In 2003 Laurie McDonald established Canberra Furnished Accommodation by offering short-term property rentals. Today her business comprises about 40 furnished residences in central Canberra ranging from budget studio units to three bedroom apartments. Providing an alternative to hotels and serviced apartments, Laurie offers secure residences with flexible length of stay and modern furniture – without signing a lease. The business attracts local, national and international guests from corporate, government and diplomatic backgrounds as well as Canberra visitors or locals who may be renovating or moving home. Length of stay ranges from a single night to a few months for people relocating to the ACT. As her staff numbers grew, Laurie focused on developing the business systems and coaching her team to take over some of her responsibilities. Laurie is president of the ACT Chamber of Women in Business and was the Chamber’s 2009 Businesswoman of the Year.

Government experience in security vetting led Tracey Mitchell to establish her own security and training business in 2006. Mitchell Personnel Solutions conducts high-level security assessments of individuals for some of Australia’s most security-conscious government organisations. It extends its vetting services in the normally male-dominated security industry to cover finance, health, education, hospitality, logistics and many sectors. Tracey, who is Managing Director and CEO of MPS Training and MPS Security Vetting, is a former manager in the Australian Security Vetting Service within the Attorney General’s Department. She was recognised for her work on secondment to the implementation team for the National Security Hotline. Tracey initially spent between 12 and 16 hours a day building her business which now employs almost 20 people. As a registered training organisation, MPS provides government agencies and private companies with training solutions in management, interview skills, speechwriting, client services, security, OH&S and risk management.

An entrepreneurial background in marketing and business development with both an IT start-up in Boston and the Australian Stock Exchange led Kate Sykes to establish her own business venture in 2006. Moving from Sydney to Canberra, she launched www.careermums.com.au a national jobs board and careers centre for working parents. The site also provides employers with a pool of specialist working parents typically aged between 30 and 50. As sole employee Kate is responsible for customer service and supplier relationships, online marketing and development of website content, strategic planning and public relations. She is supported by an IT service provider and by her husband, a certified practicing accountant. Kate believes CareerMums will increase in relevance for Australian businesses as the Australian population ages, skills shortages increase in many sectors and paid parental leave is extended. Kate chairs the Canberra Business Council’s Workstyles Committee which promotes flexible workplace practices in the ACT.

A hairdressing career and owning her own salon was a long-held dream for Carly-Jane Tozer. From working in salons at the age of 14, she completed an apprenticeship after leaving school. Only four months later at the age of 20, Carly-Jane opened CJ’s Style, a boutique hair and beauty salon at Belconnen. Work with clients during the day was followed by evenings of cleaning the salon, washing and preparing for the next day. Within six months she employed her first staff member and after 18 months she faced the then daunting task of fitting out larger premises at a busy shopping centre as well as learning computer skills for her business. Today Carly-Jane employs three full-time staff, three casuals and three contractors to serve a clientele that extends well outside her local community. Carly-Jane, who was involved in youth work with teenage girls for many years, supports local charities and sponsors two sporting clubs.

Shannon Craig’s goal in high school was to be a hotel general manager by the age of 35 - she made it with 12 months to spare. As General Manager of Rydges Eagle Hawk Resort on the ACT-NSW border, Shannon is the youngest and one of four female general managers in the 40-hotel Rydges Group. The resort has 151 rooms, two restaurants and conference facilities for 300 people. In her first year, Shannon and her 46 employees drove guest satisfaction ratings up by 30 per cent and lifted hotel occupancy by 14 per cent. Shannon says constant innovation is key to success in the competitive hotel industry – she introduced a schools group accommodation package that brought in 2500 hotel nights in its first eight months. Shannon moved to the ACT after three years managing the Southbank Convention Centre in Townsville where she increased profit by 54 per cent in her first year.

Since 2006, Carol Sawyer has been General Manager of the 84,000-member Canberra Southern Cross Club, a business with a $48 million turnover. She was previously CFO for 12 years during a period of intense growth for the not-for-profit social club. As General Manager, Carol has nine staff directly reporting to her and is responsible for more than 200 staff. Working directly with the CEO and Board, Carol provides leadership, direction and measurement of business outcomes across all segments of the club from marketing and IT to human resources and accounting. In 2009 she introduced a “small appetite” meal option that proved immensely popular with the club’s senior diners and increased revenue. Carol implemented a loyalty and rewards program, which tripled member participation. One of her most significant achievements was raising the club’s environmental awareness – 16 energy-saving opportunities and two waste reduction initiatives were introduced in the past year.

