Leading Women (CommBank Women in Focus)

This episode, Shadé Zahrai interviews Julie Drago, CEO of Hero Properties, Non-Executive Director of Mendolia Seafoods and Director of Fairbridge Investments. Julie is a Member of the WA Divisional Council and Chair of WA Land and Infrastructure Committee of the Property Council of Australia. She is also a Committee Member of the City of Kalamunda.

Valuable Discussion Points

(01:25) What is the story of Julie’s leadership journey?

Julie’s parents immigrated from Italy in the 60s. Her father established a large fabrication business. From a very young age she was very fortunate to be able to have the opportunity to work in the facility. This is where she developed her passion for fabrication and workshops in that industry. She built the business up and tackled huge projects all around WA. In the early 2000s, the family decided to concentrate more on developing industrial property, close and lease out the fabrication business. Over the next 20 years, Julie built large workshops and leased them out to mining, oil, and gas multinational companies. In 2019, she was appointed the CEO.

(03:08) What were the barriers that Julie faced and practical ways she navigated her way through male-dominated industry and environments?

Growing up in a male-dominated industry, Julie did not really work with a lot of women, apart from the administration roles. The biggest thing she learnt was that she needed to step up and back herself. Going into these environments, she would often be the only woman in the room. She had to learn to believe in what she was doing and what she was saying, so she could make her own voice that people would listen to.

(04:09) Why does Julie feel that it is so important for women to embrace and amplify their natural skills?

Julie thinks that women are naturally more empathetic. When women look at problems, they look at the problem from both sides of the argument and sometimes people can get caught up on trying to win an argument but being more open and understanding about where the other person is coming from enables women to be really good negotiators and that's how Julie tackle things all the time.

(18:20) How does Julie use networking as a strategy for building relationships?

The biggest thing is do your research before you go to an event like apart from get involved, go to events and find out where you can have some input. Use LinkedIn, get to know them and figure out who they are and then actively go up to them and say, look, I'm really interested in what you've done here and here and have that conversation. Don't try to be so random about it.

Key Learnings

• Julie learned that she had to stop questioning herself. She struggled to put herself out there and really speak up. Women need to ask themselves, what can go wrong? Once women get over that hurdle, they will realise that they have got a voice, that they can use it and that it is very powerful.
• Some people can be so focused on the short-term gain, instead Julie shares that people need to think about a longer-term gain because relationships, trust, and rapport take years to build. When COVID first came and her tenants went to her for rent relief, she did not need the government to mandate it because they were already doing it.
• Anna added involvement to your respective industry body to the Leadership Toolbox. Start going to their events, participants and try to get onto some of their committees. Being part of that body enables you to lobby the government and figure out ways to try and make your business easier.

Quotable Quotes

“I've got a voice and I can use this and it's very powerful.” – Julie Drago

“You can't literally win every deal. You know, they're going to win one. You'll win one that's it and that's life. You know, and if you think like that, you'll have a lot better relationship with your competitors.”– Julie Drago

“There's no point complaining about something, get involved and be active about changing it.”– Julie Drago

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

If you’re interested in connecting with Julie Drago or viewing her professional portfolios and achievements, visit her LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-drago-21324b66

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Join Rebekah Campbell as she chats with Cecily McGuckin, CEO & Managing Director of Queensland Steel & Sheet. Cecily leads with integrity, gut instinct and a no-ego rule as the foundations for a successful culture and talks about building leadership confidence through tough experiences.

Key insights

(01:17) What is the story of Cecily’s leadership journey and what does she do differently?

Cecily brings three key areas to the table. She focuses on her gut instinct, her emotional intelligence and on asking a lot of questions. When she got involved in the business, one of the things she started off with very early was asking questions and getting perspectives from everyone. Cecily travelled the world, saw steel mills, and all of their customers. She also spent time with her staff so she could understand every aspect of the business that she was walking into.

(05:55) What was the reaction from staff when Cecily started rising through the ranks?

In a very male dominated industry, when Cecily came on board, the company didn’t have any female members of staff. She faced a number of challenges including the fact that there were no women in the business and the fact that she was the owner's daughter. So these were two areas which made it really challenging when she joined the organisation.

(18:44) How does Cecily navigate between letting people go and supporting her team and company culture?

Cecily makes sure she looks at all the facts to ensure she is making the right call for the business as a whole. When she looks at letting someone go, it’s about making sure the business is best placed to keep on succeeding. She communicates with the rest of the team and gives information as to why the decision was made.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Rebekah Campbell is a high-profile entrepreneur and public speaker who spoke at TEDx Sydney (2012). Rebekah is co-founder of payments app Hey You and author of the book ‘138 Dates’ published by Allen & Unwin in 2021. Rebekah was named a Woman of Influence in 2015 and APEC Young Woman Innovator. She was the host and curator of the City of Sydney's virtual event series 'Reboot', supporting 18,000 Sydney business owners to recover from the impact of COVID in 2020 / ‘21. If you’re interested in learning more about Rebekah visit her website: www.rebekahcampbell.com

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

This episode, Shadé Zahrai interviews Tanya Denning-Orman. Tanya is the Director of Indigenous Content for the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Australia. She was also the Commissioning Editor and Director of Content for the National Indigenous TV.

Valuable Discussion Points

(01:38) What is the story of Tanya’s leadership journey?

Tanya says she is an accidental leader. She was very passionate about becoming a journalist, storytelling and her craft. However, with that passion, she really wanted to tell stories, not just what was happening in the world around her or with Australians but particularly the stories that were happening to Indigenous Australians.

(04:36) What was it about this industry that really inspired Tanya to make her impact here?

Tanya grew up watching the news but had never seen the world through the perspective of her world, Indigenous people. Then one day she says "I saw a beautiful Black woman reading the news and it really changed me, I guess. And she knows who she is, Rubina Colbie. She was not only reading the news, it was the authority that she had. And so for me to see, this Black woman reading the news, there was a shift in my thinking. And if she could do it, I could possibly do it so that mixed with my passion of justice, so to speak, I always question the world". 

(19:32) What re the non-negotiables for Tanya when it comes to leading a team?

Empathy, really understanding what it's like to walk in somebody's shoes and caring and showing a degree of vulnerability and sensitivity. Women bring a beautiful understanding and insight into human behaviour.

Key Learnings

• Leadership is about bringing your whole self into the position. It is all about getting to know each other first before you start talking about negotiating this contract or that deal. And it doesn't matter where you're at in your career; leadership is something that you can consider as part of what you're doing in your daily life. It doesn't mean that if you're the manager, you have to be the leader. It's how you do and how you bring and how you connect with the entire team.
• There are 3 non-negotiable Cs for any manager, clarity, being clear with your team. Competence, making sure you are providing professional development and you're growing your people. And confidence, owning your place in the world.
• Mary added the idea of the bigger picture to the Leadership Toolbox. Knowing the bigger picture is not just about where you are at today with your careers. It's about the legacy of what you are leaving into the world and how you want to make it a better place and consider how every decision you make and the impact that can have on the generations to come.

Quotable Quotes

“What you see is what you get and you disarm people by ensuring you connect at the personal level.” – Tanya Denning-Orman

“And we're not just a one beige Australia. We're a very diverse, distinct Australia with more than 60,000 years of incredible stories for everybody – Tanya Denning-Orman

“When I think about leadership, I think very much it's a noun, but it's also very much a verb. It's an action. It's a doing.” – Tanya Denning-Orman

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

If you’re interested in connecting with Tanya Denning-Orman or viewing her professional portfolios and achievements, visit her LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanya-denning-orman-3318ba12

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Kylie Walsh, Founder and Director, REGROWTH believes slowing down and taking everything in your stride can get you to your destination faster. Get to know about her young start in business, how she deliberately invests in people and the power of letting others be your mirror.

Key Insights

(01:56) How Kylie bought her first office at 21 and found great mentors early on

(09:04) Clarity of purpose to lead you down the right path

(25:55) Kylie’s additions to your Leadership Toolbox

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit www.womeninfocus.com.au

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is an expert in unlocking inclusion and participation in finance and leadership for women. She is the founder and CEO of Elladex, Australia’s first digital mentor marketplace & daily learning platform - a global ‘rolodex’ with over 25,000 women, designed to elevate personal, professional and financial success.

She is the author of the 2023 Inclusion Report: The Perspex Ceiling and the Illusion of Inclusion - a landmark national research paper spanning over 2000 participants that assesses the challenges and opportunities of inclusion and diversity across Australian corporations. Shivani co-headed the official 2023 Australian G20 Startup group in India and Inclusion taskforce, contributing her experience and expertise in startups to better equip the global ecosystem for success.

Shivani has won the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women’s Leadership Award, was a finalist for the Women in Tech awards, and Sydney's Young Entrepreneur Awards for 2022. She holds an MBA and a Masters in Commerce, majoring in Financial Planning and her work has seen her covered in some of Australian media outlets, including the AFR, the SMH, The Today Show, Channel 7 and more.

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Join Rebekah Campbell as she chats with Kelly Taggart, CEO of Roses Only Group.  Kelly leads with creativity and intuition and uses data to back her decisions. With a burning desire to grow a business, Kelly boldly stepped beyond the finance role and into the CEO seat. Today, we talk about leading teams with a focus on results and outputs, the importance of a considered hiring process and onboarding experience, and how instilling an owner's mindset encourages the team to thrive. 

Key Insights 

(01:32) How does Kelly describe her leadership journey? 

Kelly recalled a conversation with her father who said “you never know who your next boss will be and you never know who will end up working for you”. This sparked the idea that she could lead anyone, not just someone younger or less experienced than her. Kelly began her journey at Roses Only Group as an accountant, and quickly moved to managing the finance and contact centre teams. She then became COO, before rising to CEO.  

(13:52) What are Kelly’s thoughts on onboarding and how the process can establish culture?  

For Kelly, the onboarding experience is just as important as the hiring process. A great deal of time is spent hiring the right person, a leader should onboard them into the company culture. This, for Kelly and the Roses Only Group, includes meeting the team and helping them to understand how different teams impact their roll. Kelly encourages a thorough onboarding process to help new employees feel comfortable to speak up with new ideas and fresh perspectives.  

(21:44) What has Kelly learnt from managing a team of 300 people?  

Communication is everything. For Kelly, it is so important to communicate in many ways to ensure everyone hears your message and that communication is to be done with positivity.  

Important Resources and Links  

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html   

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Rebekah Campbell is a high-profile entrepreneur and public speaker who spoke at TEDx Sydney (2012). Rebekah is co-founder of payments app Hey You and author of the book ‘138 Dates’ published by Allen & Unwin in 2021. Rebekah was named a Woman of Influence in 2015 and APEC Young Woman Innovator. She was the host and curator of the City of Sydney's virtual event series 'Reboot', supporting 18,000 Sydney business owners to recover from the impact of COVID in 2020 / ‘21. If you’re interested in learning more about Rebekah visit her website: www.rebekahcampbell.com 

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson. 

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided. 

Genevieve Bell AO, Director of the School of Cybernetics, Founding Director of 3A Institute and non-executive director on the three elements of leadership, daring to call out the bold truth and befriending our inner critic.

Key Insights

(01:46) How did Genevieve start her leadership journey?

It’s been a varied and meandering path for Genevieve, she’s found herself ironically back where she finished high school, in Canberra as the Director of the first new school at the Australian National University. Genevieve recalls her unexpected childhood where moved around a lot and found herself in a lot of conflict. However, one day her mother sat her down told her she needs to actively be a part of building a better future that’s different than the present. This has been her North Star ever since.

