In this episode, we speak with Carol Hagh, an experienced portfolio NED serving on both a FTSE 250 board and a FTSE All-Share board. Carol shares insights from her extensive career and journey in the boardroom. With a wealth of experience spanning digital innovation and customer and corporate strategy across diverse global markets, Carol shares how…

In this episode Lloydette Bai-Marrow, an experienced non-executive director, anti-corrpution expert, and economic crime lawyer, discusses her extensive career and board journey. She emphasises the importance of strategic decision-making in choosing roles, building relationships, and demonstrating the value you bring to a board.…

In this episode, Tracy Watkinson, an experienced Non-Executive Director and a FTSE100 Chief Operating Officer, shares the invaluable tips gained from her remarkable career and board journey. Tracy has held various community board roles - undertaken in her private time - alongside her executive career. Our journey with Tracy began at one of our in-h…

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 Austr…

In this episode, Monica Collings, a seasoned portfolio Non-Executive Director and award-winning former CEO, shares her experiences, challenges, and the strategies she adopted to break barriers and succeed in the boardroom. Monica highlights the importance of self-belief, representation of marginalised voices, and self-care in board roles to foster …

‘If the door is closed, climb through the window’. That’s the message from board recruitment specialist and director, Bernadette Uzelac, who has been made a member of the Order of Australia (AM), for significant service to the community of the Barwon Southwest region in Victoria. Growing up in Geelong, Bernadette was married with a baby and selling…

How do you create a truly inclusive company culture? In this episode, our CEO, Fiona Hathorn, is joined by Matt Duncan, Managing Director (Business Performance Improvement Leader) at Protiviti, and Dr Zandile Ndlovu, a Board Advisor and experienced Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Drawing from the themes in the third chapter of our Hidden T…

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 a…

Avril Henry in her own words, is a perfect example of what you can do when you’re willing to work hard and have someone who believes in you. Growing up in social housing in a low income family in a mining town in South Africa, at the height of apartheid, Avril was an “English speaking girl who was not expected to amount to anything”. In 2024 Avril …

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…

Traditionally, the boardroom has been seen as the domain of accountants and lawyers, but the modern board requires non-executives with a broader range of professional expertise. In this episode, we hear from Mai Fenton and Kirsten Achtelstetter, two non-executives with marketing and tech backgrounds respectively, about their experiences securing bo…

In this Women on Boards Honours series, WOB Executive Director Claire Braund talks to the 12 WOB members who were recognised in the 2024 Australia Day Honours. In this episode Claire speaks to Warrnambool cattle and sheep producer and founding member and chair of Food and Fibre Great South Coast, Georgina Gubbins, who was awarded an OAM for service…

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…

In this first episode of the new Women on Boards Honours Podcast Series - featuring the 12 WOB members recognised in the 2024 Australia Day Honours - WOB co-founder and Executive Director, Claire Braund, chats with Emerita Professor Lesley Hitchens. Lesley was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to tertiary educatio…

In this podcast, Marcia Cantor-Grable, an experienced portfolio Non-Executive Director, shares her inspiring journey of working in executive committee and board level roles in financial services. Throughout her career, she has held various senior global and regional roles and currently serves on four financial services boards in the UK and Europe.…

In this episode, Yetunde Hofmann talks about her journey to becoming an experienced portfolio Non-Executive Director and Board Mentor. She highlights the need to be intentional with networking and recognising the value you can bring to a board, regardless of where you are in your career.Por Women on Boards UK

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 advis…

In a special episode, three senior Ukranian leaders share their unique experiences of staying resilient during a crisis and discuss the recently launched Women on Boards Ukraine Network. Olga Ustynova, Nataliya Mykolska, non-executive member of the Supervisory Board of Ukrhydroenergo and Nina Dombrowska, co-founder of Women on Boards Ukraine, provi…

In this episode, our Co-Founder and Executive Director speaks to Katrina Shenton on her unique journey to the boardroom as an ethical investments professional. Katrina highlights the importance of choosing boards that align with her values and passions and shares the lessons learned during her transition to becoming a portfolio NED.…