Government health services executive Brenda Ainsworth has a long record of change management in NSW and now in the ACT. As executive director, Health Performance Improvement Innovation & Redesign for ACT Health, Brenda is charged with improving public access to acute health services by changing business processes. Creating and growing an 18-person division with a $2.5 million operating budget, Brenda redesigns clinical services to improve the patient experience. She designed and implemented the first public nurse-led walk-in centre in Australia. Opening in May 2010, the centre saw more than 1000 patients in its first month of operation. Brenda also led her team in developing an acute coronary syndrome project that resulted in heart attack patients being seen and treated in the right hospital in a more timely manner. Before joining ACT Health, Brenda held positions within NSW Health focusing on clinical service redesign and patient flow in acute hospital settings.

As ACT executive director of the Property Council of Australia, Catherine Carter has a dual advocacy role to both the ACT and Federal Governments on Canberra-related property issues. Catherine’s effective leadership of the not-for-profit organisation in the past five years has driven an increase in member companies from 112 to 172 and doubled revenue streams. Catherine is employed as a lobbyist and general manager, responsible for policy, advocacy and government relations as well as commercial activities and budgets. Property Council members include commercial, industrial and residential property developers, environmental consultants, architects, engineers and planners. As the public face of the Property Council, Catherine has advocated the council’s view on building forms and environmental sustainability, the need for long-term planning and a vision for the nation’s capital. Directly supervising three staff in Canberra, Catherine works closely with colleagues in the Property Council’s 100-person national team through internal committees and working groups.

A commitment to the professional development of nursing and midwifery led Debra Cerasa to the role of CEO, Company Secretary and board member of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia. RCNA is the peak professional, not-for-profit organisation that inspires, progresses and promotes nursing. Debra’s extensive career in clinical nursing, midwifery and paramedic services education and rural health management roles in Australia and Indonesia began in 1973. Debra leads a team of 45 involved in lobbying government for recognition of nursing within health reforms and for nursing research funding. In her first year Debra drove membership from 7,100 up to 11,800 and significantly improved revenue opportunities for RCNA. The organisation promotes the diverse professional scope of practice to support nurses to deliver care to their full potential. RCNA recently launched the “new generation of nurses” faculty to encourage and mentor young nurses in the early years of their careers.

For Roxanne Missingham, her role as Parliamentary Librarian at the Parliament of Australia is the pinnacle of a career of more than 30 years working in libraries and knowledge management. Roxanne leads a team of 140 with responsibility for the delivery of library and research services for the Parliament. With a budget of more than $20 million, she leads whole-of-parliament information projects such as its website replacement and Hansard digitisation. She also manages human resources for the Department of Parliamentary Services. Roxanne has encouraged the implementation of web2.0 technologies in the parliament. Previously at the National Library, Roxanne shaped the development of the Libraries Australia service which now provides free access to 40 million items held in Australian libraries. A former president of the Australian Library and Information Association, Roxanne is convenor of Electronic Resources Australia and has published more than 140 book chapters, journal articles and conference papers.

Commander Allison Norris is responsible for managing collective training and exercises conducted by the Royal Australian Navy’s Fleet units including international exercises with up to 12 other nations. She coordinates Navy training within the Australian exercise areas to achieve operational requirements. Allison joined the RAN in 1987 and spent the majority of her career at sea. She was the first woman to qualify as an anti-submarine aircraft controller, an air intercept controller and a principal warfare officer and also the first woman appointed as second-in Command of a major fleet unit. Allison completed a two-year exchange with the US Navy and participated in military operations in East Timor and the Middle East. Her proudest achievement was her successful 18-month tenure as Commanding Officer of the RAN frigate HMAS Melbourne up to December 2009. This experience allows her to develop high tempo training exercises in her current role.

Establishing a public health centre where nurses have autonomy in providing patient care brought many challenges for ACT health executive Brenda Ainsworth. Brenda led the development and implementation of a walk-in centre that was modelled on existing UK operations that are valued for their convenience and accessibility. Opening in May 2010, Australia’s first public nurse-led walk-in centre provides treatment for minor illness and injuries in a clinical environment. The innovative model required legislative change in the ACT and difficult negotiations with clinical groups. As ACT Health’s executive director, Health Performance Improvement Innovation & Redesign, Brenda drives change in business processes to improve public access to acute health services. She says the ACT walk-in centre aims to relieve pressure on emergency departments, provide faster access to treatment and an answer to workforce shortages. The centre features “paperless” medical records and served 1000 patients in its first month.

