruptors, strategic partners, fearless negotiators, game changers, relationship builders, time benders, operations experts.”

Businesses need to stop undervaluing the role of an Executive Assistant and give them a seat at the table as a leader. However, that position needs to be earned; Executive Assistants can’t expect to enter into a partnership with the CEO and be given the keys to the castle.

We’ve spoken to numerous CEOs and Executive Assistants about what they believe is required from the other to take a strategic partnership’s performance from ordinary to extraordinary.

Authenticity

‘Be authentic’ is easier said than done, but it is an essential quality in any relationship. If you are genuine, you are being true to yourself. You can be present and act with confidence and conviction. You become predictable and reliable because your ethics and morals never waver, and the people around you know what they will get.

For the CEO, this means they can trust that their EA will execute tasks or decisions consistently. They can rest comfortably knowing that their EA is trustworthy and honest; they don’t just ‘talk the talk’. They ‘walk the walk’. They put their money where their mouth is, which the CEO can rely upon.

For the EA, it means knowing where they stand with their CEO. They have the opportunity to learn and grow from someone that will intrinsically seek to add value to others. An authentic CEO will be more likely to make conscious decisions and create meaningful action that has positive outcomes for their team. An Authentic person is also more likely to accept new ideas, which means the EA has the chance to present considered solutions that contribute to the success of the CEO and business deliverables.

Mastery

Mastery means that the individual has attained a deep, secure, extensive, and adaptable understanding or skill in a role, activity, or business. To achieve this level, the individual must put in time in the trenches, have received training and worked to develop their skillset.

Partnering with an EA that is at, or willing to work towards, a Mastery level means that the CEO has someone who can be entrusted with the strategic tasks rather than the transactional tasks; the Global Skills Matrix helps us further understand these levels of support.

As an EA, you can leverage the comprehensive knowledge and expertise of a CEO at the Mastery level to develop your business acumen, which in turn supports your career development in the profession.

A Mastery level EA will be able to intuitively understand how to analyse critical factors that affect the business’s long-term success; the CEO has a strategic partner that is an extension of their brand and voice when they aren’t there. The EA has the opportunity to be a leader in their field.

And in today’s climate, with people changing roles more frequently than we change the bedsheets during ‘The Great Resignation’, a CEO that invests time in supporting their EA to attain a Mastery level may mean their strategic partnership will make it out of the ‘honeymoon phase and into a long-term collaboration.

Accountability

EAs and CEOs that demonstrate Accountability create a constructive atmosphere of responsibility. A partnership built on Accountability sets common expectations around the values and goals of the business or department and holds both parties responsible for realising them.

To balance this out, however, CEOs also need to give their EAs a little self-governance in their role so that they feel empowered to complete their deliverables and take ownership of their work. According to a Forbes article: “Senior leaders must create cultural experiences that support the necessary beliefs required for the team to take proactive action to get results.”

You need consistency and execution from the CEO and EA to weave Accountability into the culture of your business relationship. Being accountable for one’s actions will yield a high-performance partnership.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

A proclivity for emotional intelligence increases our leadership abilities; we can make sound decisions, manage stress, handle change and accomplish our goals more quickly. If an EA and a CEO both have strong measures of EQ, they are more likely to be receptive to subtle changes in the other party. Each will take time to understand different perspectives and, in doing so, will help the other to feel seen and heard.

The role of an EA is service-based and being perceptive of the needs of the CEO is crucial for understanding how you can create a path of least resistance for them to achieve their deliverables effectively and efficiently.

Understanding your partner’s non-verbal cues, whether you are the CEO or the EA, allows you to communicate successfully. You can address situations before they become problems and help ease more negative emotions around particular scenarios.

For example, if the CEO is heading into a meeting where they may be reprimanded because that quarter’s numbers weren’t great. The EA might schedule some breathing room on either side of that meeting to allow them time to prepare and space to reflect or debrief.

