Managing a portfolio career and leading the charge in Adelaide - with Wendy Teasdale Smith
Women on Boards - 20th Anniversary Series - Inspire | Influence | Impact
Release Date: 11/07/2022
Ep14 | 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...
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E6 | Susan Benedyka on Rural Leadership, Purpose and Contribution
Women on Boards - 20th Anniversary Series - Inspire | Influence | Impact
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...
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E5 | Amanda Heyworth on Curiosity, Growth and Contribution
Women on Boards - 20th Anniversary Series - Inspire | Influence | Impact
In this episode of the 20 Years of Women on Boards – Inspire | Influence | Impact series, WOB co-founder and CEO Claire Braund OAM speaks with Amanda Heyworth FAICD about building a board career while balancing executive leadership, family life and continuous professional growth. Amand is a professional company director with governance experience spanning startups to ASX 200 companies across technology, finance, property, innovation and venture capital. Amanda discusses the realities of building a board portfolio over time, including reducing executive commitments gradually while expanding...
info_outlineWendy 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)
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