(17:59) What is the importance of knowing yourself for Genevieve?

For Genevieve, leadership is not only about knowing the theory and practice behind it, but it is also

about knowing who you are and what pushes your buttons. It’s learning how to manage those things about yourself a little more effectively in order to get to know how you respond or wouldn’t respond in face of a crisis.

(22:58) What tool can Genevieve share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Genevieve makes sure that she ‘catches up with herself’ regularly. At least once a year she gives herself a moment to reflect on what she’s achieved retrospectively and in their totality. This provides clarity and the ability to size them up so she can accumulate them and acknowledge she’s the person that did those great things and to feel proud about them. Practically, it’s also a good exercise to perform before updating your LinkedIn, resume or curriculum vitae.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of Elladex and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website:

https://elladex.com/

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Kate Russell, CEO, Supply Nation on how generous mentorship supported her growth, the value in paying opportunities forward and the need to create safe spaces for minority groups to thrive. Be inspired by Kate’s clarity of purpose and her unique take on how traditional cultural ways of working can guide the future of leadership.

Key Insights

(01:55) How Kate started her leadership journey

(12:28) Why we need true collaboration and partnership to change the world for indigenous people and women

(25:36) Kate’s additions to your Leadership Toolbox

Important Resources and Links

Kate’s book recommendations:

• Radical Candor by Kim Scott
• The Dreaming Path by Paul Callaghan

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit www.womeninfocus.com.au

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is an expert in unlocking inclusion and participation in finance and leadership for women. She is the Founder and CEO of Elladex, Australia’s first digital mentor marketplace and daily learning platform – a global ‘rolodex’ with over 25,000 women, designed to elevate personal, professional and financial success.

She is the author of the 2023 Inclusion Report: The Perspex Ceiling and the Illusion of Inclusion, a landmark national research paper spanning over 2,000 participants that assesses the challenges and opportunities of inclusion and diversity across Australian corporations. Shivani co-headed the official 2023 Australian G20 Startup group in India and Inclusion taskforce, contributing her experience and expertise in startups to better equip the global ecosystem for success.

Shivani has won the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women’s Leadership Award, was a finalist for the Women in Tech Awards, and Sydney's Young Entrepreneur Awards for 2022. She holds an MBA and a Masters in Commerce, majoring in Financial Planning, and her work has seen her covered in some of Australian media outlets, including the AFR, the SMH, The Today Show, Channel 7 and more.

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank. The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post-production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

This episode celebrates Indigenous women in business with host Liandra Gaykamangu, proud Yolngu woman and founder and creative director of Liandra Swim and guest Amanda Healy, CEO and Founder of Kirrikin. Amanda talks about leveraging entrepreneurship to connect and support Indigenous artists and communities by drawing deep connections to country through fashion, leading by example, and encouraging us all to be fierce.

Key Insights

(02:39) How did Amanda start her leadership journey?

Amanda started her career in the mining industry. In the late 80s, during her time at BHP, she secured her first leadership role. She ended her time at BHP working in Canada in the remote Northwest Territories as the manager of HR and Community. From there she worked at Argyle Diamonds for a few years, but found it hard to manage as a single mum, so she decided to start her own business, Max Engineering.

(10:55) How does Amanda invest in others and communities through her businesses?

Kirrin and Warrikal support the community in different ways. Kirrikin began as a way to fill a hole in the market, but soon became a way to support community members by engaging Indigenous artists to create designs. Kirrikin also provides artists with structure on their arrangements. Warrikal funds scholarships for kids to schools with boarding capabilities.

(27:14) What tool can Amanda share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Amanda shares the importance of leading by example. She would never ask someone to do something that she can’t or wouldn’t do. Amanda also advises, just do your best. Be you. Do the best that you can do and show others that it’s possible.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of this special episode of Leading Women podcast, Liandra Gaykamangu, is the Creative Director and Founder of Liandra Swim. She fuses her Aboriginal culture with her work, which allows people, from all walks of life, to authentically engage, celebrate and connect with Australian Indigenous culture through fashion. If you’re interested in learning more about Liandra, visit her profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liandra-gaykamangu

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised this podcast may contain conversations about deceased persons. Discretion is advised.

Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith, Astrophysicist & Australian Government Women in STEM Ambassador at UNSW on propelling the pathways for young women in STEM, how influential family and community are when it comes to engaging children in a more gender-balanced way.

Key Insights

(01:55) How did she start her leadership journey?

Lisa started her leadership journey through science and research. As Lisa stepped up the ranks in her field, she started to mentor students and work on large international projects such as building telescopes like the Square Kilometer Array (the world’s most powerful radio telescope) involving collaboration from around the world.

(10:53) How does Lisa use the role of storytelling in shifting societal biases and how is she embedding this in her Initiative, Future You?

Future You is a national awareness raising initiative to help young people understand the different pathways STEM skills can take them. Future You shares the stories of role models from different backgrounds to show young people STEM really is for everyone. By showing a diverse examples of career journeys it allow kids to use their imagination when picturing a future in STEM instead of a particular career path. For example, it explores how technology can bring a unique perspective in the work of First Nations women or, how STEM could also mean getting your hands dirty as a heavy vehicle mechanic.

(23:27) What tools can Lisa share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

To focus on the big picture and identify what's truly important to you and to your organization. By cutting out the dead wood and understanding the core of an issue, you can then effectively articulate a vision and course of action for your organisation.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of ELLADEX and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award. As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: https://elladex.com/ 

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Join Rebekah Campbell as she chats with Tanya Van Der Water, CEO of Buckaroo Leatherworks. Tanya openly shares the challenges, risks and rewards in taking over an iconic family business. She also talks about the advantages of failing fast, the power of a brand story and the responsibility of delivering quality Australian-made products. 

Key Insights 

(01:32) How does Tanya describe her leadership journey? 

There’s no Cinderella story to Tanya’s leadership journey. She started with a small business mentality and approach to decision-making, communication and staff engagement. When Tanya took on the leadership role, it gave her an opportunity to develop a growth path for herself and the company.  

(08:14) What are the risks that Tanya took that brought the company to the next level? 

Tanya took on a go hard or go home approach. She wanted to make her mark as a second-generation owner. One of the risks that Tanya took was cutting about 60% of Buckaroo’s product line in order to become specialists in leather tool belts.  

(22:52) What tool can Tanya share with the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox? 

Tanya shares an African proverb; to get lost is to learn the way. For Tanya, losing your path or making mistakes does not mean you’ve failed, it provides the opportunity to forge a new path, grow and develop. It’s in these experiences you find the courage to continue.  

Important Resources and Links  

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html   

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Rebekah Campbell is a high-profile entrepreneur and public speaker who spoke at TEDx Sydney (2012). Rebekah is co-founder of payments app Hey You and author of the book ‘138 Dates’ published by Allen & Unwin in 2021. Rebekah was named a Woman of Influence in 2015 and APEC Young Woman Innovator. She was the host and curator of the City of Sydney's virtual event series 'Reboot', supporting 18,000 Sydney business owners to recover from the impact of COVID in 2020 / ‘21. If you’re interested in learning more about Rebekah visit her website: www.rebekahcampbell.com 

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson. 

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided. 

Join Shivani Gopal as she chats with Tory Archbold, CEO & Founder of Powerful Steps about how her values, passion, integrity and delivery drives everything she does.  From launching the world's biggest retail names like Zara in Australia to coffee dates with Oprah and the White House, Tory shares the power of your networks, owning your own story and trusting your intuition.

Key Insights

(01:27) How did Tory start her leadership journey?

Tory’s actually started with rejection and it started over a coffee date. After returning from London in her early 20s she met a person whom she trusted for coffee and told them she wanted to start a

media communications agency and take it global. However, she was told that she’d be best suited to complete her interior design degree, get married, have three children, join a few clubs and just live her best life. Tory remembers walking out of that coffee date and something inside of her saying, she is going to do this. She is going to create this powerful business.

(20:21) How does Tory use storytelling in the everyday world, create stories, share them and use that power?

Tory uses storytelling to be honest with herself and with everyone else. It gave her the freedom to anchor herself in her truth and propel forward. Now she teaches others to own their story, to own their power. She suggests breaking down your story into segments e.g. Where you grew up, what kind of family life did you have? Did you have a loving family? Was it a broken family? What were you like at school? What did people say about you? What were you feeling? When you leave school, who did you want to become?

(23:23) What tool can Tory share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

The best advice Tory every received was from a Buddhist monk in Thailand who advised her, you just need to stop. He also advised to mediate after he asked Tory, what do you do for yourself? And Tory couldn't actually answer the question. She was not doing anything for herself. She was pleasing everyone. She was not investing in self-care. She was just investing in everyone else's best outcomes.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of The Remarkable Woman and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: https://www.theremarkablewoman.com.au/

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Sally-Ann Williams, CEO, Cicada Innovations shares how she seeks out the murky ambiguity in her roles and champions lifelong learnings to effect change for people, planet and prosperity. Sally-Ann also talks about her passion for changing Australia’s economic base and blending her purpose-based leadership style and self-awareness to step up and say yes when others believe in her.

Key Insights

(01:26) How did Sally-Ann start her leadership journey?

Sally-Ann’s leadership journey started in humble beginnings growing up in a small regional area of Australia. She was the first in the family to finish high school and university. Sally-Ann felt that leadership for her was almost accidental and circumstantial. She also said it came from others recognising skills in her and inviting her to be on boards for youth organisations, speak at events or participate in leadership roles. She attributes it partly to her naivety and saying ‘yes’ without understanding what she was signing up for, but wanting to serve.

(14:11) How does Sally-Ann learn and thrive in the murkiness of ambiguity?

Sally-Ann works on a problem by looking at it from every angle, rehashing it, pulling it apart and putting it back together again. She also says you need to be humble in your approach because no one has all the answers and no one can know every single piece of the puzzle.

(28:54) What tool can Sally-Ann share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Sally-Ann shares that you've got to know yourself. When you know what your strengths

and weaknesses are, knowledge is power. Sally-Ann says to surround yourself with opportunities to play to your strengths and surround yourself with people who can uplift your weaknesses and become stronger together.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of The Remarkable Woman and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: https://www.theremarkablewoman.com.au/

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Felicity McGahan, Group CEO, Strand on following her generational calling into retail, traversing the globe to lead many flagship brands to success and the importance of the three Cs of leadership.

Key Insights

(01:46) How did Felicity start her leadership journey?

Straight after school, Felicity started working in Australian retail at Esprit as a store Manager. Felicity then got the opportunity to work overseas and relocated to the US to start a 20-year career with Gap. Felicity continued to move jobs throughout the US and the UK but missed Australia often, so she returned home to run the Sussan business, followed by Cotton On and now Strand.

(08:39) What lessons can Felicity share around being vulnerable and role modeling through leadership?

Felicity believes honesty is important. Especially with the amount of information available to everyone, you’ve got to be honest and true to your teams. Commit to taking them on the journey with you and explaining the why behind your decisions.

(20:45) What tool can Felicity share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Felicity shares, it’s all about the vision you set for yourself. She has a quote in her office that says, dream big, work hard, stay focused and surround yourself with great people. Felicity says it’s also a good framework for those at the beginning of their leadership journey.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit commbank.com.au/women-in-focus

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of Elladex and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: https://www.elladex.com.au/

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Lucy Foster and Catherine van der Veen, General Manager Strategy and Growth, Challenger Limited on combining their formidable yet distinctive leadership styles to redefine the narrative of leadership and designing their roles to suit them.

