Women on Boards - Leaders and Directors in Conversation

Inspire | Influence | Impact As Engineers Australia celebrates International Women in Engineering Day under the theme Engineering Intelligence, our latest 20 Years of Women on Boards podcast with Dr Bronwyn Evans AM provides a powerful reminder that engineering is about far more than technology. One of Australia's most respected engineers, Bronwyn was the first female CEO of both Engineers Australia and Standards Australia, has held senior executive roles at Cochlear and GE Healthcare, and now serves as a non-executive director across a range of sectors. She is also a long-standing Women on Boards member. In conversation with Claire Braund, Bronwyn reflects on a career shaped by curiosity, pragmatism and a willingness to seize opportunities. Growing up in Wollongong during a period of significant industrial growth, she developed an appreciation for practical problem-solving, multicultural collaboration and the belief that education could create opportunities regardless of background. A recurring theme throughout the discussion is the value engineers bring to leadership and governance. Bronwyn believes engineers are uniquely equipped for board roles because of their systems thinking, ability to understand complex problems and disciplined approach to decision-making. While engineers are often associated with technical expertise, she notes that many progress into executive leadership, strategy, operations and transformation roles, making them valuable contributors in the boardroom. The conversation also explores the evolution of technology, from punch-card programming and early automation systems through to today's AI-enabled world. Having completed a PhD in real-time robotic control systems, Bronwyn reflects on how rapidly technology has evolved and why engineers must continue to adapt and embrace new tools while maintaining a focus on solving meaningful problems. As discussions around artificial intelligence continue to dominate board and executive agendas, Bronwyn offers a thoughtful perspective on both the opportunities and challenges ahead. She highlights the importance of maintaining trust, integrity and standards while recognising that AI will continue to reshape how organisations operate and innovate. Bronwyn also reflects on the important role Women on Boards has played throughout her governance journey. Having joined WOB in 2007 while working at Cochlear, she describes the organisation as an egalitarian community where women can test ideas, learn from one another and access opportunities. She recalls the influence of early WOB conferences and the insights gained from global discussions about increasing women's representation on boards. Looking to the future, Bronwyn sees the next challenge as increasing diversity in all its forms, including bringing younger women, culturally diverse women and more engineers into boardrooms. Her message is clear: diverse perspectives lead to better thinking, better governance and better outcomes. Asked to summarise her journey over the past two decades, Bronwyn chose three words: opportunistic, enjoyable and learning. They are fitting reflections from a leader who has spent her career embracing new challenges, championing engineering and helping create pathways for future generations of women leaders. Learn more about Women on Boards

Few people understand the power of regional leadership quite like Susan Benedyka. A passionate advocate for rural and regional Australia, Susan has spent decades helping communities, organisations and leaders create lasting impact. Her governance journey has taken her from community committees to influential board and leadership roles, all underpinned by a commitment to ensuring regional voices are heard where decisions are made. In this episode of our 20 Years of Women on Boards podcast series, Susan joins Claire Braund to reflect on her leadership journey, the lessons she's learned from years in the boardroom, and the advice she now shares with aspiring directors. Susan also discusses the evolving role of boards, the importance of understanding the broader environment in which organisations operate, and why diverse experiences and perspectives will be critical to the future of governance. Along the way, she shares how Women on Boards has supported her journey and reveals the three words that best capture her approach to leadership and contribution. Listen hear Susan's inspiring story and practical insights for current and future directors. About Susan Benedyka Susan Benedyka brings more than three decades of governance, leadership and regional development experience across government, regulatory, education, community and economic development sectors. Her board portfolio includes appointments to national regulatory bodies, local government, regional development organisations, higher education advisory boards and community-led initiatives. She currently serves as an Administrator of Moira Shire Council, helping oversee governance, leadership, community engagement and delivery of the Council Plan. She is also a Board Director and community member of the Psychology Board of Australia, part of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), contributing to the regulation of the psychology profession and protection of the public. Susan has chaired and served on numerous boards and advisory bodies, including Regional Development Australia Hume, the North East Integrated Water Management Forum, La Trobe University's Albury-Wodonga Regional Advisory Board, the Community University Centre Ovens Murray and Development Victoria's Junction Place Community Reference Group. Earlier in her governance career, she held appointments to national advisory bodies and government boards, helping ensure rural and regional perspectives were represented in decision-making. Alongside her board work, Susan is Managing Director of The Regional Development Company, a consultancy she founded in 1997. Through this work she has led more than 1,800 projects across local government, community and private sectors, building a reputation as a trusted advisor in governance, strategy, leadership development and community engagement. Her governance experience is underpinned by a lifelong commitment to strengthening rural and regional communities, developing future leaders and creating lasting impact through effective governance and collaboration. Read morre about Susan on LinkedIn