Claire Braund spoke to 3AW Drive Host, Tom Elliot on 23 Sept 2023 about a decision by HESTA that they will vote against select director re-elections of ASX300 companies where the board has less than 30 per cent of female representation. Claire says HESTA and other investment firms are taking a stance on “merit”, “We like to think of merit as someth…

In this episode our CEO Fiona Hathorn catches up with experienced NED and CEO, and Women on Boards member, Peju Adebajo. Peju shares her journey of becoming a portfolio NED from the starting point of arriving in the UK and having to build up a network to begin her campaign of securing a NED role using all the resources she could, including Women on…

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 Uni…

Dr Monique Beedles was not your average teenager. At 15, as well as having posters of Murph Hughes and the Adelaide Oval on her bedroom wall, it was her dream to be CEO of Swiss multinational healthcare company Roche. To this end, she went on to study German and chemistry at school. “I was always interested in medical research from a very young age…

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 …

In this podcast we hear from Sue Douthwaite, Chair of Nexa Finance and NHS Business Service Authority, and Sarah Heenan, Chair of Regents Opera - two members who stepped into Chair roles in 2022 about their experience of making the transition, and the challenges and rewards they are finding. They also share their journey to securing the positions, …

Episode 2 of our Bursary Programme mini-series podcast special! In this episode, Fiona Hathorn, CEO and Co-Founder at Women on Boards UK, was delighted to speak with Bami Adenipekun and Marianna Sikorowska about why they applied for the bursary, how they found it and what their plans are for the future. We hope you enjoy listening to this episode a…

Episode 1 of 2 in our Bursary Programme mini series. In this first episode, Fiona Hathorn, CEO and Co-Founder of Women on Boards UK, catches up with Rituja Rao and Nicky Neal-Smith about why they applied for the bursary, how they found it and what their plans are for the future. The Women on Boards UK Bursary Programme is designed to help women who…

Bosnian-born Gorana Saula speaks three languages, has three passports, four drivers’ licenses and loves to travel. And with her passion for gadgets and all things tech it’s no wonder friends of the former CEO and electronics engineer call her James Bond. The Non Executive Director has had a wide range of executive leadership roles in defense, telec…

Rachel Tranter, Founder and Executive Director, Women on Boards UK, meets with Ama Ocansey, UK Head of Diversity and Inclusion for BNP Paribas. BNP Paribas are one of our corporate partners who actively encourage employees to develop non-executive experience as part of their career development. As well as sitting in a non-executive capacity on inte…

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, s…

Episode 10 of our Ten for Ten podcast mini series. In this Episode, Fiona Hathorn, CEO and Founder of Women on Boards UK, meets with Sally Duckworth. Sally is a CEO, Portfolio NED and Women on Boards Ambassador and Workshop Presenter. Sally is Chair of Stormagic Ltd, a Non-Executive Director of Mobeus Income and Growth 2 VCT and a Non-Executive at …

Episode 9 of our Ten for Ten podcast mini series. In this episode, Fiona Hathorn, CEO and Founder of Women on Boards UK, meets with member June Aitken. June is an experienced Portfolio Non-Executive Director and an Investor. June currently holds NED positions with the following organisations, JP Morgan Asia Growth and Income, Greengage, CC Japan In…

Karen Loon is a Non-Executive Director, and a former senior Big 4 partner. She has worked with the world’s leading banks and is a recognised thought leader and speaker on workplace diversity and inclusion - inspired partly by her own experiences in Australia. “What really struck me was that I was sitting in boardrooms or sitting in meetings, where …

Episode 8 of our Ten for Ten podcast mini series. In this episode, Fiona Hathorn, CEO and Founder of Women on Boards UK meets with member, Jacqui Ferguson. Jacqui is an experienced non-executive director in multiple industries and a former divisional CEO from the technology industry. Jacqui's current roles include the positions of Chair of Remco an…

Episode 7 of our Ten for Ten poscast mini series. In this episode, Fiona Hathorn, CEO and Founder of Women on Boards UK meets with member, Nia Roberts. Nia is an experienced trustee, chair and committee member with a portfolio of roles. Her appointments include being a Member of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Strateg…