Key Insights

(01:41) How did they start their leadership journey?

Lucy and Catherine have been in partnership for six years but before that have had long individual journeys for 16 years. Lucy studied medical science then entered financial services and wealth management. Catherine took her cues from her leaders when she was still a young emerging leader. They say that people often forget that before they were partners, they were individuals, who brought their individual experiences into the partnership, giving them their complementary style. They have learned from each other’s journeys.

(26:27) What tool can Catherine share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Catherine calls it the whisk for making the omelets. The gist is, you draw a wheel on a

piece of paper and have a dozen eggs beside the wheel and if you divide that wheel up into hours the day, each egg represents 2 hours of your day and you allocate those eggs to where you want to spend your time and energy on.

(28:14) What tool can Lucy share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Lucy shares that your have to be ruthless with your time. Look at your diary every single

week and if you’re not taking out at least three or four meetings, you’re not being ruthless enough. Throw things off the bus. We have a tendency to be busy for the sake of being busy but Lucy is quite happy to turn up to a meeting and within 2 minutes leave, if she doesn’t think she needs to be there.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of The Remarkable Woman and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: https://www.theremarkablewoman.com.au/

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Sheba Nandkeolyar: Fostering innovation through diverse leadership 

Sheba Nandkeolyar, Founder & CEO MultiConnexions Group, finds success by identifying opportunities amongst challenges. Sheba is a champion for women’s participation, with a propensity to bridge cultural connections and lift others up as she leads with inclusivity.

Key Insights

(02:17) How Sheba reignited her leadership journey after migrating to Australia

(15:20) Activating women’s participation leads to greater outcomes

(22:33) Sheba’s addition to your Leadership Toolbox – advice and tips that worked for her

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit www.womeninfocus.com.au

If you’d like to learn more about how MultiConnexions connects with Australia's diverse and multicultural audiences visit www.multiconnexions.com.au

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is an expert in unlocking inclusion and participation in finance and leadership for women. She is the Founder and CEO of Elladex, Australia’s first digital mentor marketplace and daily learning platform – a global ‘rolodex’ with over 25,000 women, designed to elevate personal, professional and financial success.

She is the author of the 2023 Inclusion Report: The Perspex Ceiling and the Illusion of Inclusion, a landmark national research paper spanning over 2,000 participants that assesses the challenges and opportunities of inclusion and diversity across Australian corporations. Shivani co-headed the official 2023 Australian G20 Startup group in India and Inclusion taskforce, contributing her experience and expertise in startups to better equip the global ecosystem for success.

Shivani has won the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women’s Leadership Award, was a finalist for the Women in Tech Awards, and Sydney's Young Entrepreneur Awards for 2022. She holds an MBA and a Masters in Commerce, majoring in Financial Planning, and her work has seen her covered in some of Australian media outlets, including the AFR, the SMH, The Today Show, Channel 7 and more.

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank. The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post-production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Jane Adams, Executive General Manager, Human Resources for Technology Operations, CommBank on the impact of working at two speeds, how ambition drives growth and the importance of giving girls in STEM relatable experiences. Jane also talks about focusing on the compass, not just the clock, the value of career sponsorship and how your skills sit in a box called your mindset.

Key Insights

(01:46) How did Jane start her leadership journey?

Jane started as a consultant, so she was well into her career before she started her leadership journey. In the early days, most of her leadership experience came from leading projects, leading outcomes for work and stakeholder management.

(18:14) Why is it so important for girls and women to talk about ambition more often?

Jane says that the framing of your ambition is important and isn’t selfish. Ambition is about growth and finding where you can have an impact in your business and in growing yourself. It is about collectively doing good for the organisation, the community and the company.

(24:27) What tool can Jane share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

For Jane, it’s mindset. She recalls a quote she’s carried with her for years – your skills sit in a box called your mindset and if you do not open your mindset, you’ll never be able apply your skills.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of The Remarkable Woman and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: https://www.theremarkablewoman.com.au/

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Join Rebekah Campbell as she chats with Clare Morgan, Executive General Manager Small Business Banking, Commonwealth Bank.  Clare shares how redefining success supports self-leadership, lessons in leading from the eye of a GFC storm and the one simple factor that can derail your leadership.  

Key Insights 

(01:20) How did Clare start her leadership journey? 

Clare got to where is today with a combination of hard work, opportunity and good timing along the way. After working in investment banking for a few years, she realised what drove people was teamwork. Clare decided to study a postgraduate degree in the US looking at psychology and how to optimise team performance which she brought back into the financial services industry.  

(14:28) What did Clare learn through her experience working in New York during the GFC? 

Clare developed a sense of perspective, of needing to stay grounded and a newfound appreciation for her support network. She realised her identity wasn’t defined by her job or her title and convinced herself she was stronger for it. Clare almost felt embarrassed that she had been part of the crisis, but when she returned to Australia, she was fascinated to find people were interested to hear what her experience was like and the learnings they could take from it. 

(21:16) What is Clare’s definition of success? 

Success for Clare is being healthy, connecting with people, giving energy to those around her and learning. Clare has a curious mind and a love for learning. For her, if she can enjoy all of these things, Clare feels like she is having a good life.  

(22:00) What tool can Clare share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox? 

Clare shares the framework around growth mindset, and a quote, ‘there is no growth in the comfort zone and there is no comfort in the growth zone.’ She shares the importance of looking at every opportunity through the lens of how can she grow? What can she learn?  

Important Resources and Links  

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html   

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Rebekah Campbell is a high-profile entrepreneur and public speaker who spoke at TEDx Sydney (2012). Rebekah is co-founder of payments app Hey You and author of the book ‘138 Dates’ published by Allen & Unwin in 2021. Rebekah was named a Woman of Influence in 2015 and APEC Young Woman Innovator. She was the host and curator of the City of Sydney's virtual event series 'Reboot', supporting 18,000 Sydney business owners to recover from the impact of COVID in 2020 / ‘21. If you’re interested in learning more about Rebekah visit her website: www.rebekahcampbell.com 

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson. 

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided. 

Michele Adair, CEO, Housing Trust, Chair, Homes Tasmania and non-executive director on forging her purpose-led career through the grace of accidental life lessons, dedicating her work and life to advocating for housing as a human right.

Key Insights

(01:45) How did Michele start her leadership journey?

Michele’s leadership journey has been non-linear compared to most. She entered the workforce after completing an AFS exchange student program and then left to have two kids. Michele wanted to re-enter the workforce but knew she probably needed a degree to do so. After unexpectedly splitting with her husband, the company she worked for went into receivership leaving her without a job and homeless. Trying to make ends meet, Michele took on part-time teaching roles, and was eventually introduced to consulting opportunities through a friend. After 20 years, she got to a point where she was able to take on full-time executive roles until she got to where she is now, CEO and Chair.

(11:19) How did Michele hone her justice-fueled influence?

For Michele, it’s always about the audience and the message. It is not enough to talk to the statistics, but we must talk about the human cost and the human right to have access to housing.

(25:33) What tool can Michele share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Michele shares the book, Leadership on the Line, with the subtitle Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Change. The book is full of tools, tips and techniques to help us when we’re leading organisations, driving change, trying to create influence and understanding what pushback looks like.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of Elladex and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: https://www.elladex.com.au/

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

This episode, Shadé Zahrai interviews Caitlin Figueiredo, Founder and CEO of Jasiri Australia. She is also an Australian Youth Development Index Expert Panelist of the Ministry of Youth and Sport, Board Member and Vice Chair of Australian Youth Affairs Coalition and Ambassador of Alannah and Madeline Foundation.

She was named Young Leader of the 100 Women of Influence in Australia, an Obama White House Changemaker and a Queens Young Leader.

Some of her other past roles include, Head of Technology and Data for the Australian Red Cross, Task Force Member for the UN Women, Representative to the UN Annual Youth Assembly, Australian Director for The Global Resolutions Project, Founder and State Director of World Vision ACT.

Valuable Discussion Points

(01:26) What is the story of Caitlin’s leadership journey and what is her experience of leadership at such a young age?

For Caitlin, leadership is not defined by age. She started pretty young, and that was mainly because of her grandparents and parents who taught her from a young age that leadership and supporting your community has to start from the time that one is young. So it's always been very natural for her to be a leader. When her family came to Australia from Kenya, a couple of years after the White Australia Policy ended, they found it really difficult in the beginning to fit in. They faced cultural prejudice and racial discrimination. When Caitlin was little, they learnt that the whole part of themselves was to give back to their community, to serve their community and to leave where they live better than they found it.

(04:10) What is Caitlin’s main program, Girls Takeover Parliament?

Jasiri Australia, the organisation founded by Caitlin, runs the Girls Takeover Parliament programme.

Essentially, it's an experiential education initiative to create pathways to politics for young women both across Australia and around the world. The whole purpose of Girls Takeover Parliament is to open the closed doors to young women everywhere so that they can be shapers of democracy, so that they can see that even though they're not represented, they can be and that's why Caitlin and Jasiri Australia partner young women with politicians. They’ve recently had one of their first alumni actually run for office. The program has young women who work in the most senior ministerial offices in the country. They also have alumni go on to create similar programmes in India. The programme aims to create the next generation of politicians and what Caitlin likes to say, creating the next generation of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

(09:14) Has Caitlin ever experienced imposter syndrome?

One example where she experienced imposter syndrome was when she had just won the Young

Leader category of the 100 Women of Influence in Australia. She had just turned twenty-one. She thought to herself that she had barely done anything in her life to win and deserve the award. She remembered just absolutely shaking, not having any courage, but she knew that she had to use that moment to overcome imposter syndrome.

(22:43) What does Caitlin’s mantra, everywhere is an opportunity, mean?

There are infinite possibilities in life and that it's up to us to not only find them, but to use it. So what I'd like to tell young women everywhere is that if they have an idea and people tell them no, just keep working until you get a yes. If you don't get that, yes, straight away, find a back door and persist because there is always a way to overcome a problem and make your idea become a reality.

Key Learnings

• For women who hold back from speaking up in meetings, from applying for roles to moving into politics, Caitlin’s advice is simple, to just do it, to just start. Don't wait until you think you have the finances or if you are at a certain age in life, if you see that you have the passion behind you and that you want to make a difference, then just do it.
• From the time we’re little, we live in a life of uncertainty. For example, when we are babies and we want to take our first steps, we fall over, and we keep stumbling until we walk until that just becomes natural. So I would say that to any woman who feels like they receive pressure, pushback or discrimination, it will be there but I know that you are not alone and that everything good always starts off with being a challenge but that challenge eventually becomes natural and persistence will turn it into your everyday reality.
• Caitlin added two tools to the Leadership Toolbox, one personal and one practical. The personal is going back to the Duchess of Sussex to breathe, to live in the moment when you are on this leadership journey the practical tip is about elevating and expanding impact, if you were in a position to do so, support other women around you, go back to service, go back to community.

Quotable Quotes

“Leadership is not defined by age.” – Caitlin Figueiredo

“I stumbled and fell. But I fell upwards.”– Caitlin Figueiredo

“It's often the individual who is cast aside. But when an individual joins the collective that is when you create waves of change and that is something I want to show and to champion women everywhere to go, actually, you have this power. Own it. Use it and that's how you can change the world.”– Caitlin Figueiredo

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

If you’re interested in connecting with Caitlin Figueiredo or viewing her professional portfolios and achievements, visit her LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlinfigueiredo and her website https://www.caitlinfigueiredo.com/

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Kristal Kinsela, Owner, Kristal Kinsela Consulting on being driven by her purpose to elevate the voices of Indigenous businesses and amplifying the incredible success of black women in business.