As part of the 20 Years of Women on Boards – Inspire | Influence | Impact vodcast series, WOB CEO and co-founder Claire Braund OAM speaks with governance expert Julie Garland McLellan about board careers, governance and the changing role of women in the boardroom over the past two decades. A non-executive director, educator, author and producer and narrator of the Directors Dilemma newsletter, Julie reflects on a career spanning more than 27 years across boards, governance education and consulting. She shares lessons from board turnarounds; governance failures and the increasing expectations placed on directors today. Julie also reflects on the early days of Women on Boards and the reaction when WOB first launched. At the time, she was serving on the council of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and recalls the "consternation" surrounding an organisation focused specifically on supporting women into boards, particularly during debates around quotas and targets. She notes how much the governance landscape has changed since then. In the early days, governance events often had only a handful of women in attendance. Today, many are approaching gender parity -something Julie believes WOB has helped normalise over the past 20 years. The episode also explores the importance of continuous learning, strong networks and understanding the practical realities of being a director, with Julie encouraging aspiring directors to gain hands-on board experience and continue building their governance knowledge throughout their career.

Inspire | Influence | Impact Lasting change begins by making opportunity visible and accessible. For 20 years, Women on Boards has done exactly that, helping reshape leadership and governance across Australia through the vision of co-founders Claire Braund and Ruth Medd. In this episode, Claire reflects on the origins of the organisation, from an informal network inspired by the Sydney Olympics to a national organisation driving measurable change in boardroom representation. She shares the challenges of confronting entrenched systems, the strategies that improved transparency and access, and the evolution towards broader diversity and leadership impact. She also discusses the power of advocacy, community, and persistence in shifting long-held norms, offering insight into how a clear purpose, strong partnerships, and unwavering belief can influence institutions and create enduring, systemic change. Vide & audio production by Chris Ashmore Media. Host Chris Ashmore ------------------------------------------------------- Learn more or join at Women on Boards

