Top 100 women on Aussie boards

1. Catherine Livingstone: arguably the most accomplished female CEO from her six-year stint running Cochlear up until 2000. Now a director of Macquarie Group, where she chairs the audit committee, director at Worley Parsons and chair of Telstra. Also previously chaired the CSIRO.

2. Elizabeth Bryan: the former CEO of NSW State Super is now chair of Caltex Australia. She also serves as a director at Ridley Corp, Westpac, Unisuper, Guild Insurance and Financial Services Limited.

3. Belinda Hutchinson: former Citibank and Macquarie Bank executive who will formally take over as chairman of QBE Insurance in July. Formerly a director of Coles, Crane, Telstra, Energy Australia, TAB Ltd and Sydney Water.

4. Elizabeth Alexander: the former PWC partner is chairman of the booming CSL and a former director of Amcor, Dexus Property Group and Boral, where she chaired the audit committee. Also sits on the Medibank Private board and is a past President of the AICD after defeating fellow Boral director Ken Moss in a contested ballot.

5. Linda Nicholls: immediate past chairman of Australia Post and former Victorian chairman of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Currently serves on the boards of Healthscope as the chair, Sigma Pharmaceutical, Perpetual and Fairfax Media. Former director of St George Bank and Victoria's Transport Accident Commission but the reputation has taken a hit given she chairs the Sigma audit committee.

6. Carolyn Hewson: former investment banker now sitting on the BHP-Billiton, Westpac, Stockland and BT Investment Management boards. Quit AMP out of frustration in 2002 before things really went pear-shaped and also had an earlier stint with CSR and AGL.

7. Jillian Broadbent: former Bankers Trust executive who now sits on the Reserve Bank, Coca-Cola Amatil, ASX and SBS boards. Also served on Woodside Petroleum for 10 years until 2008.

8. Patricia Cross: a Margaret Jackson protégé and former NAB treasury boss (pre-scandal) who suffered a hit when forced to quit the AMP board in 2003, but has come back with gigs at NAB, Qantas and Wesfarmers before she quit Wesfarmers in early 2010 after her husband Paul Meadows was appointed chief general counsel.

9. Jane Hemstritch: a former managing director of consulting gaint Accenture in the Asia Pacific and joined the Commonwealth Bank board in 2006. Also sits on the boards of Santos and Tabcorp.

10. Jillian Segal: from 1986 to 1996 she was a corporate/environmental partner at law firm Allen Allen & Hemsley. Prior to that she worked from 1983 to 1984 at the Wall Street law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell. The former ASIC deputy chair now serves on the board of ASX and NAB.

10. Carol Schwarz: daughter of billionaire Marc Besen who has arguably the most impressive CV of any Australian women when it comes to the government, arts and NGO sectors. Was also chair of Industry Super Property Trust, National President of the Property Council and a director of OPSM when it was listed.

11. Carolyn Kay: lawyer and former Morgan Stanley executive with experience in New York and London who now sits on the Commonwealth Bank and Brambles boards. Also a director of blue-blood legal firm Allens Arthur Robinson.

12. Helen Nugent: former Westpac strategy chief and now a director of Macquarie Group, Origin Energy and Freehills as well as being Chairman of Funds SA and Swiss Re Life & Health Australia.

13 . Dr Nora Scheinkestel: a banker with experience at CRA, Macquarie Bank, Chase AMP and Deutsche Bank, she's now an associate professor at the Melbourne Business School who sits on the AMP, Telstra, Pacific Brands and Orica boards after earlier stints with Mayne Pharma, North Ltd, Newcrest and the struggling Paperlinx. Also somehow finds time to consult on corporate governance and project finance.



14. Sandra McPhee: former Qantas sales and marketing chief who now sits on boards including Australia Post, AGL Energy, Fairfax Media and Kathmandu. Departed Coles due to the Wesfarmers takeover and Perpetual due to a conflict of interest with her husband's business.

15. Alison Watkins: former CEO of Berri and current CEO of investment outfit Bennelong. Serves on Woolworths and ANZ boards and previously served on Just Group board before Solly Lew took it over and ditched all four female directors.

