Shamsa Lea is an award-winning leader and a senior Air Force veteran of Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and the Middle East Region. She has held executive roles across Defence, private and for-purpose sectors including most recently as National Lead – Gender Equity Advisory at Deloitte. She is currently the Director, Innovation and Strategy at Anglicare WA.

Shamsa is the co-founder of Propel Her Australia- The Defence Women’s Leadership Series, the most read career development resource for Defence Women, and has sat on a number of boards that centre social justice. She is a passionate keynote speaker on gender equity, social reform and leadership.

Shamsa is also a military spouse, mum and leadership coach with a special interest in emerging female leaders.

Find more about Shamsa here: www.linkedin.com/in/shamsalea

Find more about Propel Her here: www.groundedcuriosity.com/propel-her

Kylie Maj has been a driving force for justice reform in Western Australia as a senior executive at several WA Government departments and statutory authorities.

Ms Maj is currently the Acting Director General of the Department of Justice, after serving as its Deputy Director General Strategic Reform since 2019. She previously served in senior roles at the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC), the Office of the Auditor General and the Ombudsman WA.

Ms Maj has established a track record of identifying solutions to strategic policy issues, securing funds for implementation, and collaborating with stakeholders to deliver complex reforms. Her work at Justice has included overseeing the launch of the WA Office of Crime Statistics and Research, establishing a Legislative Services directorate, convening the Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee and developing the Department’s inaugural Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) Strategic Framework.

As Justice Reform Project Director with DPC, Ms Maj managed a project to develop a suite of justice reform initiatives that were ultimately allocated $100m in Budget funding. She later implemented these reforms at Justice, namely the General Court Intervention Program, FDV GPS Tracking Trial, Reducing Avoidable Remand Program (Bail Support and Prison In-Reach Services) and the Parole In-Reach Program.

Ms Maj has an Honours Degree in Political Science from the University of Western Australia and is a Sir James Wolfensohn Public Service Scholarship winner.

Chancellor Australian National University
38th Foreign Minister of Australia

The Hon Julie Bishop is Chancellor of the Australian National University, appointed in 2020.

On 5 April 2024 the Secretary General of the United Nations announced that he had appointed Julie as his Special Envoy on Myanmar, effective from 26 May 2024.

Ms Bishop served as Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2013 until 2018. She was the first female to hold the role as well as the first female Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, serving for 11 years. She was the longest serving Member for Curtin in the House of Representatives, elected in 1998 until 2019.

As Foreign Minister, Ms Bishop was responsible for strengthening Australia’s key strategic and economic relationships and enhancing engagement with Pacific Island countries, including normalising relations with Fiji, leading international recovery and reconstruction efforts in Vanuatu and establishing a school of government in Papua New Guinea. With Ministerial responsibility for more than 5,000 departmental staff, 110 overseas missions, and several government agencies, including the Australian Secret Intelligence Service and the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research.

She led the single largest expansion of Australia’s overseas diplomatic presence in 40 years, increasing to 110 diplomatic missions. Ms Bishop developed the 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper, providing a comprehensive policy framework for the next decade; and established the New Colombo Plan, enabling Australian undergraduates to live, study and work in the Indo-Pacific region. Within five years, more than 40,000 students have participated in the Plan.

Bringing her experience from the private sector, Ms Bishop established the innovationXchange within DFAT to develop bold and creative solutions to longstanding overseas development assistance challenges and overhaul Australia’s foreign aid focus.

Ms Bishop promoted Australia’s interests at the United Nations Security Council. In 2014, she led the international response to the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine and was awarded the Commander of the Order of Merit of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For her contribution to the US-Australia alliance, in 2018, Ms Bishop received the inaugural Eleanor Roosevelt US Mission Award for Leadership Excellence.

She previously served as a Cabinet Minister in the Howard Government as Minister for Education, Science and Training and as the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women’s Issues. Prior to this, Minister Bishop was Minister for Ageing.

Before entering Parliament, Ms Bishop was a commercial litigation lawyer at Perth firm Clayton Utz, becoming a partner in 1985 and managing partner in 1994. Ms Bishop graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Adelaide in 1978 and attended Harvard Business School in Boston in 1996, completing the Advanced Management Program for Senior Managers.

In 2017, the University of Adelaide awarded Ms Bishop the Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University for her contribution to Australian parliamentary service, and in 2020 she was also awarded an honorary doctorate from ECU.

In 2020 Julie was awarded a Fisher Family Fellowship for the Future of Diplomacy Project at Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs. In 2021 Julie was awarded the Kissinger Fellowship at the McCain Institute of International Leadership at Arizona State University.

In 2021, the UK Government appointed Julie to the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council (GEAC). She is also a member of the Trilateral Commission Capitalism Task Force.

Julie was chosen by Mattel Australia as the 2021 Aus Shero Official Role Model as part of the Barbie Dream Gap Project for her inspiring career and iconic contribution as Australia’s first female Foreign Minister.

In 2022 Ms Bishop was awarded the Sir Edward “Weary” Dunlop AsiaLink Medal for her contribution to Australian diplomacy, women’s empowerment and Australia’s integration with the Indo-Pacific. In 2023 Julie has joined David Jones as an official Friend of the brand.

Julie is Chair of the Board of The King’s Trust Australia, Trustee of King’s Trust Group Company and Member of the International Advisory Board of Council on Foreign Relations.

She is also the Patron of Shooting Stars (an education programme for young aboriginal girls) and was an ambassador for Football Australia’s Legacy ’23 program in the lead up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

She has also established a boutique consultancy, Julie Bishop and Partners, offering strategic advisory services.