Dr Jan Tennent: Making the leap from the lab bench to the boardroom In this Women of Honour podcast Claire Braund talks to Dr Jan Tennent OAM - an internationally recognised researcher with specialist knowledge of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and the discovery and commercialisation of vaccines. Jan was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her service to research science, and to business, and today Jan says she hopes to use the OAM "a platform for my future work to remove barriers to women and indeed to all great scientists". But despite being six foot tall with a head of long white blond hair, Jan says when she moved from the lab bench to the board tables of big biotech companies "it was still really hard to get noticed around the boardroom". As she tells Claire Braund in this podcast, her 'love affair' with research began last century, on the first day of the second year of her science degree at Monash University. Now a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering and the Australian Society for Microbiology and a Principal Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Jan's specialist skills and knowledge gathering in microbiology, molecular biology, antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and vaccine development came from 18 years working as an applied research scientist at Monash during her PhD, as a post-doctoral researcher in the medical school at Umeå University, Sweden, and then as a senior research scientist and program manager at CSIRO Animal Health, Parkville. Through subsequent executive roles at CSL, Pfizer and ConnectBio, Jan gained more than a decade of experience in the translation and commercialisation of research outcomes to products and practices for the benefit of humans and animals. Her most recent executive role was as CEO of Biomedical Victoria, the premier voice for linking medical research to clinical care in Victoria (2012-2019). These days, she says she is proud to mentor many 'next-gen' researchers and is inspired to apply and share my knowledge and experience through a number of advisory panel appointments and non-executive director governance roles including with the eviDent Foundation, Apiam Animal Health (ASX:AHX), AusBiotech, and Agriculture Victoria Services. In this podcast, Jan talks to Claire Braund about falling in love with science, living and working in Sweden - "suddenly my world opened up way beyond Footscray and the suburbs of Clayton to the other end of the world" - and what it was like working for more than a decade with CSIRO as a young female research scientist in the 80s and 90s. She also discusses the highs and lows of working in the global bioscience space with top-flight companies including CSL and Pfizer and some of the major career challenges she has had to overcome as a leading woman in STEM. Claire and Jan also chat about what prompted her to take on her first NED role with Tweedle Child and Family Health Service in 2011 and her subsequent move into the boardrooms of big biotech companies - and how having a science background helped around the boardtable. As she says: "In science there is no such thing as a silly question. And in fact it's exactly the same at the board table." Podcast Host: Claire Braund OAM, Women on Boards Executive Director and co-founder. Subscribe (FREE) or join Women on Boards HERE.

Warning: This podcast discusses suicide A curious child who grew up with an older brother, Julie Adams OAM started challenging gender stereotypes at an early age. "I felt empowered to speak up if I thought I was being treated differently because I was a girl," said Julie. It was this curiosity, she says, that led to her success as an entrepreneur as the co-founder of Chemo@home - which offers cancer patients the convenience and flexibility of receiving treatment in the comfort of their own home - and in 2024 being awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to pharmaceutical oncology. Julie was working as a Cancer Services Pharmacist in1994 when she recognised the need for home-based chemotherapy while her Dad was dying from emphysema. After being shown how to administer antibiotics for her father's chest infections, Julie's Dad was able to spend his last Christmas at home. Over the next 6 years July researched ways to treat cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy at home, and in 2013 took a calculated gamble to co-found Chemo@home with business partner Lorna Cook. Despite being told their business would "never survive without a male company figurehead" Lorna and Julie grew their operation to become a multi-award winning health service, employing more than 80 people across the country. The company has since been widely recognised, winning nine business awards, including Julie being named the 2016 Telstra WA Business Women's of the Year. Then in 2022 Julie's world was rocked when her 22-year-old daughter Molly died by suicide related to intimate partner abuse. In this podcast Julie shares her personal story of losing Molly, and how she hopes to expand her purpose beyond home health care and put her "out-of-the-box thinking", entrepreneurship - and now OAM - to good use, to improve outcomes and provide support services for other women in abusive situations. "I still very much feel passionate about my business, and there's still a lot of work to be done. But I feel that all of my knowledge has now come together, and I can use it in a different area to improve outcomes for women, and also to for men who choose violence." Podcast Host: Claire Braund OAM, Women on Boards Executive Director and co-founder. Content warning: This podcast discusses suicide. If you or anyone you know needs help: 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 Lifeline on 13 11 14 Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 BeyondBlue on 1300 22 46 36 Headspace on 1800 650 890 Subscribe (FREE) or join Women on Boards HERE.

