Australia’s premier annual event for women in leadership

Every year the Australian Women’s Leadership Symposium provides an unparalleled opportunity for hundreds of Australian women to gather together to explore contemporary leadership theory and observe current ‘best practice’ examples.

Through participation in the two-day program, female leaders from all sectors and industries are exposed to state-of-the-art leadership thinking, delivered first-hand by Australia’s most inspirational leaders, trainers and academics.

Symposium speaker bio's Melbourne | Sydney Canberra Brisbane | Perth

Dr Christine Charles Associate Professor and Head of SP3 Department +Profile Dr Christine Charles is Associate Professor at the Australian National University (ANU) and Head of the Space Plasma, Power and Propulsion laboratory at ANU. Born in Brittany (France), she has a French Engineering degree in applied physics, a Ph D in plasma physics, a French Habilitation thesis in materials science and a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz from the ANU (Jazz drums and Jazz arrangement and composition). For the past twenty years, she has been working on experimental expanding plasmas (hot ionized gases) and their applications to electric propulsion, microelectronics and optoelectronics, astrophysical plasmas, and more recently to the development of fuel cells for the hydrogen economy. She is the inventor of the Helicon Double Layer Thruster, a new type of space engine, which applications include satellite station keeping or interplanetary space travel. In 2009 Christine received the Australian Institute of Physics Women in Physics Lecturer of the year award. She actively popularises her science on ABC Catalyst, Discovery Channel, radio and public lectures. She enjoys playing music, surfing, canoeing, cycling and bushwalking.

Wendy McCarthy AO Executive Director, McCarthy Mentoring +Profile Wendy's career has seen her provide mentors to major organisations including Citigroup, NAB and Qantas. Further to her role as Chancellor of the University of Canberra for ten years, and authoring seven books, in 1989 she was appointed an officer of the Order of Australia for outstanding contributions to community affairs, women's affairs and the Bicentennial celebrations. In 2003, in partnership with UBS, Wendy created a Finance Academy for Year 11 public school students. This was followed in 2004 by a Young Women’s Leadership Academy. These have been innovative and successful. In 2006 an Indigenous Academy for Year 10 public school students was added to the portfolio. Currently she is the Chair of Circus Oz; McGrath Estate Agents; headspace Mental Health Fund and the Pacific Friends of the Global Foundation. She is Patron of the Australian Reproductive Health Alliance. In November 2009, after 13 years of service, Wendy retired as the Vice-Chair of Plan International and as the Director of Plan Hong Kong and Plan Australia.

Joanne Metcalfe Business Group Manager, GHD +Profile Jo Metcalfe is Business Group Manager for GHD, Canberra’s largest consultancy firm of 220 professionals with global operations of 6000 people turning over $1 billion a year. She is responsible for the performance of the Management and Property group, which comprises 40 project managers, management services consultants, planners, community consultation experts and landscape architects, and has an annual turnover of $7.2 million. Jo Metcalfe, a Business Group Manager for Canberra’s largest consultancy firm, GHD, has won the Hudson Private and Corporate Sector Award at the 2009 Telstra ACT Business Women’s Awards, held at Parliament House today.

Tu Pham Auditor General, Australian Capital Territory +Profile Tu Pham is the Auditor-General for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). She held a number of senior roles in the ACT public service, including Deputy Chief Executive of ACT Treasury and Commissioner for ACT Revenue. Tu also had served on a number of boards including the ACT Legal Aid Commission, ACT Public Trustee Board, the Kingston Foreshore Development Authority and the ACT Government Procurement Board Prior to joining the ACT Government, Tu worked with the Queensland Government and the Commonwealth Grants Commission. Tu is a recipient of the 1998 Australia Day Award of a Public Service Medal for her outstanding services in public administration and more recently the 2008 ACT Telstra Business Women’s Award in the Government and community sector.

Professor Carole Kayrooz Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education , University of Canberra +Profile In her current role at the University of Canberra, Professor Carole Kayrooz has wide-ranging responsibilities for learning and teaching, marketing and international, University admissions, and academic staffing policy. She also has responsibilities for University of Canberra College and University of Canberra English Language Institute. Professor Kayrooz was formerly Convenor of the Academic Leadership Program at The Australian National University and Dean of the Faculty of Education, Health and Science at Charles Darwin University. In 2005, Professor Kayrooz published, with Allen and Unwin, Research in Organisations and Communities: Tales from the Real World (with C.Trevitt) and, in 2007, with Elsevier, Autonomy in Social Science Research: The view from UK and Australian universities (with G. Akerlind and M.Tight). Based on the Elsevier publication, she was a Visiting Scholar at Cambridge University and was invited by UNESCO to Paris in 2006 to present at their Colloquium on Research and Higher Education Policy. In 2009, she was again invited by UNESCO to present a keynote at the 12th UNESCO APEID International Conference, this time in Bangkok.