Key Insights

(01:57) How Kristal started her leadership journey

(18:25) The importance of celebrating your success

(21:20) Kristal’s addition for your Leadership Toolbox

Important Resources and Links

To learn more about the cultural practice of deep listening called “dadirri”, visit www.miriamrosefoundation.org.au/dadirri

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit www.womeninfocus.com.au

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of Elladex and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: www.elladex.com.au

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Explore the 'now' and look at what's ahead for the future of female leadership as we hear from women at the forefront of change and innovation. Season 5 of Leading Women features dynamic, inspiring and resilient women from different industries and sectors, who are paving the way for our collective future.

Join Shivani Gopal, a trailblazer in women’s empowerment and financial inclusion, as she goes beyond 'business as usual' to bring you real stories of women – both challenges and successes – from across the Australian business and community landscape.

In this new season, we amplify the voices of those who are future-focused, explore successful business strategies and look at the state of technological advancements. Gain actionable tips for making effective decisions and experience-backed insights to add to your toolkit.

If you're an established executive, aspiring leader, or passionate about supporting transformative leadership, this podcast is your go-to resource. Don't just adapt to the future of leadership—shape it. Welcome to Season 5 of Leading Women.

Join Rebekah Campbell as she chats with Kathy Richardson, Executive Director of Our Community on her have-a-go attitude, curiosity and a team shared manifesto guiding her leadership and her insights into the staggering $100 billion world of not-for-profit grants.

Key Insights

(01:41) How did Kathy start her leadership journey?

Kathy grew up on a dairy farm where leadership wasn’t really talked about in her household as her family did not move in leadership spheres. She was always very interested in news and current affairs which led her to starting a career in journalism. Kathy took an opportunity to relocate to Thailand and work for the Thai government for a couple of years after which she returned to Australia to join Our Community.

(10:14) How did having curiosity as a superpower helped transition Kathy into leadership?

Kathy joined Our Community with an interest in the blend of social and profit missions of the organisation. She became particularly interested in the area of grants, which initially seemed very niche and something that she was not going to stay in for too long. But she found it to be a rewarding career where her deep curiosity helped her to thrive and progress into leadership positions.

(23:40) What tool can Kathy share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Kathy shares a US produced podcast, Invisibilia. Invisibilia is from the Latin word that means ‘invisible things’ and the podcast aims to bring to light the invisible forces that shape our experiences as humans moving through the world. For Kathy, this concept makes invisible forces visible and allows us to consider them in the decisions we make in everyday life. The link to the podcast is: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510307/invisibilia

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Rebekah Campbell is a high-profile entrepreneur and public speaker who spoke at TEDx Sydney (2012). Rebekah is co-founder of payments app Hey You and author of the book ‘138 Dates’ published by Allen & Unwin in 2021. Rebekah was named a Woman of Influence in 2015 and APEC Young Woman Innovator. She was the host and curator of the City of Sydney's virtual event series 'Reboot', supporting 18,000 Sydney business owners to recover from the impact of COVID in 2020 / ‘21. If you’re interested in learning more about Rebekah visit her website: www.rebekahcampbell.com

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Angela Priestley,  Publisher & Co-founder, Women’s Agenda & Agenda Media, and Tarla Lambert, Editor in Chief & Co-owner, Women’s Agenda & Co-founder, Agenda Media on early career uncertainty to tapping into their purpose and finding their flow, how ambition and drive got their foot in the door while collective empowered realism and entrepreneurial spirit propelled their growth and impact.

Key Insights

(02:07) How did they start her leadership journey?

Angela had always been interested in current affairs and news; she realised she wanted to be a journalist while in school. Angela started Women’s Agenda as the founding editor and after a couple of years was offered a management buyout of the publication which she accepted. Tarla, like Angela, didn’t necessarily seek out to be an entrepreneur but also had an interest in the news and politics. Tarla worked alongside Angela and formed a good working relationship and eventually partnered together to continue Women’s Agenda.

(08:33) What are some of Tarla and Angela’s leadership lessons?

Tarla learnt career plans do not have to be linear and that it’s OK to experience many twists and turns. Tarla’s greatest leadership lesson is to be naïve to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the big tasks. She also advises to make sure people know you are there by being obnoxious as it has led her to have some amazing opportunities in her career journeys such as meetings with the country’s biggest CEOs. Angela advises to find your purpose. Purpose will drive you throughout your career and will be your motivation.

(29:17) What tools can Angela and Tarla share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Angela shares to the audience, read the news and know what is going on, attach yourself to a mission and use that mission to help determine your values, who you will work and won’t work with, the line you will and won’t cross and for what purpose. Tarla reiterates, finding your purpose is the most important, really think about what you want to do, where your values lie and that will help guide you.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of The Remarkable Woman and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: https://www.theremarkablewoman.com.au/

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

This episode, Shadé Zahrai interviews Mary Hamilton. Mary is the CEO of Hugh Hamilton Wines, Australia’s oldest wine family. She is also a Board Member of the McLaren Vale Grape Wine and Tourism Association and Board Member of the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation. She was also the Worldwide Business Director of McCann Erickson.

Valuable Discussion Points

(01:26) What is the story of Mary’s leadership journey?

Mary’s journey started as a little girl. She was always dressing up and pulling out pages of gorgeous Vogue magazines and holding all the ads together in special folders. This led her where she went because she went to school and she did work experience with a very specific goal in mind. She has been on quite a journey. Some of those things weren't intended and some were and everything had its purpose along the way.

(12:15) What was Mary’s main drive when she was early on in her career?

She was just really grateful to be able to learn so much from good people and to see wonderful, important brands and important campaigns just coming to fruition. She shares a story that one day, the chief executive put out a call and said, is there anybody in this business that knows anything about wine? Mary comes from a wine family, she has been around wine her whole life. The CEO was establishing a pitch team and asked her to join the team, she said yes, sure but she has got one condition. If they win the pitch, she wants to run the account.

(22:17) What important career advice did Mary receive, which was pivotal for her?

The vice chancellor of the university gave Mary career advice. She was finishing and going to be out

in the big wide world. Mary asked him for some advice on how to tackle leaving uni and going out and starting her career. And the vice chancellor asked her a really fundamental question, do you want to be organisational or do you want to be entrepreneurial?

Key Learnings

• It’s a female thing that we often feel as though we've got to be really well rehearsed to go for stuff. It's maybe a little bit of a female curse. And it's because we've got great emotional intelligence often that we feel as though we really should be the real deal. But Mary thinks that can also be a handicap, because sometimes you get passed over because you just didn't jump into the void.
• Mary added a fifth P to the 4Ps of marketing to the Leadership Toolbox. Aside from the 4Ps of marketing, promotion, product, price and place, Mary added people as being a fifth and important part of marketing. People is about knowing who you are, who you appeal to, what your purpose is and what you offer.

Quotable Quotes

“Some of those things weren't intended and some were. And everything's kind of, I think, had its purpose along the way.” – Mary Hamilton

“And it just made me think you don't always have to be ready to ship to be able to ship. You know, you can sometimes say, I think I've got it and I'll just go for it.” – Mary Hamilton

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

If you’re interested in connecting with Mary Hamilton or viewing her professional portfolios and achievements, visit her LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-hamilton-b8b084b

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

This episode, Shadé Zahrai interviews Anna Marsden, Managing Director of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Anna was previously the CEO of the Queensland Ballet, Director of the Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art and General Manager of the Institute of Modern Art.

Valuable Discussion Points

(01:39) What is Anna’s leadership journey?

Anna started her leadership journey in the industry of her passion - the arts. As a teenager, Anna’s dream was to be on stage, however she decided that her personality and interests were also suited towards arts management so she began pursuing this as a career. For the first 14 years of her career, Anna worked in art galleries that took her around the world and unlocked a passion for connecting great brands, great work and great people with fundraising and investment. After a stint in corporate communications and consultancy, Anna became the CEO of the Queensland Ballet where she remained for seven years. Today, Anna is the Managing Director of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

(03:39) How does Anna see women activating leadership in male dominated industries and environments?

Whilst Anna has worked with a lot of powerful women throughout her career, she still sits at many top leadership tables as the only woman which is something she believes has to change. Anna recalls one moment, around 15 years ago, when she was attending a women's lunch with some amazing guest speakers who broke various glass ceilings in Australia. One of the speakers commented that once you have children, you start climbing the ladder and progressing up. This spurred Anna on later in her career after having children herself to work harder and continuing progressing her career as a working mother as she strongly believes there is no more productive, empathetic, powerful or purposeful creature on this planet than a working mother. Anna comments on the importance of women being able to quieten the voice in the back of our heads that evokes a feeling of guilt or uncertainty as a working mother, particularly when holding a leadership position.

(09:04) What are Anna’s insights into people generally being more aware and focused on their purpose?

In 2020, we faced bushfires, the COVID-19 pandemic and various other challenges. Not only did the the world stopped but it was completely disrupted. People had to confront the fragility of life. Anna believes what it did do is to make people realise they only have one life and one community so it’s important to understand how we can be purposeful and make it count. Anna states that we are currently in a transition where people are trying to find a more purposeful life in a more purposeful vocation.

(25:27) What is on the horizon for the Great Barrier Reef?

Anna strongly believes that when we talk about collective impact, one of the big aha's and oversights for all of us is to truly understand the role and the necessity of this bio culture stewardship of the Great Barrier Reef and its protection and that can only be done with deep, authentic relationships with the First Nations people. Through some incredible investment from the Australian Government, and working closely with the traditional ownership communities, Anna is excited and proud of the work being carried out to manage, protect and love these beautiful ecosystems forever.

Key Learnings

• Some women have a tendency to listen to the voice in their head that tells them to feel guilty about being in leadership roles. Anna suggests that women disregard this voice because it can hold them back at critical times and make them think they are not good enough.
• Anna added Dual Psychology to the Leadership Toolbox. She uses this to stay authentic to herself, and be positive and optimistic. This thinking has been picked up and applied to COVID to look at how business leaders and community leaders can handle the brutality of life and still remain resilient, optimistic and powerful.

Quotable Quotes

“There is no more productive, empathetic, powerful, purposeful creature on this planet than a working mother and I don't have the psychology or the data but I will fight anybody on that fact.” – Anna Marsden

“The world didn't stop. The challenges didn't stop but people did have a disruption. They had to confront the fragility of life.”– Anna Marsden

“We will prevail because we will get the right combination of great brands from around the world to work this and we will leave nothing in the tank and so that's my drive is that team Australia will prevail.”– Anna Marsden

“We're all learning together but I have to say, out of everything that I've done in my life and a few of the executives share this with me, this is the work that we think we'll be most proud of is how we work together with First Nations communities to protect a special part of Australia.” – Anna Marsden

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

If you’re interested in connecting with Anna Marsden or viewing her professional portfolios and achievements, visit her LinkedIn via https://au.linkedin.com/in/anna-marsden-b10b892b 

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Join Rebekah Campbell as she chats with Judith Barker, CEO of St John Ambulance Australia (NT) Inc. on the crucial role that empathy plays, the power of saying yes and how leadership can come from anyone at any time in the workplace.