Make every day count. That's the advice from architect and urbanist Professor Helen Lochhead, who was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2024 Australia Day Honours for distinguished service to architecture and urban design, to building regulation reform, to tertiary education, and to professional organisations. A graduate of both the University of Sydney and Columbia University in New York, Helen is a woman who has certainly made every day count. A recipient of many prestigious travel scholarships and Fellowships including Fulbright, Bogliasco and the Harvard Lincoln/Loeb Fellowship, Helen also became a Churchill Fellow in 2010 to study recent models of urban regeneration that demonstrate a holistic approach to climate change and sustainability. In her roles as Deputy NSW Government Architect for 9 years and then through various academic positions and board roles, Helen has worked on and influenced some iconic projects, including Sydney Olympic Park and Sydney Harbour Foreshore. She has achieved a significant level of peer recognition and been much awarded. In 2019 the Australian Institute of Architects awarded Helen the Paula Whitman Leadership in Gender Equity Prize for her outstanding and determined individual contribution to the advancement of gender equity in architecture. And in 2015 she was appointed the first female Dean of the Faculty of Built Environment UNSW in Sydney and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Precincts in 2020. An undoubted role model, champion and mentor for current and future female architects, Helen talks to Claire Braund about the challenges and highlights of being an architect and urban designer, the value of mentors and what architects can bring to the boards of organisations. "What we can do as architects can make a difference to people's lives. And it's not just about designing beautiful buildings, it's actually about transforming people's lives." Podcast host: Claire Braund Women on Boards (WOB) is an independent and action-oriented organisation founded in 2006 by Claire Braund and Ruth Medd, with a proud history of supporting women to leverage their professional skills and experience into leadership and non-executive-director roles. Join or Subscribe to Women on Boards

Associate Professor Ngaire Elwood AM is driven by a strong sense of purpose that grew out of a life-changing experience that inspired her, as an inquisitive science-loving teenager, to dedicate her life to improving therapies for kids with cancer. As a teenager, she was treated for osteosarcoma, a common form of bone cancer that had a survival rate of about five per cent prior to the advent of chemotherapy. After her bone cancer diagnosis, her treatment involved an above-knee amputation, followed by 18 months of high-dose chemotherapy. Even with this 'aggressive therapy' the survival rate is about 60 per cent. Now she is helping others survive cancer as head of the Cord Blood Stem Cell Research Program at Murdoch Children's Research Institute and director of Melbourne's cord blood bank. She has devoted her career to investigating, developing and providing improved therapies for the treatment of cancer, leukaemia and other disorders and is passionate about the therapeutic application of cellular therapies. Her research includes exploring the different types of stem cells that are in cord blood, investigating the use of cord blood in heart repair and the treatment of cerebral palsy, and improving the use of cord blood in bone marrow transplants for treating blood cancers and other diseases. Ngaire was made a Member of the Order of Australia AM in the 2024 Australia Day Honours awards for significant service to medicine, particularly through stem cell research - an honour she tells Claire Braund was a "bit surreal" and that it is important as a female researcher and amputee to use the platform as a voice for women in STEMM, people living with disabilities and also to raise the awareness of cord blood therapies in Australia. In this podcast Ngaire also talks about the development of cord blood research around the world and in Australia - "it's a really exciting time… there's so much we don't yet know and understand about cord blood biology and its benefits and ind it's really fun to find out" - as well as her board career and what skills and qualities medical scientists can bring to the board table, including strategic thinking, grant-writing, risk management and big picture thinking. "It's knowing that the work you do makes a difference and can make a difference no matter how small the role may be. Whether it's as a research assistant, student or a board member. Everybody plays a role and can make a difference," she tells Claire. About Ngaire Elwood: Associate Professor Ngaire Elwood AM, PhD BSc(Hons) MAICD, is an experienced senior leader. She has devoted her career to investigating, developing and providing improved therapies for the treatment of cancer, leukaemia and other disorders and is passionate about the therapeutic application of cellular therapies. Ngaire has broad governance expertise, and holds a diverse board portfolio. She is the immediate past Vice President of the international Board of Directors for the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapies (FACT), Non-Executive Director on the Boards of the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia and international Cord Blood Association, and previous Chair of the Board for the Australian Sickle Cell Advocacy Inc (ASCA). She was previously the Australia New Zealand (ANZ), Regional Vice President for the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) and is a member of the ISCT Board of Directors (2018-2020; 2022-2024). She is Chair of the FACT Education Committee, is a FACT Cord Blood Bank Inspector and sits on the FACT Cord Blood Accreditation Committee, FACT Cord Blood Standards Committee, FACT Regenerative Medicine Task Force and the FACT New Business Development Committee. Ngaire serves as Chair of the AusCord network of public cord blood banks and is a member of the TGA Advisory Committee on Biologicals. As Director of the BMDI Cord Blood Bank, a TGA-licensed manufacturing facility, Ngaire has extensive expertise in GMP, regulatory compliance and quality management. She sits on the MCRI Institutional Biosafety Committee for Genetically Modified Organisms and has broad experience in human research ethics, previously serving as a member of the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry National Ethics Committee. With a scientific research career spanning more than 30 years she has made significant impact in the field of cellular therapy, cancer, cord blood, stem cells and leukaemia. Ngaire was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in the category of "Change Agent" in October 2022. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia AM in the 2024 Australia Day Honours awards for significant service to medicine, particularly through stem cell research. Find out more about Ngaire on LinkedIn Find out more about Women on Boards Visit our Events Calendar Subscribe (free) or join Women on Boards Follow us on LinkedIn