With both the CEO and EA displaying strong Emotional Intelligence, the partnership becomes one that encourages active listening, patience and empathy and is intuitive in nature.

Interestingly, it was the soft skills that took the spotlight when we spoke to CEOs and EAs about what they felt made a strong partnership and whilst the hard skills play an essential part in the whole; it would seem they are not the critical steps needed to give a virtuoso performance.

And just like in a pas de deux between two dancers, “The best leaders are also the best followers.” If the EA and CEO can cultivate Authenticity, Mastery, Accountability and Emotional Intelligence, they will create a strategic partnership that goes from ordinary to extraordinary.

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Ruby.  

For 5 years, Ruby has been nanny to our kids and a personal assistant to me. She brings order to chaos. She’s a champion multitasker. Ruby’s like a second mum to our kids. (Some days it feels like she’s a second mum to me.)  

The truth is, there is no way I could do what I do – as a CEO, mum or spouse – without her. 

Celebrities and social media influencers make it look like they’re doing it all by themselves. (Think Kim Kardashian lecturing women to ‘get your f*cking ass up and work’.) The reality is most have a small army of people behind them. Running interference. Organizing travel. Picking up their kids. Managing their schedules. 

They don’t do any of it alone. They couldn’t. 

Neither can I. 

It’s time we recognise the notion of women ‘doing it all on our own’ for what it is. A myth. An impossible fiction – damaging to women’s identities and demeaning to our value.

The myth of ‘doing it all’ says that I’m worth less if I need help juggling my career and family. If I struggle to keep up, the myth of ‘doing it all’ says I should choose one: career or home – and it should probably be home. 

The myth of ‘doing it all’ also erases the people who help us get it done. When I asked Ruby if it was ok to share this story, she mentioned that often people don’t take her work seriously. They see it as somehow secondary, of lesser importance. Nothing could be further from the truth. There’s no way for me to measure the impact Ruby has on our lives. I could not do what I do for a living. My agency, ntegrity, could not have the impact we have apart from her.

But of course, I’m immensely privileged to be able to hire someone like Ruby. This option is inaccessible to most women – which is why businesses like mine and governments like ours need to step up.  

If we want more women to be able to juggle parenthood and careers, then we need more workplaces with pro-parent policies. That’s why ntegrity offers paid parental leave for all parents, regardless of gender. My partner Kyle (who’s also the agency’s Creative Director) and I took advantage of this policy to support each other after the birth of our second child. Kyle kept the business thriving while I took my maternity leave. Then when I was ready to come back as CEO, Kyle made the most of our inclusive parental leave policy – and took over as ‘house manager’. 

But paid parental leave and flexible working is only a start. Under current law, I can’t give my staff a parental support allowance, to help them hire someone like Ruby, without it being taxed as a fringe benefit – at a whopping 47%. There is nothing fringe about the need for parental support.

I can’t do it all alone. Neither can you. The thing is, we shouldn’t have to. 

Removing the Fringe Benefit Tax on parental support wouldn’t cost our government a thing. I’m not asking for a handout or tax relief; I’m asking for the opportunity to provide a benefit to help working parents thrive without being excessively penalised.  

If other employers were to get on board, together we could boost Australia’s GDP by increasing women’s participation in the workforce – both as professionals working for companies like mine and as professional caregivers working in homes like mine.  It’s time we all do our part – individuals, businesses and governments – to give women the support they deserve, so they can balance their lives in the ways that work for them

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They’re everywhere. 

I say this in jest, but as a woman entrepreneur & CEO in supply chain, I’m the minority everywhere I go. 

Women at all levels of employment in the supply chain, transport and logistics sector are underrepresented and difficult to retain. 

And unlocking their potential in our industry could be the difference between a thriving post-COVID economy, or bare supermarket shelves.

In spite of supply chain companies investing in new technologies to shore up operations, their number one solution to the labour problem is higher wages. 