Key Insights 

(01:30) How did Judith start her leadership journey? 

Judith started almost 25 years ago in WA working for the ambulance service as a paramedic. As she became more confident in her role, Judith realised that she needed challenge and change to keep herself stimulated and interested. Judith started saying yes to any opportunities that came her way, and began to recognise her strengths and where she needed improvement. So she continually searched for opportunities that would complement her education and grow her skill set.  

(12:08) Was there ever a time where Judith felt that maybe she shouldn’t be in her position? 

Imposter syndrome is something Judith has felt throughout her career. When being the only woman in the room, it’s especially easy to feel like you don’t belong. To overcome this feeling, Judith regularly checked in with herself to reassure herself that actually, she did belong in that room and knew she had something worthwhile to contribute.  

(25:47) What tool can Judith share with the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox? 

Judith shares that you can’t do this alone and you have to know your people, know your tribe and know who you can turn to because it can be a lonely job at the top.  

Important Resources and Links  

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html   

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Rebekah Campbell is a high-profile entrepreneur and public speaker who spoke at TEDx Sydney (2012). Rebekah is co-founder of payments app Hey You and author of the book ‘138 Dates’ published by Allen & Unwin in 2021. Rebekah was named a Woman of Influence in 2015 and APEC Young Woman Innovator. She was the host and curator of the City of Sydney's virtual event series 'Reboot', supporting 18,000 Sydney business owners to recover from the impact of COVID in 2020 / ‘21. If you’re interested in learning more about Rebekah visit her website: www.rebekahcampbell.com 

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson. 

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided. 

Join Rebekah Campbell as she chats with Samantha Read, CEO of Chemistry Australia about manufacturing, diversity and mentorship. Samantha shares the power of backing yourself, leading with strategic thinking and creating formidable partnerships to ensure a more sustainable future.

Key Insights

(01:22) How did Samantha start her leadership journey?

Samantha’s journey didn’t start with one Big Bang moment; her leadership journey has been developing through her career. Samantha started as a research engineer with BHP and was fortunate enough to be nominated for the Committee for Melbourne for their Future Focus Group, which was a two-year leadership experience with other merging leaders. However, her first people leadership role was as a superintendent in a steel mill. It was a challenging environment at the time as a woman. She had four crews of eight operators, shift supervisors and maintenance.

(12:11) Partnerships can be hard but how does Samantha approach partnerships?

Samantha thinks it’s important to understand whether there's a cultural and values fit. Reflecting on partnerships she has formed, they have emerged due to common needs and objectives and the opportunity to make or have a greater impact by working together. For Samantha, the key to a successful partnership is built on a good relationship of getting to know each other. Samantha says you have to understand the challenges and opportunities you face and how you can work through them together.

(23:08) What tool can Samantha share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Samantha shares strategic thinking, strategy development and implementation skills are critical for all leaders. They require looking into the future and thinking about the conditions that impact your business at both a domestic and global level, and looking at how that might create both risk and opportunity to ensure that you can be sustainable for the future.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Rebekah Campbell is a high-profile entrepreneur and public speaker who spoke at TEDx Sydney (2012). Rebekah is co-founder of payments app Hey You and author of the book ‘138 Dates’ published by Allen & Unwin in 2021. Rebekah was named a Woman of Influence in 2015 and APEC Young Woman Innovator. She was the host and curator of the City of Sydney's virtual event series 'Reboot', supporting 18,000 Sydney business owners to recover from the impact of COVID in 2020 / ‘21. If you’re interested in learning more about Rebekah visit her website: www.rebekahcampbell.com

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Together we can shift business leadership from aspirational to actionable. We know diversity in leadership doesn’t just make sense, it strengthens overall business performance and drives economic growth. When we activate leadership for women, we redefine our business landscape. 

Join Shadé Zahrai, Award-Winning Business Woman and Leadership Expert as she reaches beyond ‘business as usual’ to unearth the human stories and rich, relatable experiences of women leading business across the country. Access the practical tips, actionable frameworks and stories of smart risk-taking to ignite your leadership.

Whether you’re a business leader, emerging leader, or passionate about supporting leaders to redefine the business landscape, this podcast is for you.

Tarsi Luo, Founder of Seed Planet and M&A Special Adviser on navigating leadership through a cultural lens, balancing her Eastern identity with her Western environment and pushing forward no matter how many rejections you experience.

Key Insights

(02:01) How did she start her leadership journey?

Tarsi was born in a small town in northern China, both of her parents are factory workers and they wanted Tarsi to marry a good man, have a good career and live in a small town just like everybody else. Tarsi however had big dreams since she was a little girl to do something different. She started her career as a successful marketing director for a world leading drone company. Tarsi then moved to Australia to work in a new industry and worked her way up from sales to CEO in six years.

(10:05) What made Tarsi say yes to take the opportunity to be CEO?

At first, Tarsi was thrilled and then she became scared. However she knew that if she didn’t take on the opportunity she wouldn’t allow herself to learn and see what’s out there. She reminded herself of the courage it took her to step out of China and it was the same mindset that pushed her to say yes to the CEO role. Tarsi told herself “yes, you've never done that (before), but they chose you because they believe in you and you can bring something back to this job as well.”

(25:05) What tools can Tarsi share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Tarsi’s experience and journey so far has taught her to never doubt herself. Tarsi tells the audience to believe in themselves and push forward. It doesn’t matter; rejection, millions or trillions, just push yourself forward and believe.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of Elladex and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: https://www.elladex.com.au/

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Sophie Gilder, Managing Director, Blockchain & Digital Assets, CommBank on pushing the boundaries of creativity, collaboration and technology and on creating more pathways for women and girls to see what they can be in the wide world of tech.

Key Insights

(02:01) How Sophie started her leadership journey – from School of the Air to blockchain

(13:22) Fostering happier, more engaged and more creative teams

(27:53) Sophie’s addition to your leadership toolbox – how to avoid regret

References

(06:02) Learn more about the example Sophie mentions on voice technology in the auto manufacturing industry https://hbr.org/2019/05/voice-recognition-still-has-significant-race-and-gender-biases

(27:00) Learn more about the research Sophie mentions on gendered wording in job advertisements https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/docs/gendered-wording-in-job-ads.pdf

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit www.womeninfocus.com.au

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is an expert in unlocking inclusion and participation in finance and leadership for women. She is the Founder and CEO of Elladex, Australia’s first digital mentor marketplace and daily learning platform – a global ‘rolodex’ with over 25,000 women, designed to elevate personal, professional and financial success.

She is the author of the 2023 Inclusion Report: The Perspex Ceiling and the Illusion of Inclusion, a landmark national research paper spanning over 2,000 participants that assesses the challenges and opportunities of inclusion and diversity across Australian corporations. Shivani co-headed the official 2023 Australian G20 Startup group in India and Inclusion taskforce, contributing her experience and expertise in startups to better equip the global ecosystem for success.

Shivani has won the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women’s Leadership Award, was a finalist for the Women in Tech Awards, and Sydney's Young Entrepreneur Awards for 2022. She holds an MBA and a Masters in Commerce, majoring in Financial Planning, and her work has seen her covered in some of Australian media outlets, including the AFR, the SMH, The Today Show, Channel 7 and more.

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank. The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post-production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Shivani Gopal, CEO and Founder of The Remarkable Woman, on how women bursting with ambition and ability must be the rose and the gardener of their career, continuously standing out while nurturing their growth.

Key Insights

(01:59) How did Shivani start her leadership journey?

Shivani believes that we all have an opportunity in our lifetimes to step up and to lead and that that moment can come at any point in time. For Shivani, it came very early on in life when she was about five years old, with her family saying to her, as a girl in order to survive, there are a lot of things that she can and can’t do. She challenged this and unknowingly at that point, became a crusader for the rights of women and girls.

(17:09) What’s next for Shivani and The Remarkable Woman?

When Shivani looks at the marketplace that’s there for women, she sees so many talented women who are bursting with not just ambition but also capability and capacity, but the kind that is untapped and unnoticed. She thinks the next thing for her is to make sure that she can help foster a world where women can better match with the kind of role that they are made for. Additionally, Shivani would love to make a dent in using technology to get more women into more diverse, technological and leadership roles.

(21:21) What tool can Shivani share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Shivani wants to leave listeners with a way in which they can craft their own purpose statement. She recommends to follow a process that she teaches at The Remarkable Woman, which starts by thinking about your early life, the beautiful moments that stuck with you, and how those moments made you feel and why they were so important. Then consider any hard or tough experiences in your life that have really shaped you. Trace those two things together, and then pair it with your passion for the future, and ask yourself what it is that you want and what emotions are going to drive you there? Those three things fused together create your purpose statement.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of The Remarkable Woman and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: https://www.theremarkablewoman.com.au/

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Alisi Tutuila, CEO Aspire Indigenous, and Chair, Aboriginal Housing Company on fulfilling her deep sense of responsibility with honour, giving back whilst paying it forward and changing the trajectory for Indigenous youth through building infrastructure across housing, recruitment and childcare.

Key Insights

(02:34) How did Alisi start her leadership journey?

Alisi provided two snapshots Firstly, around the ages of four and five she was asked by her single father to help raise her little sister amongst other things. Alisi understood early on that she had to step up and take on a leadership role and responsibility for her family. The second snapshot occurred about 20 years again in her role as a youth worker in Redfern. During this time, she learned the importance of building rapport and respect in the community and came to realise that young people needed someone to trust, rely on and guide them.

(14:03) How does Alisi overcome imposter syndrome?

Alisi overcame moments of imposter syndrome by staying focused on the purpose and the path her team was on. Alisi also has mentors that help her push forward and champion her. Alisi shares a moment where one of her mentors, Uncle Mick Mundine reminded her that her forefathers did their bit so she could sit equal at the table. Now it’s her turn and time to be in the moment.

(19:29) What tool can Alisi share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Alisi shares the importance of finding your people and a group of leaders to champion you. For Alisi her circle of aunties, mothers, and sisters play a vital role in her professional success, family life and soul. For those that don’t have strong circles around them, Alisi shares that they should look towards their community because there are other women waiting to connect.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of The Remarkable Woman and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: https://www.theremarkablewoman.com.au/

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised this podcast may contain conversations about deceased persons. Discretion is advised.

Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

This episode, Shadé Zahrai interviews Louise Adams, Chief Operating Officer – Australia and New Zealand of Aurecon. She is also a Mentor of the Minerva Network, National Advisory Board Member of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, Member of Chief Executive Women and Board Director of Aurecon Australasia.

She was named 2020 CEO of the Year by The CEO Magazine, a 2018 Scholar by the Chief Executive Women and received a High Commendation as one of the Champions of Change Female Leadership Award by Consult Australia.

Valuable Discussion Points

(01:21) What is the story of Louise’s leadership journey?

Louise felt that her leadership journey started out quite accidentally. Her passion was to travel and she wanted to link her career with her ability to travel, having some opportunities to travel with the work. One of the directors of Aurecon wanted to open an office in Western Australia and offered Louise the job of leading the office there. As the office grew, she grew with it. She continued to jump at opportunities that took her overseas. She headed overseas to the UK, the UAE until she was offered another role back in Australia.

(05:16) What is the “what next” moment for Louise?

When Louise was starting her career, whenever an opportunity was given to her, she would jump in without really knowing where it was heading. Now, she is at a point in her career where she can visualise where she wants to be next, what she aspires to become and where she wants to be in 10 or 15 years. This is her "what next" moment. She has built herself a bank of experience, connections, networks and professional reputation that rather than just taking in the opportunities as they come to her, she can now start to design opportunities and create opportunities for herself in areas that she wanted them to be to put her on the right path for her planned future endeavours.