16. Paula Dwyer: former investment banker with board seats at Suncorp, Healthscope, Tabcorp and Astro Japan (formerly Babcock & Brown Japan) and previous experience with RACV and David Jones.

17. Diane Grady: American originally who came to Australia in 1979 and became a citizen in 1998. A former McKinsey partner who became a professional director in 1994. Sits on the Woolworths, Bluescope Steel and Goodman boards boards and previously sat on Lend Lease and Wattyl. Current chairman of Ascham school and former President of Chief Executive Women group.

18. Eileen Doyle: former executive at BHP and CSR who has emerged as a professional director in recent years and currently serves on Boral, OneSteel, GPT, CSIRO and Ross Human Directions.

19. Irene Lee: former CEO of fund manager Sealcorp, executive director of Citibank and head of corporate finance at Commonwealth Bank who now serves on the boards of QBE Insurance, Cathay Pacific and ING Australia and previously served Ten Network Holdings, Brisbane Airport Corporation, Record Investments and Beyond International.

20. Judith Sloan: conservative labour market academic who previously served on Mayne Nickless and the ABC and now has Santos, gigs on the Productivity Commission and Fair Pay Commission and in 2008 joined the Westfield board after getting to know the Lowy family through a spot on the Lowy Institute. Also chaired Babcock & Brown Communities through her previous position on Primelife board.

21. Margaret Jackson: retired as Qantas chair in 2008 and also quit ANZ after almost 15 years but remains a director of Billabong and chair of embattled finance company Flexigroup. Former director of Pacific Dunlop, BHP, Southcorp and Fairfax Media.


22. Barbara Ward: former Paul Keating adviser and CEO of AWAS who quit Allco Finance Group over governance concerns in January 2008 and previously sat on the CBA and Multiplex boards. Joined Qantas board in 2008 and was a director of Lion Nathan before it was taken over by the Japanese. Also chairs the NSW Government's Country Energy.

23. Catherine Walter: former Clayton Utz partner who previously served on NAB, ASX and Orica boards. NAB board battles raised plenty of eye-brows but subsequently joined James Hardie board in 2008 and is a director of AFIC, Australia's biggest listed investment fund.

24. Dr Cherrell Hirst: a pioneer in breast cancer diagnosis and screening who now serves on the Suncorp Metway, Australasian Medical Insurance Limited, MBF Group, Impedimed and QBF boards whilst also chairing the listed company Peplin.

25. Patricia Akopiantz: former McKinsey consultant and now a director of Axa Asia Pacific, Wattyl and Energy Australia. Departed Coles board along with rest of the directors after Wesfarmers takeover.

26. Susan Oliver: formerly with Andersen Consulting and CEO of the Australian Commission for the Future and then spent a decade on the Transurban board. Served on the Just Group board until booted in Solly Lew takeover and also a director of Centro Retail, MBF and Programmed Maintenance Services.

27. Carla Zampatti: has amassed a pile worth more than $100 million through her fashion business but also spent a decade as a director of Westfield and time on the McDonald's Australia board. Also a past chair of SBS.

28. Naomi Milgrom: In 1990, Naomi Milgrom followed her father Marc Besen and became Group Managing Director of the Sussan fashion Group. Naomi then bought 100% of the business in November 2003 and has run it successfully ever since. Additionally, she is a past chair of the Melbourne Fashion Festival, a director of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and a director of the listed Magellan Financial Group.

29. Lyndsey Cattermole: made a fortune building and then selling Aspect Computing which finished up with Telstra via Kaz and now sits on the Foster's board after a brief stint with Tattersall's.


30. Penelope Maclagan: joined Computershare in 1983 as one its founders and joined the board in 1995. Penny was responsible for planning, developing and executing technology across the world. Since 2008 she has reduced her day-to-day involvement and gave up her management role, but is still a member of the nomination committee.

31. Lynn Wood: worked in retail, property and finance and has an MBA, plus built and sold two small businesses. Chair of Noni B since 2008, syndicate chair of CEO Institute and a director of GPT Funds Management. Previously served on FIRB, Macquarie Goodman, HSBC Australia and NSW Lotteries.