Episode 6 of our Ten for Ten podcast mini series. In this episode Fiona Hathorn, CEO and Founder of Women on Boards UK meets with Karen Finlayson, a Partner at PwC, and a Board Member on PwC's UK Supervisory Board. PwC are a longstanding corporate partner of Women on Boards. Karen's prior non executive experience includes a NED role at Doncaster Ch…

Episode 5 of our Ten for Ten Podcast Mini Series. In this episode, Fiona Hathorn, CEO and Founder of Women on boards UK meets with Alex Tamlyn, an experienced lawyer and governance expert, who shares his thoughts on developments in corporate governance over the past 30 years , Alex Tamlyn is currently Head of DLA Piper's EMEA Capital Markets practi…

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 …

In this 10 for 10 podcast mini-series, ten of our members share the twists and turns they've experienced building their very different board careers, and generously share what they wish they'd known before. In this episode, Fiona Hathorn, CEO and Founder, Women on Boards UK meets with Lesley Lloyd. Lesley is currently a Governor at the University o…

In this 10 for 10 podcast mini-series, ten of our membes share the twists and turns they've experienced building their very different board careers, and generously share what they wish they'd known before. I this episode, Fiona Hathorn, CEO and Founder, Women on Boards UK meets with Alison Thorne, Chair of National Dance Company Wales, Governor of …

In this 10 for 10 podcast mini-series, ten of our members share the twists and turns they've experienced building their very different board careers, and generously share what they wish they'd known before. In this episode, Fiona Hathorn, CEO and Founder, Women on Boards UK meets with Tazeem Abbas, board member at SW9 Community Housing and School G…

In the wake of the Optus cyber-attack, in this special update we talk to Matt Fehon AM, partner at McGrathNicol. Matt has led some of the largest and highest profile fraud, corruption, and regulatory investigations in Australia. He is one of the key presenters in our new 5-part program Security Risks and Risk Management for boards. The program star…

In this 10 for 10 podcast mini-series, ten of our members share the twists and turns they've experienced building their very different board careers, and generously share what they wish they'd known before. In this episode Fiona Hathorn, CEO and Founder, Women on Boards UK meets with Portfolio NED, Shefaly Yogendra to hear her story.…

Helen Conway has, by her own admission, always been an agitator. As the experienced lawyer, senior executive, NED and workplace gender equality expert tells Claire Braund in this podcast, it was her “contrary nature” which compelled her to get involved when she saw something that was not right. “I may have made a few enemies along the way, but you …

To be good at cyber security you need to be able to think like a threat actor. That’s according to state-based cyber warfare expert Dr Sarah Morrison, who has herself embedded herself for the last 20 years in the technology and cybersecurity industry. No surprise then that Sarah is always the one at dinner parties reminding people to use secure pas…

Miriam Silva is an experienced board member and senior corporate roles across multiple industries including pharmaceuticals, banking and agriculture. Her influence extends across business, Government, media, Muslim and broader Australian communities. Educated at The Wilderness School, a non-denominational school for girls in Adelaide, Miriam went o…

In this episode Rachel Tranter, Founder and Executive Director of Women On Boards UK is joined by Carlotta Zorzi, who shares her experience of balancing her successful executive career alongside not one but two, non-executive roles. Carlotta is an award-winning tech professional, currently at tech commerce giant Shopify.…

From avoiding fisticuffs on the trading floor to conquering Wall Street and running her own financial market regulation consultancy, Sydneysider Amanda Mark is known for her fearless determination and big picture thinking. It was always Amanda’s dream to work in financial services overseas, so after landing a job in Sydney for a money market broker…

Dr Kath Hall is an internationally recognised expert on transnational corporate corruption and foreign bribery regulation. Her career as a legal academic and writer has led to her advising a number of leading international organisations including the United Nations Joint Inspection Unit and Safra Centre for Ethics at Harvard University. Dr Hall has…

As Australia celebrates NAIDOC week - an historically important celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and connection to Country - WOB Cultural Diversity Member and proud Yorta Yorta woman Claire Beattie discusses what steps First Nations allies can take towards reconciliation - from helping more Indigenous women into leadersh…