(16:02) What are her thoughts on young people who are really driven, ambitious and want to keep moving and growing but without really thinking about, where they are now and how they can demonstrate that they can deliver here and now?

A CV is a reflection of the experiences that you have in your career and a CV is like a report card that can open opportunities for you. You've got to really appreciate that the depth of the CV comes from actually making the most of opportunities. Louise advises young people that she mentors to sort of hasten slowly and prove themselves in their roles.

(24:46) With all of Louise’s leadership experience, nothing could have prepared her for 2020, what was 2020 like for her and what wisdom did she gain from that year?

For her, 2020 is going to go down as the most challenging year in most people's professional careers, if not personal lives. What really resonated with her was that every time she faced thousands of people who are looking to her for leadership during times of crisis, she emphasised the importance of authenticity and the willingness to be quite open about that she won't always have the answers.

Key Learnings

• Leaders have perhaps tended to hold expectations of themselves or perhaps other people held expectations of leaders that leaders naturally know the answers to everything. We live in such a fast changing, evolving world that can be disrupted and is constantly disrupted, be it by technology or by the circumstances the world finds itself in 2020. Leaders need to be able to show vulnerability, to show that it really is impossible for one person to have the answers to everything.
• Decades ago, a typical army approach to leadership may have worked, where leaders can say I know what you need to do because I've been there and I've done that before. Nowadays, with the size and complexity of organisations and often the multidisciplinary nature of organisations, it's very rare for you to have a leader that actually can look at everybody in the organisation and say, I've done what you've done. Add to that the fact that you're introducing technology at such a rate, you're often as a leader, going to be asking people to do things that you really haven't had to do yourself.
• Louise added being specific about where one wanted to go in their leadership journey to the Leadership Toolbox. Where do you want to be in 10 years? What sort of CV would you need to have to get that job that you want in 10 years? And then comparing it with your CV on the day with the CV that you needed in 10 years and looking for the gaps. Ask yourself, what are the career opportunities that I need to go and create for myself to make the ideal CV that I'm going to put on the table in 10 years to get that ultimate outcome that I want.

Quotable Quotes

“You don't suddenly wake up at a point in your career and say, I'm a leader, and therefore I have all of the suite of tools and experiences and skills to be a leader that leadership in and of itself is this ongoing lifelong learning journey.” – Louise Adams

“You need to earn the right to be able to have people follow you.”– Louise Adams

“We were starting to see this ongoing trend where people and communities were standing up to corporations and saying, we expect you to stand for more than just profit. And I think, therefore, there's a lesson to be learnt for leaders that you really have to find. What is your passion?”– Louise Adams

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

If you’re interested in connecting with Louise Adms or viewing her professional portfolios and achievements, visit her LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/louiseadamsaurecon

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Sarah Nolet, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Tenacious Ventures on leading through influence and inclusion rather than authority and hierarchical structures. Sarah is a change maker, backing women founders who are creating more environmentally and ecologically sustainable ways of producing food and what we eat.

Key Insights

(02:05) How Sarah found leadership as an athlete and how it transferred to business

(07:31) Finding alignment between action for impact and commercial outcomes

(22:43) Sarah’s addition to your Leadership Toolbox

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit www.womeninfocus.com.au

If you’d like to keep up to date about Tenacious Ventures and their events visit www.linkedin.com/company/tenacious-vc

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is an expert in unlocking inclusion and participation in finance and leadership for women. She is the Founder and CEO of Elladex, Australia’s first digital mentor marketplace and daily learning platform – a global ‘rolodex’ with over 25,000 women, designed to elevate personal, professional and financial success.

She is the author of the 2023 Inclusion Report: The Perspex Ceiling and the Illusion of Inclusion, a landmark national research paper spanning over 2,000 participants that assesses the challenges and opportunities of inclusion and diversity across Australian corporations. Shivani co-headed the official 2023 Australian G20 Startup group in India and Inclusion taskforce, contributing her experience and expertise in startups to better equip the global ecosystem for success.

Shivani has won the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women’s Leadership Award, was a finalist for the Women in Tech Awards, and Sydney's Young Entrepreneur Awards for 2022. She holds an MBA and a Masters in Commerce, majoring in Financial Planning, and her work has seen her covered in some of Australian media outlets, including the AFR, the SMH, The Today Show, Channel 7 and more.

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank. The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post-production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Join host Shivani Gopal, CEO and Founder of Elladex, for Season 4 of Leading Women where we share and celebrate the real and relatable stories of women in leadership.

Don’t miss an episode - learn practical tips and actionable frameworks and hear stories of strategies, superpowers and smart risk-taking to activate your leadership.

Di Mantell, CEO of Celsus, the Royal Adelaide Hospital on blazing the trails from leadership to building sustainable social infrastructure and dissolving the hierarchy from the very top. She shares how she champions diversity, challenges the norms of what leadership should look like and celebrates every win of her team along the way.

Key Insights

(01:29) How did Di start her leadership journey?

Di originally trained as a registered nurse, from there her leadership journey began as she pursued leadership roles in nursing. She became a health service manager and eventually took on an executive director nursing role, which provided her an opportunity to understand regional and remote health. Following that she was seconded to represent 22 regional health services and negotiate the nurses’ wage case. She then got the opportunity to build a hospital from scratch in WA for which she got headhunted to go to SA to work on the new hospital for the Royal Adelaide. She is now the CEO of Celsus which is a private partner in the Royal Adelaide.

(12:28) Why is it important for women to be visible for their achievements in leadership?

Di thinks people need role models to base their leadership on, to see similarities in skills and show examples of overcoming barriers. If somebody can’t ‘see it’ then it’s difficult to ‘become it’.

(21:11) What tool can Di share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Di shared two things. First, you have to in invest in yourself. Whether it’s studying or playing golf, it’s important to look after yourself so you can give back. Lastly, offer mentoring as a way to give back. Di found through mentoring you learn just as much from the mentees.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of The Remarkable Woman and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: https://www.theremarkablewoman.com.au/

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Josephine Sukkar AM, Principal, Buildcorp on staying relevant at the coalface of business while mentoring the next generation of women. Josephine shares an insightful story on service-based leadership and sage advice for women embarking on their own journey.

Key Insights

(01:39) How did Josephine start her leadership journey?

Josephine’s leadership journey was not linear, she started her professional life training to be a medical research scientist but quickly found herself in construction where she’s stayed for over 35 years. Josephine got to where she is today by accepting of a series of opportunities that were presented to her from directorship roles for not-for-profit organisations to listed companies and government.

(13:58) What is Josephine’s advice for women embarking on a director’s journey?

Josephine advises to understand what is required to be an effective director on the board. It’s important to remember that most of the time you will be providing counsel, advice and direction to the CEO. Therefore you should have the experience and qualifications to enable you to give effective advice.

(24:35) What tool can Josephine share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Josephine shares the importance of slowing down in order to enjoy the journey. Slowing down (if you can afford to) allows you to develop deep skills by giving yourself time to develop them and is an act of kindness towards yourself.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of The Remarkable Woman and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: https://www.theremarkablewoman.com.au/

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Key Insights

(02:00) How Angelique started her leadership journey – and became CEO at just 24

(13:01) Reorienting what success looks like and Angelique’s advice on living an impact-based life

(30:05) Angelique’s addition to your Leadership Toolbox

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit www.womeninfocus.com.au

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is an expert in unlocking inclusion and participation in finance and leadership for women. She is the Founder and CEO of Elladex, Australia’s first digital mentor marketplace and daily learning platform – a global ‘rolodex’ with over 25,000 women, designed to elevate personal, professional and financial success.

She is the author of the 2023 Inclusion Report: The Perspex Ceiling and the Illusion of Inclusion, a landmark national research paper spanning over 2,000 participants that assesses the challenges and opportunities of inclusion and diversity across Australian corporations. Shivani co-headed the official 2023 Australian G20 Startup group in India and Inclusion taskforce, contributing her experience and expertise in startups to better equip the global ecosystem for success.

Shivani has won the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women’s Leadership Award, was a finalist for the Women in Tech Awards, and Sydney's Young Entrepreneur Awards for 2022. She holds an MBA and a Masters in Commerce, majoring in Financial Planning, and her work has seen her covered in some of Australian media outlets, including the AFR, the SMH, The Today Show, Channel 7 and more.

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank. The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post-production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Join host Shivani Gopal, CEO and Founder of The Remarkable Woman, for Season 3 of Leading Women where we share and celebrate the real and relatable stories of women in leadership.

Don’t miss an episode - learn practical tips and actionable frameworks and hear stories of strategies, superpowers and smart risk-taking to activate your leadership.

Shelley Reys AO, CEO, Arrilla Indigenous Consulting, Partner and Board Member, KPMG Australia on driving change and leaving a legacy driven by her vision to create a culturally inclusive Australia, one workplace at a time. Shelley insists that diversity is not simply challenging the status quo, it is about having more informed discussions leading to making more informed decisions.

Key Insights

(02:29) How did Shelley start her leadership journey?

Shelley’s family ignited her leadership journey. Shelley’s father was known for being kind and inclusive while being softly spoken. Shelley also learnt from her mother and then her cousin, Darren later in life. It was Darren who helped spark her interest in working in the First Nations space.

(18:50) What are Shelley’s insights of the 2032 Olympic Games and how she feels that it might be a catalyst for diversity in the future?

Shelley believes the appointment of First Nations people to the Olympic Board for 2032 is a ten year opportunity implement nation building styled work. By doing so Shelley aims to help Australia and Brisbane celebrate all aspects of being Australian including our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brothers and sisters. It is a moment of celebration and real pride and there is nothing like sport to bring people together.

(22:20) What tool can Shelley share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Shelley urges us to stop stepping on eggshells and to educate ourselves on First Nations people, culture, shared history. By doing so you will be able to understand the importance of your involvement and the business case behind it. Finally, don’t limit the education to yourself, share it with other people and think about how we can educate our teams and the people around us to they too can be playing their part and be confident.

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of The Remarkable Woman and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: https://www.theremarkablewoman.com.au/

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Discretion advised: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander attendees are advised that the following presentations may contain images, voices, names and conversations of people who have died.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Kate Wickett, Former CEO, Sydney WorldPride on unlocking growth through volunteering, the gaps and gains in diversity and inclusion, and her success formula to not only back yourself but also the person standing next to you.

Key Insights

(02:03) How Kate started her leadership journey

(08:30) Bringing Sydney WorldPride together

(22:59) Kate’s addition to your Leadership Toolbox

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit www.womeninfocus.com.au

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is an expert in unlocking inclusion and participation in finance and leadership for women. She is the Founder and CEO of Elladex, Australia’s first digital mentor marketplace and daily learning platform – a global ‘rolodex’ with over 25,000 women, designed to elevate personal, professional and financial success.

She is the author of the 2023 Inclusion Report: The Perspex Ceiling and the Illusion of Inclusion, a landmark national research paper spanning over 2,000 participants that assesses the challenges and opportunities of inclusion and diversity across Australian corporations. Shivani co-headed the official 2023 Australian G20 Startup group in India and Inclusion taskforce, contributing her experience and expertise in startups to better equip the global ecosystem for success.