32. Yasmin Allen: former investment banker who is a non-executive director of IAG and Cochlear. Also a director of Macquarie Specialised Asset Management and a former director of EFIC.

33. Diane Lee Smith-Gander: Perth-based and the only female director of Wesfarmers after the departure of Patricia Cross in early 2010. She was a former executive at Westpac and did a long stint as a partner at McKinsey.

34. Kathleen Conlon: after seven years as a partner and director of the Boston Consulting Group where she led the Asia Pacific Operational Effectiveness Practice Area, she joined CSR as an independent director in 2004 and serves on the board of the the booming REA Group.

35. Elizabeth Proust: since retiring from ANZ in 2005-06, Jeff Kennett's former top bureaucrat only joined the Perpetual board but is conducting a review of the Victorian government's accountability bodies. Also sits on the board of Spotless.

36. Anne McDonald: a chartered accountant and board member of Spark Infrastructure Group and the Specialty Fashion Group, she has also been a director of GPT Group since 2006.

37. Anne Keating: Paul's sister used to run United Airlines in Australia and had a turbulent time fighting with Nick Whitlam on the NRMA board, but now serves on STW Holdings, Goodman International and Ardent Leisure (formerly Macquarie Leisure).

38. Dominique Fisher: the former wife of NSW Treasurer Peter Collins and current wife of former Victorian Treasurer Alan Stockdale chairs Circadian Technologies and is a director of Pacific Brands, plus also chairs three private tech companies and has Federal government gigs at the Australia Council and the Dance Board.

39. Katie Lahey: chief executive of the BCA and has previously been on a number of boards including Hills Motoway and Australia Post but David Jones is her only remaining major gig.

40. Nerolie Withnall: a former corporate partner with Minter Ellison lawyers until 2000, she serves on an array of boards including Hedley Leisure and Gaming, Campbell Brothers, PanAust and Alchemia. As of July 2008 she joined the Computershare board as an independent.

41. Catherine Brenner: beginning as a corporate lawyer, the former managing director of ABN AMRO, where she held various senior roles in the Investment Banking division, now serves on the board of Coca-Cola Amatil, Centennial Coal and Boral.

42. Bronwyn Morris: former KPMG audit partner in Brisbane who is currently serving on QIC, RACQ, Bond University, Care Australia and Spotless boards and is a former chair of Queensland Rail.

43. Merran Kelsall: the former deputy chancellor of RMIT University sits on Cuscal, RACV, Melbourne Water, the National Gallery of Victoria and chairs the Audit and Assurance Standards board. A qualified chartered accountant and previously worked in a professional practice, including as a partner for ten years.

44. Elana Rubin: whilst primarily sponsored by the industry super funds and Victorian Labor government, Elana chairs Victrack and the Victorian WorkCover Authority, is a director of the TAC and Tower Australia Group.


45. Anna Booth: the former textiles union boss was given a gig on the Commonwealth Bank board by Paul Keating and now chairs Slater & Gordon. Also previously a director of SOCOG and the NRMA.

46. Jenny Seabrook: sits on the boards of the Bank of Western Australia, MG Kailis Holdings, IRESS Market Technology and Iluka Resources. Former directorships include Gresham Partners and Gresham Advisory Partners, and she served on the board of West Australian Newspapers before exiting in 2009 when Kerry Stokes took control.

47. Anna Hynes: director of IAG who spent most of her career at American Express and previously served on the Promina and Country Road boards.

48. Lyn Gearing: the former CEO of NSW State Super from 1997-2002 and former director of Stockland is currently a director of Queensland Investment Corporation, Hancock Natural Resource Group, IMB Ltd and and a couple of not for profit organisations.

49. Denise Bradley: has been extensively involved in national education policy groups for more than two decades. Was appointed to the Seek board in February 2010 after she chaired the expert panel conducting the Rudd Government's review of higher education. Has sat on a range of other education-related bodies including vice-chancellor of the University of South Australia between 1997-2007.

50. Rowena Danziger: long-serving principal of Sydney's Ascham school and a non executive director of Consolidated Media and Crown courtesy of a long connection with the Packer family.

