Dr Wendy Craik AM – A woman of many firsts. From the Great Barrier Reef, to the Murray Darling Basin to the RBA
Women on Boards - 20th Anniversary Series - Inspire | Influence | Impact
Release Date: 08/02/2021
E16 | Joanna Brand: From Brazil to Boards to Bitcoin
Women on Boards - 20th Anniversary Series - Inspire | Influence | Impact
Senior executive, lawyer, company secretary and experienced director has built a career across corporate governance, capital markets, infrastructure, energy, aviation and the arts. In this episode of the 20 Years of Women on Boards podcast, Joanna joins Women on Boards CEO and Co-founder to reflect on the experiences that shaped her career, the value of curiosity and adaptability, and the governance challenges boards cannot afford to underestimate. Born in Brazil, Joanna spent her early childhood moving between Trinidad, the United States, the Netherlands and Australia before returning to...
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E15 | Helga Svendsen OAM — Stronger Together
Women on Boards - 20th Anniversary Series - Inspire | Influence | Impact
In this episode of 20 Years of Women on Boards: Inspire | Influence | Impact, host Claire Braund sits down with Helga Svendsen OAM, facilitator, leadership and executive coach, non-executive director and podcaster, for a conversation that traces a career built on empowering people. Helga takes us from her formative years in a close-knit Melbourne community, through leadership roles in government and as CEO of the Hotham Mission Asylum Seeker Project, to building an extensive board portfolio across health, government and the not-for-profit sector. She shares how the Williamson Community...
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E14 | Robin Buckham’s Unexpected Path to the Boardroom
Women on Boards - 20th Anniversary Series - Inspire | Influence | Impact
What do steelmaking, universities, ports, family businesses, cemeteries and rowing have in common? For experienced chair and non-executive director , they've all played a role in shaping a remarkable governance career built on curiosity, transformation and making a meaningful contribution. In the latest episode of the 20 Years of Women on Boards podcast, Robin reflects on a career that has never followed a conventional path. From an Arts degree and teaching, she unexpectedly found herself leading a major steel manufacturing business before moving into senior executive...
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E13 | From Opera to the Boardroom: Ditta Zizi's Governance Journey
Women on Boards - 20th Anniversary Series - Inspire | Influence | Impact
In this Episode, sits down with long-term Women on Boards member —corporate governance strategist, arts leader, opera-trained singer and experienced non-executive director—to explore the experiences that have shaped her unique governance career. Drawing on senior executive roles with Airservices Australia, the Department of Industry and the Department of Education and Training, together with board appointments across the arts and cultural sectors, Ditta shares why the fundamentals of good governance remain the same regardless of whether you're serving on a commercial, government or...
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E12 | Andrea Staines on Building a Board Career That Lasts - Professional Diversity, Personal Flexibility
Women on Boards - 20th Anniversary Series - Inspire | Influence | Impact
Most directors focus on securing their first board appointment. Andrea Staines OAM took a different approach. Nearly 20 years ago, she made the deliberate decision to build a portfolio career as a full-time non-executive director, long before it became a recognised career path. Today, Andrea is regarded as one of Australia's pioneers of the professional portfolio director, serving across transport, infrastructure and retail while continually evolving her career. Speaking on the latest 20 Years of Women on Boards podcast, she shares the principles that have guided her journey. One of Andrea's...
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E11 | Chris Franks AM: Governance with Purpose
Women on Boards - 20th Anniversary Series - Inspire | Influence | Impact
What does great governance look like after more than two decades in the boardroom? In this episode of 20 Years of Women on Boards – Inspire | Influence | Impact, Claire Braund speaks with Chris Franks AM, an accomplished non-executive director whose governance career spans mutuals, financial services, international development, health and the not-for-profit sector. Chris reflects on an extraordinary career journey from nursing to research, international development and some of Australia's leading member-owned organisations. She shares how purpose has shaped every board appointment, why...
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E10 | Toni Brendish FAICD: From CEO to Chair – Building a Purposeful Board Career
Women on Boards - 20th Anniversary Series - Inspire | Influence | Impact
How do you successfully transition from leading global businesses to building a rewarding portfolio career in the boardroom? In this episode of the 20 Years of Women on Boards – Inspire | Influence | Impact podcast, speaks with about the experiences, decisions and leadership lessons that have shaped her journey from CEO to Chair and Non-Executive Director. Toni reflects on an adventurous childhood spent in remote Australia and Papua New Guinea, explaining how resilience, independence and adapting to change became the foundations of her leadership style. She also shares how an unexpected...
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E9 | Victoria Weekes on Building a Meaningful Board Career: Adventure, Courage and Joy
Women on Boards - 20th Anniversary Series - Inspire | Influence | Impact
What does it take to build a successful board career that spans healthcare, financial services, housing, agriculture and listed companies? For experienced non-executive director Victoria Weekes, it starts with being willing to learn, embracing uncertainty and remembering that board service is about purpose, not prestige. In the latest episode of the 20 Years of Women on Boards podcast, Victoria joins Women on Boards CEO and Co-founder Claire BraundOAM to reflect on her remarkable governance journey, from her first board appointment in 2008 to a portfolio spanning some of Australia’s...
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E8 | Dr Bronwyn Evans AM: Engineering Intelligence, Leadership and the Boardroom
Women on Boards - 20th Anniversary Series - Inspire | Influence | Impact
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...
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E7 | Kerryn Newton on What Makes Great Boards Work
Women on Boards - 20th Anniversary Series - Inspire | Influence | Impact
Few people have observed Australian boardrooms as closely as Kerryn Newton. For almost two decades, Kerryn has advised boards, recruited directors and worked alongside organisations navigating governance challenges across the corporate, government and not-for-profit sectors. Through her work as Founder and Managing Director of Directors Australia, she has developed a unique perspective on what separates high-performing boards from those that struggle to achieve their potential. In this episode of our 20 Years of Women on Boards podcast series, Kerryn joins Claire Braund OAM to reflect on her...
info_outlineDr Wendy Craik AM is often described as a woman of many firsts - the first female head of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the first woman to lead the National Farmers' Federation and the first woman Chief Executive of the Murray Darling Basin Commission. So how does someone who started out with a science degree and PhD in zoology wind up on the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia?
An independent public policy advisor, particularly on issues related to natural resource management, Wendy has over 25 years' experience in public policy. In this podcast Wendy talks to Claire about her long and interesting career, which has spanned much of our continent and concentrated around natural resource management. It’s a career which has seen Wendy move from documenting fish and coral off Far North Queensland in the 70s and 80s to more recently counting fire ants across the country and crunching numbers in corporate boardrooms.
It was while working at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority that Wendy made the switch from research to organisational management, before moving to the National Farmers Federation. It was, she says, a big switch moving from fish to farming and despite having no farming experience describes the jump as the best career move she ever made and one which allowed her to travel around Australia speaking to farmers.
This exciting time, not without its challenges, saw environmental issues and climate change coming on to the agenda, as well as issues around native title, the sale of Telstra, the introduction of GST and water politics.
Now Wendy is chairing a national Steering Committee overseeing a 10-year program to eradicate imported fire ants. And never one to turn down a meaty challenge, in 2018 she embraced the opportunity to join the RBA board. While she admits it has been a steep learning curve, Wendy tells Claire it has been a fascinating journey.