As managing director of a national online career centre, Kate Sykes is well placed to serve the increasing trend of employers diversifying their recruitment channels. Kate says Australian employers are turning to niche jobs boards to achieve cut-through when advertising jobs – a similar trend exists in the UK and US where online jobs boards have increased market share. Kate’s business www.careermums.com.au was established late in 2006 to focus on opportunities for working parents. In 2008 she launched two innovative “toolkits” that fill a gap in the market for working parents and employers using her site. The working parents’ toolkit is designed to support expectant parents, parents on leave and working parents. Another package gives employers a step-by-step guide with strategies and solutions for building a retention program for parents on leave. The “toolkits” can be customised and branded for each employer.

Shannon Craig studied travel and tourism after high school and her career in the hospitality industry has taken her from restaurant waiter to hotel general manager. At 34, Shannon is the General Manager of the 151-room Rydges Eagle Hawk Resort on the ACT-NSW border and the youngest person in her role in the Rydges Group. Shannon has a Diploma in Management and a record of winning local and national tourism business awards in Townsville. In turning around the Eagle Hawk Resort’s revenue position over the past year, Shannon says she progressively worked through each department, engaging staff and implementing change through training and documenting standard procedures. Guest satisfaction and occupancy are up and the average nightly revenue per room is $9 higher. Shannon says hotels are full of young people in their first jobs and it is important to impart business ethics and knowledge for them to carry through their careers.

Kylie Giles, 27, completed three marine science and business degrees in South Australia before moving to Canberra in 2008 to a graduate role with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. In 2010 while working at the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation the aquaculture scientist completed an Australian Institute of Company Directors diploma. Her role at the FRDC sees her managing aquaculture research projects funded by the corporation for Aquaculture research across Australia. Kylie says her biggest career achievement involved being on the program committee planning the Australasian Aquaculture 2010 conference and tradeshow in Hobart. She also chaired the second day’s session of the conference and facilitated its technical tours. Kylie has a goal of working in the Northern Territory to develop its aquaculture sector. She also hopes to develop her leadership experience through her career with the Army Reserve by gaining an overseas deployment as a communications supervisor in a peace-keeping environment.

Laurie McDonald launched her furnished accommodation business when she was on maternity leave with her first child. The founder and director of Canberra Furnished Accommodation provides an alternative to hotels and serviced apartments with a range of almost 40 furnished residences in central Canberra. The flexibility of staying in secure residences for short or long terms without a lease appeals to corporate, government and diplomatic guests as well as visitors or people relocating to Canberra. Laurie, who was born in 1975, recently completed a Diploma of Business. She has a passion for organisation and efficiency and for developing systems to improve her business. Reading “The E-Myth” in 2008 inspired her to significantly increase the documentation and the business systems, policies and strategies. Laurie, the current president of the ACT Chamber of Women in Business, was delighted that her business performed well while she took extended leave during 2009.

Carrie-Ann Rathbone, 30, is managing director of national workplace health and wellbeing services provider Health Futures. The business services both the private and public sectors after extending the range of onsite corporate health services such as organisational health audits, vaccinations and other programs. Carrie-Ann says the ability to contract one provider responsible for all onsite corporate health and wellness services is very appealing to large organisations and leads to more participants in each program. The business has clients in every Australian capital and many regional and remote locations. Carrie-Ann, who holds a science degree in psychology and sociology, joined Health Futures as a consultant after moving to Australia from South Africa in 2002. She contributes to the development of the industry through her role as one of five executive members of the Health and Productivity Institute of Australia. Carrie-Ann and her rugby-playing husband Clyde became Australian citizens in 2009.

Hair and beauty salon owner Carly-Jane Tozer’s ambition is to have a string of three to four salons. Aged 23, she believes her goal is very attainable. Carly-Jane opened her first salon at 20 after completing her apprenticeship and now has nine full-time, casual and contract employees. She tested her customer service in April 2010 with a marketing campaign that invited clients to “pay us what you think it’s worth.” The response was huge – only three people paid less than the asking price and others paid more as they believed CJ’s Style provided better value for money than other salons. Carly-Jane says having a dream and not settling for less is the driving force in her business – plus the support she receives from her parents and husband. Since 2007, Carly-Jane has trained eight apprentices and she says it is an honour to lead, inspire and encourage others.