Throwing money at the problem when the technology for digitisation exists is mind-boggling. It’s a temporary solution to an endemic problem. 

But in the past, it worked. Higher wages led to positions being filled.

Now more cash is no longer enough.

With more employment options, workers are placing greater value on relational elements, such as a sense of belonging or having caring and trusting teammates at work.

It’s no surprise, then, that the logistics industry is struggling to fill roles. We’re not known for workplace “warm and fuzzies”. This is a problem that can no longer be laughed off or dismissed.

The lack of women working in the supply chain industry is an endemic problem from the bottom up.

Transport is still seen as a job associated with masculinity; it limits women through a lack of belief that women are physically capable of performing certain job requirements. 

This has a ripple effect, as workers progress their career, and ultimately reach leadership roles, by being promoted from the existing warehouse staff. 

When women are hired, they report feeling they are not treated equally by their leaders, and like so many industries, they are paid less than their male counterparts.

And even though women leaders outscore men in employee surveys, most logistics companies have yet to adopt basic diversity targets.

It’s time for supply chain leaders to start attracting and supporting a massive untapped labour resource: 

WOMEN.

So why should the industry be making an effort to hire (and retain) more women?

You are doubling your applicant pool – now and in the future. Hiring more women in the warehouse translates to more women acquiring specialised skills in manufacturing production, quality control, and supply chain management, particularly in planning, inventory, forecasting or sales. 

Your current team is burning out. 

The continuing impacts of the pandemic means most of our supply chain teams—from workers through executive leadership—are dealing with burnout. 

But this isn’t just from COVID. Front-line workers like truckies and delivery drivers do back-breaking work that takes its toll on their physical health. Ever seen how kegs get dropped off to a pub? It is labour that’s unsustainable for a long time. Why are we OK with men breaking their bodies for the sake of the role? Women can be part of this solution.

A more inclusive company culture benefits everyone – not just women.

A company culture encouraging diversity means all employees are more likely to be offered arrangements such as flexible work schedules – a necessity when juggling childcare and eldercare. Men are parents and caregivers too.

Your client servicing needs work. 

I’ll be frank here – courier companies have an atrocious reputation for customer service. 

(Chances are you’ve been shopping online during the pandemic. Ever tried to track down a missing parcel?)

Good luck getting a human on the phone – and when you do, service attitude tends to be poor. It’s also a maddening experience. Your customers will tell you how they feel over the phone once – the next time they’ll vote with their wallets. 

Diversity in hiring, with the right training, can mean a more empathetic and considerate workforce. 

***

The year ahead will be tough, but brings opportunities that will benefit the industry for years to come. 2022 is the year we can transform into a genuinely welcoming industry that allows women to rise to the top.

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Brooke Webb has been an executive director, executive producer and artistic director for large global entertainment and production companies for more than two decades, including Vivid LIVE, GRAPHIC festival, The Taste of Tasmania and Cirque du Soleil.

She was the appointed Acting CEO during this year’s Festival. After three years in the position, former CEO of Sydney Writers’ Festival Chrissy Sharp will be stepping down.

Mark Scott, the festival’s Chair, said in a statement the organisers have “loved every moment of Chrissy’s leadership with us.”

“We could not believe our good fortune in recruiting Chrissy back in 2018, and every day she confirmed that initial view with her clear and decisive leadership, not least in taking us through the massive COVID disruption of 2020,” he expressed. 

Despite cancellation and closed borders during this year’s festival, the organisation’s trust and foundation funding increased by 262 percent in 2020.

Sharp also oversaw huge growths in the Festival’s digital program of podcasts and events, with close to 600,000 downloads between May 2020 to May 2021.

“There are few leaders of Australian arts organisations who have earned greater respect and admiration than Chrissy Sharp,” Scott said. “We will miss her intellect and commitment to delivering the finest experiences for audiences.” 