Ms Bishop has previously served as Chair of the WA Town Planning Appeal Tribunal, Director of SBS Media, Director of the West Coast Eagles AFL Club and on the Murdoch University Senate

Catherine has worked in the community housing and NFP industry for a number of years and is currently working alongside community housing providers at a State Government level. Previously Catherine worked in venue and event management as brings that experience to Pride WA to help facilitate PrideFEST and be Pride WA’s Volunteer Coordinator.

In her spare time Catherine is a part of Frontrunners and Emerald City Kickball of which she has proudly won best dressed for two seasons in a row. She believes that costumes and dressing up to have a good time are an integral part of life and enjoys the ridiculousness of the LGBTQIA+ sporting teams.

Catherine believes that Pride WA is such an integral part of the broader LGBTQIA+ community and wants to see the community grow into a powerhouse of support for all. She has such a passion for the LGBTQIA+ community and is looking forward to seeing Pride WA grow into a 365 day a year organisation.

Emily Briggs started as the inaugural Deputy Director General Climate and Sustainability in April 2023.

Emily has extensive international experience in climate and environment working across Government, the private sector and NGOs. She started her career at BP Australia. She has since held senior roles across the UK Government including energy, climate and green finance policy. Emily led the UK Government’s Brexit strategy on carbon pricing and played a key role in the UK Covid Green Economic Recovery program.

On return to her home in Western Australia, she joined Pollination, a specialist climate change investment and advisory firm. Emily led engagement with C-suite clients providing strategy, investment and business transformation advice on all aspects of the net zero, nature positive transition. 

Emily has a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) and Commerce and a Master of Science in Environmental Technology (Environmental Economics and Policy).

Rebecca is currently the Senior Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Business Partner at AngloGold Ashanti Australia. AngloGold Ashanti is an independent, global gold mining company with a diverse, high-quality portfolio of operations, projects and exploration activities across nine countries on four continents. AngloGold Ashanti is committed to creating an affirming and inclusive culture.

Rebecca holds a Master of Human Resource Management from Murdoch University and has over 15 years’ experience in People and Capability roles.

In the role of Senior Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Business Partner, Rebecca is accountable for driving the development, implementation and maintenance of the Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (IDE) Business Unit Action Plan, and IDE program design and execution across the Australian region. This includes addressing menopause, menstruation, and assisted reproductive treatment in the workplace.

Rebecca is a mother of three, and has balanced managing PCOS, fertility treatments, high risk pregnancy, infant loss, post-partum depression and anxiety, and adenomyosis with her career. These experiences have impacted Rebecca both as an IDE practitioner, and the type of leader she intends to be.

Grace Molloy is the CEO of Menopause Friendly Australia 

Menopause Friendly Australia is a circuit-breaker for companies experiencing the loss of productivity, gender diversity and psychosocial safety associated by the surge in the number of menopausal people in the workplace.

Seeing Australian businesses lose experienced leaders early due to menopause symptoms, Grace made it her mission to ensure employers have access to the support they need to help women thrive through this stage of life.

A commercial health professional, Registered Nurse, ex-Big4 accountant, Grace

has worked alongside Australia’s pre-eminent medical researchers and global pharmaceutical and biotechnology innovators to advance medical breakthroughs through clinical trials. 

Grace is a member of the Australasian Menopause Society and the International Menopause Society and recently contributed to the first ever Menopause Roundtable in parliament Canberra. 

An advocate for women, Grace helped senior executive women secure board roles through the first Director Pipeline Project at the Australian Institute of Company Directors and consulted to the Victorian Human Rights Commission when they formed a gender policy for golf. She was the youngest woman appointed to a golf body when at 25 she became a director and Vice President of Women’s Golf WA. Advocating for equity in the sport, she sat on the amalgamation committee when the WA women’s and men’s golf associations merged to form Golf WA. She was soon after invited by Golf Australia to contribute to the reshaping of the National Handicapping System. 

She brings 15+ years experience in commercial partnerships across industries including professional services, NFP, finance, sport and accounting. After completing a Masters of nursing and becoming a registered nurse, she turned her attention to medical research at Linear Clinical Research where her most recent role was Head of Strategy and Performance. After being invited to an internship with Brandon Capital, Grace became determined to contribute to the gap in evidence-based solutions for women’s health and menopause. She believes in a world where women can thrive at work through all ages and stages of life.

Jodi is a locally trained specialist anaesthetist who has been the Executive Director at the Women’s and newborn Health service and is currently Executive Director at Sir Charles Gairdner and Osborne Park Group.

Her many previous roles include Medical Co-Director of the Surgical Division at SCGOPHCG, various roles in ANZCA and the WA Anaesthesia Training programme.

Jodi spent 2018 working at the Department of Health as the Medical Adviser to the Sustainable Health Review Project, which was a great opportunity for her to put a Masters of Health Policy, acquired at the University of Sydney, to good use.

Jodi has a keen interest in engaging with staff, empowering our workforce and developing strong individual culture and identity at SCGHOPHCG.

Lesley joined Synergy in January 2022 and has considerable prior experience with customer engagement in the banking and finance sectors.

As General Manager of the Customer business unit, Lesley ensures Synergy delivers exceptional customer service and innovative solutions to enable and support our customers to meet their changing energy needs. Her team works to leverage market insights for application across sales and customer experience.

Lesley has extensive experience managing contact centres and holds a Graduate Certificate of Business (Leadership) from Edith Cowan University.

Sally North is the WorkSafe Commissioner in Western Australia. In this role she is the work health and safety regulator for the resources and general industries sectors. Commencing as an inspector, Sally has over twenty years’ experience at WorkSafe in operational and leadership roles and has qualifications in chemistry, occupational safety and health, occupational hygiene and business administration.  Sally values the opportunity to make a difference to the community through WorkSafe’s education, support and compliance teams and through collaborating with stakeholders.