Growing up in South Africa Lisa Carlin experienced apartheid in its truest form. "I just felt this complete sense of unfairness of it all, and that's really carried with me today" she says. Through this she has become extremely passionate about transformation to give a voice to those who don't have one. Lisa is the cofounder and CEO of global advisory FutureBuilders Group and author of Turbocharge weekly. Her portfolio includes mentoring founders and CEOs in the HRTech, EdTech and workplace talent sector, she is on the Advisory board for Rebelliuz and Chair of the University of Cape Town Australia Trust. In this podcast Lisa talks to Claire about how her desire to embed transformational change stems from her upbringing in South Africa and how this has carried with her to the workplace today. She says while it's important for organisations to understand workplace transformation on many levels, it imperative just to stay relevant and ahead of disruption. Lisa's professional focus is to accelerate growth transformation and scale ups, which she explains is more about strategy execution than strategy. She stresses the importance of culture and talks about why it's one of the main reasons that execution fails. She also discusses her appetite for risk, the reason she sits on an Advisory board and why her mantra is "Communities magnify momentum". LinkedIn Lisa Carlin (guest) Claire Braund (host) Find out more about Women on Boards Visit our Events Calendar Subscribe (free) or join Women on Boards Follow us on LinkedIn

You may well think Dr Amber Tan has the world at her feet and job offers flowing in. A former Malaysian national who was born and raised in Ipoh (the gateway to the Cameron Highlands hill station), Amber migrated to Melbourne in 2011 with her partner and received an Australian Postgraduate Award scholarship in 2013 to complete her PhD at Monash University. A feat she accomplished in 2017 with no amendments. Her thesis critically examined national security and public order laws in Malaysia and their impact on constitutionalism and the rule of law and Amber has also conducted extensive research into human rights abuses under these laws. Prior to academia, Amber was in private practice as a litigator in Malaysia having won a full scholarship to study at law at Kings College London where she graduated with 1st Class honours in 2007 and as one of only five students in her class to be awarded an Exhibition Prize. Yet Amber's employment story is not one of which Australia can be proud. In this podcast with Claire Braund, Amber shares her story - from her determination as a 14 year old to win an international scholarship to follow her dreams studying law in London to the systemic discrimination she experienced in Australia due to her multicultural background where she says "I felt like my career was crushed". Forced to wait tables and sell her paintings to scratch a living for two years, Amber recalls being asked if she spoke English when applying for legal roles. "They weren't even looking at my CV beyond looking at my name." Today Amber is on a mission to use her research into the challenges and discrimination facing Asian women in the workplace in Australia for positive change. As she says: "I don't want to be just part of another unfortunate statistic. I want to change the statistics". LinkedIn Amber Tan (guest) Claire Braund (host) Find out more about Women on Boards Visit our Events Calendar Subscribe (free) or join Women on Boards Follow us on LinkedIn