Shivani has won the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women’s Leadership Award, was a finalist for the Women in Tech Awards, and Sydney's Young Entrepreneur Awards for 2022. She holds an MBA and a Masters in Commerce, majoring in Financial Planning, and her work has seen her covered in some of Australian media outlets, including the AFR, the SMH, The Today Show, Channel 7 and more.

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank. The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post-production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Join Rebekah Campbell as she chats with Gill Minervini, Director at Vivid Sydney and Gill Minervini Creative.  Gill shares how she creates memories that last long after the lights go out, the importance of bringing stakeholders on the journey and her simple superpower that gets her through everything. 

Key Insights 

(00:34) How does Gill describe her leadership journey? 

Gill started out as an actor and theatre director. At the time there was no events industry, per se, but Mardi Gras was hiring a festival director. Gill found the skills required were very similar to those of a theatre director and got the job. Mardi Gras was her first epic journey in events and her love of events that changed hearts and minds grew from there.  

(06:17) How does Gill get people to think these big out of the box ideas? 

Thinking out of the box is one of those terms that Gill sort of argues with because for her, not everyone’s box is the same. It’s about knowing what your audience expects and then thinking outside of that.  

(23:19) What tool can Gill share with the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox? 

Gill shares that it’s important to remember why you’re doing something, to go back to the source.  She reminds herself and her team that they’re not just putting on an event, they’re actually creating a memory for someone. 

Important Resources and Links  

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html   

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Rebekah Campbell is a high-profile entrepreneur and public speaker who spoke at TEDx Sydney (2012). Rebekah is co-founder of payments app Hey You and author of the book ‘138 Dates’ published by Allen & Unwin in 2021. Rebekah was named a Woman of Influence in 2015 and APEC Young Woman Innovator. She was the host and curator of the City of Sydney's virtual event series 'Reboot', supporting 18,000 Sydney business owners to recover from the impact of COVID in 2020 / ‘21. If you’re interested in learning more about Rebekah visit her website: www.rebekahcampbell.com 

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson. 

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided. 

Nicole Christodoulou, CommBank ParaMatildas on unwavering grit, reslience and her philosophy of keeping it simple. Be captivated by Nicole’s determination to realise her dreams of teaching and playing elite football, all while lifting others up along the way.

Key Insights

(02:26) How Nicole’s leadership journey started and the experience of recovering from two strokes at age 21

(08:48) How Nicole delivered when she was told “you can’t do it”

(19:30) Nicole’s addition to your leadership toolbox

Important Resources and Links

For more information on the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower mentioned by Nicole visit https://hdsunflower.com/au/

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit www.womeninfocus.com.au

To learn how CommBank are supporting football at every level visit https://www.commbank.com.au/about-us/opportunity-initiatives/opportunity-from-community/football.html

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is an expert in unlocking inclusion and participation in finance and leadership for women. She is the Founder and CEO of Elladex, Australia’s first digital mentor marketplace and daily learning platform – a global ‘rolodex’ with over 25,000 women, designed to elevate personal, professional and financial success.

She is the author of the 2023 Inclusion Report: The Perspex Ceiling and the Illusion of Inclusion, a landmark national research paper spanning over 2,000 participants that assesses the challenges and opportunities of inclusion and diversity across Australian corporations. Shivani co-headed the official 2023 Australian G20 Startup group in India and Inclusion taskforce, contributing her experience and expertise in startups to better equip the global ecosystem for success.

Shivani has won the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women’s Leadership Award, was a finalist for the Women in Tech Awards, and Sydney's Young Entrepreneur Awards for 2022. She holds an MBA and a Masters in Commerce, majoring in Financial Planning, and her work has seen her covered in some of Australian media outlets, including the AFR, the SMH, The Today Show, Channel 7 and more.

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank. The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post-production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

In this episode Shadé Zahrai interviews Priscilla Rogers. Priscilla is the Director and Co-Founder of DOFTEK, the leading developer of innovative suspension systems for the automotive industry. She is also the Director and Co-Founder of Green Brands, Director of Australia Dementia Network Limited, Digital Health CRC and an Adjunct Professor at the La Trobe University. Priscilla is also Director and Investor of Upstart Innovations.

Valuable Discussion Points

(01:36) What is the story of Priscilla’s leadership journey?

For Priscilla her leadership journey started well before she thought it did and well before she thought she was a leader or at least recognised as one. For her, it's been in the context of entrepreneurship and innovation. Her parents had a small country bakery at the time and this is where she decided to make and sell fabulous rocky road. What she discovered that amused her was she was actually selling the product at a loss because she hadn't quite worked out this concept of cost of goods sold. It was at this point where she started to look for opportunities to create, to take risks and really to learn.

(09:15) What advice does Priscilla have for other women who are in STEM and in male-dominated industries to really thrive and deliver their best?

Her advice to the younger generation and to any females, who are wanting to pursue STEM and male-dominated industries is, do not look at their compassion and their empathy as a disadvantage, but rather embrace that along with their emotional intelligence, to really set themselves apart and to help whatever venture that they are doing to be successful.

(14:55) When it comes to having a really impactful and energising career, what is Priscilla’s formula for success if she wants to be really good at something?

You need to do what you truly love. Priscilla believes that passion and success are closely intertwined. She believes it's important to realise that success is different for a technical person. So it's so important to find what you love and also to find people that you love to work with. Time is the most precious commodity.

(16:32) What are the biggest lessons that Priscilla learnt about leadership and about teamwork that have come from specifically working with the person that she is closest with?

Priscilla has been really privileged to be able to work with her husband as she has so much respect for what he is naturally good at and the leadership roles that he takes on. So it's very easy to learn and take guidance from him in areas that she knows he's strong and passionate in. She believes that on the reciprocal side, he also looks to her and her strengths in other areas and it is through this teamwork that they lead and learn with each other.

Key Learnings

• Females have an enormous capacity to be great engineers, great founders and great innovators. Women are naturally blessed with the ability to clearly gravitate towards technical thinking. Their natural instinct as females however, enables them to work with an elite level of emotional and social intelligence. These skills and empathy is an aspect that really does set them apart within the field of engineering and their career. You often find that the most successful women have a very strong purpose and vision throughout their career journey. It's about the why for them, it's not often focused on the status or money. They are able to be very empathetic, when it comes to understanding customers, listening to their needs and innovating for them. This drive for an empathetic process has become a pivotal reason for a more focused human-centred design in STEM and has led women to pilot these innovative positions in the workforce.
• Priscilla added the research findings of the MIT Sloan Business School to the Leadership Toolbox. The research shows the need to redefine the way we think about and refer to soft skill. There is nothing soft about soft skills. This is not a lesser skill compared to hard skills. Instead, the research refers to soft skills as smart skills. Another tool that Priscilla added is that it's not enough just to create great products, it is also important to understand the intricacies of how customers search for products.

Quotable Quotes

“I do love smashing stereotypes.”– Priscilla Rogers

“I do believe that as younger people, we do develop very critical leadership skills that really come into play later in life. I think the constant desire to challenge and to grow and to be outside our comfort zone when we have an opportunity to develop those skills, they no doubt benefit us later in life.”– Priscilla Rogers

“Without taking risks, you're unlikely to achieve your goal. You just need to be very strategic and smart about the risks that you're taking.”– Priscilla Rogers

“If you are a woman in STEM and you're a young lady, you're the only female in the room, everyone else is at least 20 years older than you. I would say hold your head up high. You have so much to offer and you deserve to be there and really embrace that. – Priscilla Rogers

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

If you’re interested in connecting with Priscilla Rogers or viewing her professional portfolios and achievements, visit her LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/priscilla-rogers

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Join Rebekah Campbell as she chats with Brigid Price, Founder, Rural Resources Online on diversity in agriculture and leading an intergenerational rural family business. Brigid shares insights on the value of storytelling, the responsibility of stepping up and the role technology plays in the succession of emerging leaders.  

Key Insights 

(01:34) How did Brigid start her leadership journey? 

Brigid was working as a finance manager for Queensland Health when she met and married a farmer. Two and a half decades later, she is now part of an intergenerational farming business as the business and compliance manager. Brigid has always been curious by nature and thinks she can learn something from everyone and every interaction. She’s fortunate that her parents encouraged her to say yes to opportunities.  It was instilled in her the importance of serving others and contributing from the perspective that if you can do something, you should.  

(05:58) What important lesson did Brigid learn that made her a better advocate for diversity?  

It’s not capacity or capability that women lack, but it’s essentially more about confidence,  

connections and clarity in terms of where you’d like to go and what you’d like to do. Brigid shares that it’s important for women to connect with other women and have role models. 

(21:49) What tool can Brigid share with the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox? 

Brigid shares her strategy on how to manage that overwhelming to do list. The solution is to align with your values. When you have to make decisions or if you’re in a situation where you’re a bit torn, you can look at how you can operate in alignment with your values to make the decision. 

Important Resources and Links  

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html   

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Rebekah Campbell is a high-profile entrepreneur and public speaker who spoke at TEDx Sydney (2012). Rebekah is co-founder of payments app Hey You and author of the book ‘138 Dates’ published by Allen & Unwin in 2021. Rebekah was named a Woman of Influence in 2015 and APEC Young Woman Innovator. She was the host and curator of the City of Sydney's virtual event series 'Reboot', supporting 18,000 Sydney business owners to recover from the impact of COVID in 2020 / ‘21. If you’re interested in learning more about Rebekah visit her website: www.rebekahcampbell.com 

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson. 

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided. 

This episode, Shadé Zahrai interviews Sian Lewis. Sian is the Group Executive Human Resources of Commonwealth Bank. She was also the Founding Director of Way Forward, General Manager of Westpac, Director of Atos Consulting, Director of Change and Program Management of KPMG and UK Service Manager of Bupa.

Valuable Discussion Points

(02:11) What are Sian’s thoughts on the death of the office and the next normal when it comes to our environment at work?

Sian thinks the death of the office has been a little exaggerated. She thinks that we have to remember that we didn't organise work this way because we didn't like it. It’s been a long time since the Industrial Revolution that we all had to gather around big machines. And yet we have chosen to work in office spaces and in places where we can join with each other. As we look forward to the types of work that human beings are going to be doing, a lot of the kind of more menial, more repetitive tasks are going to be automated, digitised, and we won't have to do them. The things that human beings are going to need to focus on are really complex problems. They're bringing their knowledge and their skills together, but no one person has the answer. The office will change in the way that we've perceived it. It isn't going to be a place to go so that your units of time can be measured and managed. It's actually going to be a place you go because you want to be with other people.

(08:29) What are insider tips that Sian can share around navigating a new era where virtual meets physical environments and where flexible work is the norm?

She thinks there's enough flexibility with remote working now. People are much more open to the fact that careers are not linear and you'll have multiple different experiences to really think about what's right for you now.

(14:08) What can guidance does Sian have, especially for women who might be earlier on in their journey, who are in a rush to move as fast as they can?

Take a deep breath. It's a marathon, not a sprint. You're going to be working for a very long time.

There is no ideal path.

(17:51) What are Sian’s views on why women tend to advance in industries like HR and marketing?

The starting place has got to be these industries have been gendered by happenstance, not because there are any innate abilities in men or women that make them particularly suited. Sian says that because of this gendering that we've had, women have tended to see themselves as more creative, more empathetic, using those softer skills and therefore HR, marketing, PR, those kinds of careers have seemed to fit the skills that we are stereotypically given.