51. Barbara Gibson: was an executive with Orica in a number of roles including general manager, Advanced Sciences Group and group general manager, Chemicals Group. A recipient of an Australian Centenary Medal in 2001 for service to Australian society in medical technology. She serves on the board of Nuplex, St Barbara Mines and Penrice Soda and is a former director of Biota Holdings.

52. Anna Buduls: having worked as a financial journalist with the Financial Review, she moved on to become a corporate adviser in the investment banking division at Macquarie Bank and head of investor relations at Westpac. Currently on the board of Freedom Group, Mirvac, Macquarie Generation, Hamilton James and Bruce, The Smith Family and SAI Global.

53. Maureen Plasvic: a director of Pacific Brands, a trustee of National Gallery of Victoria since 2003, and director of Macquarie Radio Network. Maureen was previously CEO of the Seven Network and a director of Opera Australia, which was sponsored by Seven.

54. Cheryl Bart: newest director appointed to board of ABC, the lawyer is an arts heavyweight in Adelaide who chaired Adelaide Festival and South Australian Film Corporation, along with the EPA. Also first appointed to ETSA Utilities board by Liberals in 1995 and continues to oversee the assets after privatisation as an independent director of Spark Infrastructure. The only top female director to have climbed Everest.

55. Melinda Cilento: economist who is deputy CEO of the Business Council of Australia and in December 2008 was appointed as a non-executive director of Woodside Petroleum.

56. Jennifer Hill-Ling: from the family which control the famous Hills Hoist she has stepped back from management and is serving as non-executive chairman of Hills Industries.

57. Philippa Stone: a commercial lawyer and partner of a major law firm, she was appointed to David Jones board in March 2010 and also serves on Airs Services Commission.

58. Jyn Baker: has more than 20 years experience in the resources and energy sector including law, project finance banking, mergers and acquisitions. More recently she served as a board member and managing director of Midwest Corporation. Jyn is currently a director of Horizon Oil, Atlas Iron, Kairiki Energy and LinQ Capital Limited.

59. Deborah Radford: spent 7 years in the Victorian Treasury then after a decade in banking became a consultant and now serves on the Bendigo & Adelaide Bank, City West Water and Forestry Tasmania boards.


60. Dulcie Boling: former journalist and Rupert Murdoch's Australian magazine queen who has been a non-executive director of Seven Network for more than 15 years.

61. Nicole Hollows: began her career in 1992 with a small Brisbane city based chartered accountancy practice, Ham and Partners. Leaving in 1998 to commence with Macarthur Coal Management as CFO. In 2002 she became the CFO of the parent company Macarthur Coal Limited and is now the CEO.

62. Nancy Milne: a lawyer with areas of legal expertise in insurance and reinsurance, risk management, corporate governance and professional negligence. Served as a partner at Clayton Utz until 2003 and since early 2009 has been an independent non executive director of Commonwealth Property Office. Also sits on the board of CFS Retail Trust.

63. Chloe Munro: from England originally and rose to lead Telstra's efforts on HR and climate change under Sol Trujillo. Now a professional director as chair of Aquasure, the consortium building the world's second biggest desalination plant in Victoria, and serves on the Australian Water Commission and Hydro Tasmania boards.

64. Erica Smyth: was Principal Geologist for BHP Minerals and was also the general manager corporate affairs for Woodside Petroleum. The former chancellor of the University of WA, she serves on the board as chair of Toro Energy.

65. Christine Holgate: CEO of Blackmores with senior global management experience with Telstra, JP Morgan and Cable & Wireless who also serves on the board of Ten Network Holdings.

66. Emma Stein: the former UK managing director for French utility Gaz de France's energy retailing operations, Ms Stein moved to Australia in 2003. She serves as an independent director of Clough and the DUET Group.

67. Christine Nixon: the former Victorian chief police commissioner joined the Foster's board in April 2010 as a non executive director shortly before she was engulfed in controversy.

68. Melinda Snowden: a former Freehills lawyer who is now a director of Grant Samuel and has served on the board of the listed Vita Group since 2008, plus some other unlisted boards.

69. Rosalind Dubs: a former deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Technology, Sydney. Former VP of Operations for Thales ATM SA and also served as a board member. Since 2009 she has served as a non-executive director of Aristocrat Leisure.