“We are very fortunate to have Brooke and Michael working with us again to deliver the next Sydney Writers’ Festival,” Scott added, referring to Michael Williams, who continues his role as Artistic Director of the festival.

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“They are both exceptional, creative leaders and have a clear sense of what our audiences want from one of the world’s great writers’ festivals.”

“The Board is very excited about what they have in store for our committed and growing audiences in 2022.”

Photo: The Mercury 

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Our Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, recently claimed it was a triumph for the protesters that they weren’t “met with bullets” during the March 4 Justice rallies.

Morrison says ‘the house’ is just like any workplace. Politicians with broader career experience like Julie Bishop and Malcolm Turnbull say things happen in Parliament that would never be tolerated in other companies.

The implications for this toxic culture are profound, as research shows that it leads to a decline in employee engagement and discretionary effort. Negative cultures also lead to 50% higher voluntary turnover.

There are examples of extraordinarily successful chief executives who focus equally on building a culture of care and high performance. Late last year I asked people to nominate leaders they had worked for that fit this profile. This year I have interviewed the leaders who were nominated for The Caring CEO podcast. After listening to the interviews, people who work in the chief executives’ workplaces have shared on LinkedIn how much they admire them.

There were consistent lessons and themes that emerged from these leaders, including:

Encouraging self care

Amanda Yeates, deputy director general of the Department of Transport Queensland, believes her own wellbeing was paramount during the pandemic. She had regular gym workouts with her teenage daughters, which was physically good for them, and established a strong sense of comradery. She was so committed to employee wellbeing that she chose to chair the department’s wellbeing committee. This led to a regular timetable of wellbeing events that promoted physical health and connection. 

Lisa Claes, chief executive at CoreLogic international, and her team increased employee engagement in the last year, by regular events that increased employee connection.

Research shows that if a leader practices self-care, 91% of employees are motivated to do their best by the company, versus 38% where there is no leadership support.

Staying humble

Nobody embodies humility more than Mike Schneider, chief executive of Bunnings. Although he leads a team of 55,000, he lives by his own four Hs of leadership — honest, humble, helpful, and happy. Could this be why Bunnings is the number one most trusted brand in Australia? 

He openly shares his need for seeking help and cites having coaches for business and running, as well as a psychologist for stressful times. 

Pat Grier, the former chief executive of Ramsay Healthcare, practiced ‘leading from behind’. His focus was on seeing the 80% of good in people, encouraging them to reach their potential.

Each of these leaders are also strong advocates of the R U OK? movement, with Ramsay twice winning R U OK?’s best workplace awards.

Emma Hogan, Secretary of the NSW Department of Customer Service, volunteered that the R U OK? movement should evolve to three questions — ‘Am I OK?’, ‘Are we OK?’ and R U OK? — which truly recognises the benefit of a caring culture.

Care and empathy

“If you are living with domestic violence, the full resources of the company will support you.” This is just one example of how care and empathy radiated from Chris Sutherland, the former chief executive of Programmed. The simple one-page policy pledged access to money, legal support, security, and transport — with no cap.

Grier was also instrumental in creating the company’s values, The Ramsay Way — with the tag ‘People caring for people’. During his time with Ramsay, they grew from 12 hospitals to over 100, and massively outperformed the ASX in return to investors. 

Gallup research has shown that the more employees that strongly believe ‘My supervisor cares about me’ — the higher the profit, and the longer an employee stays with the company.

Generosity over toxicity

Hogan is very generous with praise of those around her. She continually shares what she has learnt from others. Although she has only been in the public sector for 3 years, she stresses the impressive depth of talent that she has found there to help solve complex problems. This was consistent with the other leaders interviewed, who spoke about ‘we’, not ‘I’.

The year ahead will continue to be uncertain and stressful at work. Successful leaders will demonstrate that their main priority is to build more caring and resilient teams, who enjoy growing together. The rest will be blaming others.

This article was first published by SmartCompany.

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