Key Learnings

• They've done a lot of research as we've gone through the pandemic about Zoom and you get the same kind of anxiety and performance nerves that you get if you're going to a meeting face-to-face, but you don't get any of the endorphins that you get from being with other people.
• Most innovations occur because someone goes, oh, that's really interesting, let's go and explore that. And that can happen as you meet each other in an office kitchen or you're working together on collaboration and something sparked the interests of one or two or three people. So I think connection, collaboration, innovation will mean that the office is still a very important part of all of our working lives
• Sian added gratitude to the Leadership Toolbox. By counting her lucky stars on a pretty regular basis, it actually makes her quite resilient.

Quotable Quotes

“I think people have to think very carefully about their own personal need for connection. Where do they get their energy from and how do they make sure that they keep that energy level topped up because working at home can be a very isolating experience.” – Sian Lewis

“Certainly my career has not been linear. I've taken sideways moves on at least four occasions in my career, and that's largely because I was always looking for something that added to my skill set and my flexibility, rather than looking for the next rung on the ladder or the next title or salary bump. And I think that's useful to think about as well because transferable skills are incredibly important and if you can build those up over time in the experiences you're building, you leave yourself with many more options when it comes to your next career step.” – Sian Lewis

“It's difficult to really feel that you can't handle the next crisis when you actually start to reflect on the great opportunities you've been given and certainly that's helped me keep some perspective when times get a bit sticky.” – Sian Lewis

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Join host Rebekah Campbell, Serial Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker and Mentor for Season 2 of Leading Women where together we shift business leadership from aspirational to actionable.

Don’t miss an episode as we share in warm connections and rich relatable experiences with women leading business across the country.

Tracey Spicer AM, Chair, NED, Journalist and Author on learning from the past and shifting into collective action, how machine learning is reinforcing gender bias and the opportunity to change our future landscape for good.

Key Insights

(02:10) How Tracey started her leadership journey in advocacy and activism

(09:13) The power of storytelling and why everyone’s story is valid

(26:04) Tracey’s addition for your Leadership Toolbox

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit www.womeninfocus.com.au

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of Elladex and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: www.elladex.com.au 

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Amber Manning: Leadership to leave positive a legacy

Amber Manning, CEO @Just Cuts™ on leading from the middle, prioritising communication and harnessing the power of networking. Hear how Amber stayed a cut above the rest, ensuring she would leave a legacy of her own.

Key Insights

(02:22) How Amber’s goals of travelling the world and becoming a landowner sparked her leadership

(07:17) Taking @Just Cuts™ on the analog to digital journey: the reality of going from docket books to real-time automation with a franchise

(22:50) Amber’s addition to your Leadership Toolbox

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit www.womeninfocus.com.au

If you’d like to learn more about Just Cuts visit www.justcuts.com.au

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is an expert in unlocking inclusion and participation in finance and leadership for women. She is the Founder and CEO of Elladex, Australia’s first digital mentor marketplace and daily learning platform – a global ‘rolodex’ with over 25,000 women, designed to elevate personal, professional and financial success.

She is the author of the 2023 Inclusion Report: The Perspex Ceiling and the Illusion of Inclusion, a landmark national research paper spanning over 2,000 participants that assesses the challenges and opportunities of inclusion and diversity across Australian corporations. Shivani co-headed the official 2023 Australian G20 Startup group in India and Inclusion taskforce, contributing her experience and expertise in startups to better equip the global ecosystem for success.

Shivani has won the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women’s Leadership Award, was a finalist for the Women in Tech Awards, and Sydney's Young Entrepreneur Awards for 2022. She holds an MBA and a Masters in Commerce, majoring in Financial Planning, and her work has seen her covered in some of Australian media outlets, including the AFR, the SMH, The Today Show, Channel 7 and more.

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank. The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post-production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

In this special episode, the tables have turned and Jinny Olney, Head of CommBank’s Women in Focus, interviews Shadé Zahrai. Shadé is the Director and Chief Positive Influencer of Influenceo Global Inc. and a Member and Contributor of Forbes Coaches Council.

Valuable Discussion Points

(00:53) What is the story of Shadé’s leadership journey?

Shadé began her career in law where she struggled with with imposter syndrome, particularly as a young woman who hadn’t found her voice in a male dominated industry. During this time she developed and ‘obsession’ with figuring out how to create a fulfilling career in the corporate space. Whilst she had the right attitude, was networking with the right people and had a career trajectory on the fast-track, she wasn’t passionate because her career wasn’t aligned to her strengths. Upon leaving the corporate world, Shadé started her own company, Influenceo Global Inc., which she runs with her husband.

(14:50) What is the biggest thing that Shadé sees as holding women back in leadership?

Shadé believes women have a tendency to focus on their weaknesses or gaps and allow these to hold them back. Because the mind is designed to magnify what we focus on, when we focus on how we fall short or compare ourselves to others, you naturally start to focus on these event more.

(21:09) What is imposter syndrome?

It's this psychological pattern where you doubt your skills, your talents and your accomplishments. You have this persistent, internalised fear of being exposed as a fraud or as an imposter. You're also convinced that you are undeserving of any success in spite of a really strong track record of performance.

Key Learnings

• We tend to focus on our gaps, focus on our weaknesses and convince ourselves that we are not ready, that we don't have what it takes and in doing that, we don't put ourselves out there. We aren't then taking the opportunities that we could that could catapult us to success.
• We have a lot of these strengths around people and culture and collaboration, empathy, emotional intelligence. We sometimes incorrectly assume that they are not commercial in value and we underplay them. We undersell ourselves.
• Shadé added the COA model for taking action to the Leadership Toolbox. C is for Control and asking yourself, what can I control here? O is opportunity, what is the opportunity here? What is the opportunity for me to learn, for me to grow, for me to figure out something different, to try something new to experiment? A is for action. What action am I going to take?

Quotable Quotes

“If I want to succeed, I have to actually take action. I have to stop comparing myself with everyone else around me and just take action to move forward.” – Shadé Zahrai

“The importance of aligning a career behind authentic strengths and not trying to be someone that they're not.” – Shadé Zahrai

“It's kind of redefining your relationship with the self-doubt and acknowledging that, okay, I have doubt about something but I'm not going to allow it to hold me back.” – Shadé Zahrai

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson. 

Join Rebekah Campbell as she chats with Stella Avramopoulos, CEO of Good Shepherd. Stella talks about her experience from working at the coalface of disadvantage and her mindset of opportunity to disrupt deep systemic roadblocks. She shares how she relentlessly drives innovation by engaging corporate, government services and services, and how we can all find a golden thread in someone to start an authentic conversation to build a shared purpose.

Key Insights

(02:12) How did Stella start her leadership journey?

Stella started her journey in high school while living in Reservoir. Stella’s father sent her to work with a friend who was a lawyer for Children’s Court. As she sat in Court, she observed a girl sentenced to juvenile justice. It really hit her hard to learn that the girl was also from Reservoir and the same age as her and without her family there supporting her. It was the first time she was exposed to the implications of inequality and it changed her and influenced her career path.

(17:13) How does Stella approach engagement with corporates?

Stella approaches corporates using a combination of business case perspectives and also impact and outcomes assessments. She reinforces the importance of addressing issues ‘up the top of the hill’, as greater hardship and inequalities create more complex issues for all of society to address. Stella thinks everyone, including corporates, government and community sectors are beginning to acknowledge the importance of creating coalitions and working on co-investment strategies to address these issues.

(23:52) What tool can Stella share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Stella wants to turn the Toolbox into a tapestry. Tapestry is historically women’s work and is creative and innovative. Women are incredible because they can find different ways of getting through a solution because they’ve had to navigate barriers and have been told, no. A tapestry calls on you to know your craft and requires technical skills. It needs persistence and patience which are relevant in a world requiring solutions that are interdependent and need to naturally fit and weave in with each other.

Important Resources and Links

This podcast contains content about financial abuse in the context of domestic and family violence, which some people may find confronting. At any time, if you think you or someone else is in immediate danger, always call Emergency First on Triple 0. If you or someone you know needs support, contact 1800RESPECT on 1-800-737-732.

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Rebekah Campbell is a high-profile entrepreneur and public speaker who spoke at TEDx Sydney (2012). Rebekah is co-founder of payments app Hey You and author of the book ‘138 Dates’ published by Allen & Unwin in 2021. Rebekah was named a Woman of Influence in 2015 and APEC Young Woman Innovator. She was the host and curator of the City of Sydney's virtual event series 'Reboot', supporting 18,000 Sydney business owners to recover from the impact of COVID in 2020 / ‘21. If you’re interested in learning more about Rebekah visit her website: www.rebekahcampbell.com

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Sallie Jones, Co-Founder and Director, Gippsland Jersey on promoting a fair go for farmers, driving social change in rural mental health and encouraging a culture of kindness. Hear how Sally forges her leadership by finding comfort in the uncomfortable and having courageous conversations.

Key Insights

(02:08) How did Sallie start her leadership journey?

Sallie was born on a dairy farm. She didn’t attend school until Grade 6 but saw her ability to make things happen when she became school captain in Year 12. Sallie’s most recent leadership journey involved created a milk brand centering on three pillars of: farmers being paid a fair price, raising awareness of mental health in regional communities and kindness.

(16:05) How does Sallie make the most out of drastic situations?

Sallie believes that diamonds are made under pressure and there’s always opportunity in

adversity and in order for us to create the opportunity, we have to go through the ‘hard stuff’. It’s also important to have people you trust. Sallie has a phone full of contacts she can call at any time and urges ‘Don’t do it alone.’

(23:38) What tool can Sallie share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?

Sallie advises to find the comfortable in the uncomfortable. One way Sallie does this is by having cold showers guided by an app called Wim Hof. Sallie believes it a great tool for mental health, regulating your breathing and something we can all do.

Important Resources and Links

This podcast contains content about mental health and suicide, which some people may find confronting. If you or someone you know needs support, visit beyondblue.org.au or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html  

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.

As the Founder and CEO of The Remarkable Woman and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website: https://www.theremarkablewoman.com.au/

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Shivani Gopal, CEO & Founder, Elladex, discusses her purpose in activating for financial inclusion and leadership participation for women. Shivani emphasises the importance being intentional with strategy and recognising when to shift or when to stay steadfast.

Key Insights

(02:29) How Shivani started her leadership journey having smart money conversations as a young girl

(12:17) How to build the portfolio career of your dreams

(24:13) Shivani’s addition to your leadership toolbox

Important Resources and Links

If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit www.womeninfocus.com.au

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is an expert in unlocking inclusion and participation in finance and leadership for women. She is the Founder and CEO of Elladex, Australia’s first digital mentor marketplace and daily learning platform – a global ‘rolodex’ with over 25,000 women, designed to elevate personal, professional and financial success.

She is the author of the 2023 Inclusion Report: The Perspex Ceiling and the Illusion of Inclusion, a landmark national research paper spanning over 2,000 participants that assesses the challenges and opportunities of inclusion and diversity across Australian corporations. Shivani co-headed the official 2023 Australian G20 Startup group in India and Inclusion taskforce, contributing her experience and expertise in startups to better equip the global ecosystem for success.

Shivani has won the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women’s Leadership Award, was a finalist for the Women in Tech Awards, and Sydney's Young Entrepreneur Awards for 2022. She holds an MBA and a Masters in Commerce, majoring in Financial Planning, and her work has seen her covered in some of Australian media outlets, including the AFR, the SMH, The Today Show, Channel 7 and more.

The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank. The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post-production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.