Rear Admiral Trevor Jones Head Navy People and Reputation - Royal Australian Navy +Profile Rear Admiral Trevor Jones joined the Royal Australian Navy in January 1978 under the Navy scholarship scheme to pursue a Seaman Officer Career. Promoted to Captain in 2002, he was appointed as the Director Navy Force Structure and Warfare in the Navy Capability Preparedness and Plans Branch of Navy Headquarters. This position was responsible for special programs management and coordination of key strategic capability processes such as navy Minor Capability Equipment Program policy and management, capability deficiency databases for capability reporting and force structure master plan preparations. Captain Jones was promoted to Commodore in February 2005 and was appointed to the position of Director General Naval Capability, Performance and Plans in Navy Headquarters. In 2006 he attended the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program in Boston, USA and in mid 2007 he was appointed as the Director General Military Strategic Commitments. In 2008 he attended the Coalition Forces Maritime Component Command Course in Hawaii, sponsored by the Commander US Pacific Fleet. In January 2010 Rear Admiral Jones was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (Military Division) for his combined efforts as the Director General Naval Capability, Performance and Plans and Director General Military Strategic Commitments.

Dawn O’Neil CEO, Lifeline +Profile Dawn O’Neil AM has been involved with the Lifeline organisation for over 15 years and has a passionate interest in evolving and improving Australia’s mental health and suicide prevention services. Working as the CEO of Lifeline Australia since 2000, Dawn has fostered a period of major governance and service reform across the organisation. Combining high-level management, training and counselling qualifications, Dawn has a community based approach to suicide prevention and the promotion of emotional and mental health and wellbeing. Under Dawn’s stewardship, Lifeline Australia has significantly increased its resources and capacity, enabling it to enter into new areas of community service, including the provision of mental health information, bereavement counselling, suicide prevention and family violence elimination programs. Lifeline is now a vital part of Australia’s web of public and not-for-profit health and welfare bodies and, according to Newspoll, is one of Australia’s most recognised and trusted volunteer service organisations. Whilst modernising and growing, Lifeline has remained true to its original conception as an extraordinary social phenomenon motivated by the belief that every life is worth saving. Dawn is also the Deputy Chair of the Mental Health Council of Australia, a member of the Commonwealths National Advisory Council on Mental Health, and the Australian Suicide Prevention Advisory Council, the Advisory Council for the Sydney based Centre for Social Impact, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Dawn was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2009, was voted as a finalist in the Telstra Business Woman of the Year ACT in 2008.

Dr Peggy Brown Chief Executive, ACT Health +Profile Her substantive position is the Director of Mental Health and Chief Psychiatrist in the Australian Capital Territory. She is Deputy Chair of the Mental Health Standing Committee and Chair of the Safety and Quality Partnership Subcommittee that oversees key national mental health safety and quality initiatives. From 2007–2009, she led a national project to reduce, and where possible, eliminate the use of seclusion and restraint in mental health services across Australia.

Veronica Wensing Executive Officer, Canberra Rape Crisis Centre Sharon entered local government three years ago, having previously worked in academia, the environment sector, the music industry and at a Cooperative Research Centre. Her move into local government came as a result of her interest in community development, governance, future thinking and leadership. Sharon is a strong advocate for the benefits of developing collaborative relationships, and greatly values the diversity and positive impact of working in local government. Sharon believes that women as leaders have a unique contribution to make for their strong commitment to community development, for their down to earth practicality and also for their compassion – qualities she believes contribute to strong and principle-centred leadership.

Jacki Fairweather Former Triathlete and AIS Coach +Profile A former World Champion triathlete, Jackie Fairweather is a Senior Sports Consultant for High Performance Improvement at the Australian Sports Commission, a Triathlon Australia National Elite Team Selector and a regular commentator for triathlon and running events. Jackie is currently an Executive Board Member of the International Triathlon Union and was previously a Triathlon Australian Board Member, the first Athlete’s Representative, and has sat on a range of committees including being a member of committee to restructure the Board of Athletics Queensland. Preceding her current appointment, Jackie has held the positions of Head Coach of the AIS Triathlon Program and the National Performance Advisor for Triathlon Australia. An Australian Triathlon World Championships Representative for eight consecutive years from 1993 to 2000, winning gold in 1996, Jackie has also competed in the Duathlon World Championships and won gold in 1996 and 1999. In 1996 Jackie was named the Australia (Confederation of Australian Sport) Sports Woman of the Year and in 1993 and 1996 was named the Australian Triathlete of the Year. Jackie holds a Bachelor of Human Movement Studies (First Class Honours) from the University of Queensland and a Master of Science from Eastern Illinois University (US).

Pru Goward MP Member for Goulburn, Shadow Minister for Community Services, Shadow Minister for Women +Profile Pru is an economist by training and a broadcaster by practice, having worked for the ABC in a range of television and radio roles for 19 years. She has interviewed almost every prime minister since John Gorton, travelled as a Guest of Government in the UK, Germany and New Zealand and was awarded a special Walkley Award for her television profile of organised crime figure George Freeman. Pru was also Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner for six years, which later included age discrimination. She was best known for her work promoting a national scheme of paid maternity leave and work life balance, and has also written two books, including a biography of then prime minister John Howard with her husband, David Barnett. Pru received a Centenary Medal in 2001 for services to women’s rights and journalism, and in 2007 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business Studies by Charles Sturt University. She is patron or board member of a number of organisations, and is presently the shadow minister for Community Services and Women.

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