70. Penny Morris: appointed to the board in 2004 of Aristocrat Leisure, she formerly managed the Commonwealth's property portfolio and served as a senior executive at Lend Lease.

71. Sally Pitkin: prior to joining the board of Aristocrat Leisure in 2005, she was a former director of Chandler Macleod, Australian Leisure & Hospitality, Ceramic Fuel Cells, Energex, and National Leisure and Gaming. Sally was previously a partner at Clayton Utz.

72. Anne Brennan: currently serves as Coates Hire finance director, and has previously held senior roles at CSR, KPMG, Ernst & Young and Arthur Andersen. In 2009 was appointed to the board of retailer Myer.

73. Carol Holley: a chartered accountant, auditor and registered tax agent who served for 9 years on the Cochlear board and still chairs the Cochlear Foundation. Currently a director of Australian Pharmaceutical Industries.

74. Jenny Dawson: did 10 years at Arthur Andersen and is now one of two female directors of Bendigo & Adelaide Bank.

75. Cristina Cifuentes: former funds manager and treasury economist who also served on the NSW Independent Pricing Tribunal. She currently sits as a non-executive director on the board of First State Super, NSW T-Corp, and is a member of the Perpetual Multi Manager Investment Committee.

76. Margaret Towers: a chartered accountant with over 25 years experience in the financial markets, she was formerly an executive VP at Bankers Trust Australia, and had a stint with PwC. Since 2007 she has served on the board of Platinum Asset Management and previously worked with founder Kerr Neilson at BT.

77. Kate Spargo: a qualified lawyer, she began her directorship serving as a director of IOOF from 1999 to 2009. In 2007 she was elected as an independent to the board of Transfield Services Infrastructure fund.

78. Lucy Turnbull: has extensive experience in commercial legal practice and investment banking and from 2003-2004, was the Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney. She joined the Melbourne IT Board in September 2006, following the acquisition of WebCentral Group.


79. Carol Holley: accountant with plenty of government audit gigs who serves on API board, chairs the unlisted coal player Resource Pacific and also did nine years with Cochlear.

80. Siobhan Mckenna: managing partner of Illyria and a part-time commissioner of the Productivity Commission. Previously she was a partner at management consulting firm McKinsey & Company and was also a member of the advisory board of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Serves on the board of DMG Radio Australia and Prime Media Group.

81. Carmel Gray: after a career in IT and banking, she is now a Brisbane-based director of Bank of Queensland.

82. Jane Harvey: former PwC partner who has served at IOOF Holdings since 2005 and sits on the boards of Medibank Private and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

83. Christina Gillies: former IT heavyweight at the likes of St George, Bendigo Bank and Bank of Melbourne who is now a director of Corporate Express and Oakton Computing, plus has served on numerous government IT committees and boards such as Centrelink from 1997 until 2005.

84. Marina Darling: with extensive experience in commercial, legal and corporate advisory experience, since 1999 she has served as an independent director of Argo Investments and is a former director of Southern Cross Broadcasting.

85. Meredith Brooks: a former managing director of US Institutional Investment Services for Frank Russell Company based in New York. Prior to that she previously held the positions of managing director of Frank Russell Australasia for five years. She now serves as an independent director on the board of Perpetual.

86. Karen Field: has held executive roles in a variety of mining industry sectors throughout Australia and in South America where she served as President of Minera Alumbrera, an Argentine based management company. She serves on boards for Sipa Resources, Electricity Networks Corporation and Water Corporation where she joined in 2006.

87. Annabelle Chaplain: former vice president of Citibank and held other management positions with ABN AMRO and AIDC. She was appointed to the board of Downer EDI in 2008.

88. Fiona Harris: was previously a partner with chartered accountants KPMG and has served on the board of Territory Resources since 1997. A director of Vulcan resources, WA state president of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and independent director of Sundance Resources.

89. Joycelyn Morton: an accountant who hails from Sydney and started out with Coopers & Lybrand before working with Woolworths and then Shell in Australia and the Netherlands. Joined the board of Count Financial in 2006 and Noni B in 2009.