When it comes to getting the most out of your LinkedIn page, content is great but it's no match for connection. That's the message from LinkedIn expert Karen Tisdell, who talks to Claire Braund about how LinkedIn has changed over the years and the importance of content AND connection when it comes to directors putting themselves out there". As she says, "if you have a really great profile and you're putting out content but you haven't made the effort to connect with people to build your network, then you're just shouting into the wind". With a long background in the recruitment industry, Karen was an early adopter of LinkedIn, which she describes as "like a Rolodex of everybody you've ever met and everybody you'd want to meet". Now an in-demand LinkedIn profile writer and trainer, Karen shares her tips on getting the most out of LinkedIn, how to own your profile through authentic and engaging storytelling and how to build real relationships with people who can help you reach your professional goals. "For board directors, putting content out is fantastic - but we know that success is so often about who you know and who knows you." Karen Tisdell (guest) Claire Braund (host) Find out more about Women on Boards Visit our Events Calendar Subscribe (free) or join Women on Boards Follow us on LinkedIn

Dr Catherine Ordway is an academic in sports management, and a sports lawyer, who specialises in anti corruption and integrity.She's a sought after tribunal member, media commentator and consultant who's assisted sports including AFL, archery athletics, basketball, combat sports cricket, cycling, football, golf, handball, rowing, rugby, softball, swimming, and triathlon in governance, selection and anti-doping and code of conduct disputes.What is less well known is that Catherine played a central role in the establishment of Women on Boards shortly after the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. In this podcast Catherine talks about that first meeting with Ruth Medd and the growth of Women on Boards and the push to have better and skills represented on state and national sports boards. As she says, it was all about moving away from "Oh, he kicked the winning goal in 1978 - he'd make a good board member," to professionalising sports boards and setting gender targets. Claire and Catherine also discuss the push for parity for female athletes "starting with broadcasting and sponsorship rights, pay parity, and access to facilities," and the complex issues around trans women in sport. About Dr Catherine Ordway: Sport Integrity Research Lead & Associate Professor at University of Canberra; Chair, Vetting Panel, Badminton World Federation; Independent Review Board, International Cricket Council; Head Anti-Doping Hearing Panel, World Curling Federation. LinkedIn: Catherine Ordway Claire Braund (host) Further Information: Find out more about Women on Boards Visit our Events Calendar Subscribe (free) or join Women on Boards Follow us on LinkedIn

Wendy Teasdale Smith is a woman full of surprises. As well as being the owner of possibly one of the largest collections of hairclips for anyone over 40, WOB's quirky and energetic South Australian representative also recently won a Toastmasters humorous speaking award with her speech on having an RBF (resting bitch face), which she presented over Zoom during COVID. Born and brought up in Elizabeth, South Australia (the inspiration for Jimmy Barnes' song Working Class Man) she is also in a book called Elizabeth Champions celebrating people from the region. As she tells Claire in this podcast, growing up in the working class suburbs, Wendy was a teenager when she discovered the power of hard work. "While I had a challenging childhood, one of the things that was really good about it was a strong belief from my father in education, and that it could change your life. And it certainly changed mine." Wendy went on to pursue a productive career in education, as a CEO, school principal, college director, as well as serving on ministerial committees and lecturing before biting the bullet and heading out into the business world. "I enjoyed my time [in education] but wanted to be brave enough to leave and try something else." It was after Googling 'women organisations' that Wendy found WOB, and met Claire at a conference in Sydney. Now a pioneering state rep who has led the charge for WOB in Adelaide for many years, Wendy manages a portfolio career focused on non-profit and government board and is also an experienced public speaking and presence coach, and says never underestimate the power of a strong woman. "Like Eleanor Roosevelt said: A woman is like a teabag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water." LinkedIn: Wendy Teasdale-Smith Claire Braund (host) Further Information: Find out more about Women on Boards Visit our Events Calendar Subscribe (free) or join Women on Boards Follow us on LinkedIn