90. Helen Garnett: served as the vice chancellor of Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory from 2003 -2008, and was the Australian representative to the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency. In 2005 was appointed non executive director of Energy Resources of Australia.


91. Dr Christine Clifton: a former GP who now sits on the board of death services company Invocare along with the UNSW council. She is a former CEO of the Sisters of Charity Health Service in NSW and deputy CEO of the Northern Sydney Area Health Service.

92. Michelle Mckellar: has previously held senior positions with Intro International Limited and CB Richard Ellis throughout the Asia-Pacific region. She established a private family property company and serves on the board as an independent for the Cromwell Group.

93. Claire Jackson: non-executive director of iSoft group since 2004.

94. Lee Ausburn: is a qualified pharmacist with experience in retail and hospital pharmacy and has experience as an academic. She has served as a director of Australian Pharmaceutical Industries since October 2008.

95. Yvonne Von Hartel: is a founding member of the leading Melbourne architectural and urban planning firm, Peckvonhartel. Also serves on the board of Connect East as an independent.

96. Emma Stein: independent director of Duet group.

97. Susan Mcintosh: with 20-plus years experience in media, she serves as the managing director of RG Capital Holdings Australia. In 2000 was appointed to the board of the Photon Group.

98. Julie Raffe: a chartered accountant acts as an alternate director of Austereo and is the CFO of Village Roadshow Australia. Also serves on the board of HFA Accelerator Plus.

99. Eva Skira: has a background in banking, capital markets, stockbroking and financial markets. Previously held executive positions at Commonwealth Bank and later as a stockbroker based in the UK. She serves on the board of RCR Tomlinson.

100. Danielle Blain: a director of Delta Corporation non executive director of Schaffer Corporation since 1987. In 2003 she was elected as the first woman state president of the Liberal Party in WA.

101. Vicki Allen: prior to joining Babcock's Alternative Investment Trust, Ms Allen worked at Lend Lease and National Australia Bank in a number of senior roles. Also serves on the board of KFM Diversified Infrastructure.




Some other names to watch in alphabetical order

Kim Anderson: has more than 25 years experience in advertising and media executive positions within companies such as Southern Star Entertainment, PBL and NineMSN. In 2010 she joined the board of carsales.com, specifically on the audit and risk management committee.

Zelinda Bafile: practiced as a lawyer for over 30 years, and is a former pro chancellor of Curtin University. Was appointed in 2006 to the board of Water Corp and in the same year was runner-up in the Australian Corporate Lawyer of the Year.

Julie Hill: director of Lend Lease since 2006 but lives in America so we're not ranking her with the Australian-based directors.

Jayne Hrdlicka: formerly a partner of management consulting company Bain & Co, she was appointed a non executive director of Woolworths in August 2010.

Tina McMeckan: appointed non executive director of SP AusNet on August 9, 2010.

Sam Mostyn: a former Insurance Group Australia and Optus senior executive who became the first woman commissioner of the Australian Football League, joined the Virgin Blue board in September 2010.

Marissa Peterson: formerly an executive for 18 years with Sun Microsystems, she joined the Ansell board in 2006.

Carol Schwartz: as of July 1 2010, will be on the board of Stockland property Group. She is also on the board of a number of organisations including Yarra Capital Partners, The Sydney Institute and the City of Melbourne's Enterprise Melbourne Advisory Board. Ms Schwartz is a past National President of the Property Council of Australia.

Kathryn Spargo: was appointed to the board of UGL Limited in August 2010 and is a former board memebver of AEMO - Australian Energy Market Operator

Jennifer Tait: appointed non executive director of Alesco Corporation on August 3, 2010. She is also a non-executive director of the not for profit organisation Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute.

Stephanie Unwin: Perth-based commercial lawyer who is company general counsel at Verve Energy whilst serving as a non-executive director of Avoca Resources.

Vanessa Wallace: appointed non executive director of Wesfarmers on July 6, 2010. Ms Wallace is also on the Chairman's Council of the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

Rosemary Warnock: appointed to the board on Onesteel, effective September 1, 2010. She is chairman of international company Thinc Group Holdings, and has held senior executive roles with BP.