“My business makes a difference by protecting the retirement savings of mums and dads from poor advice.” – Jo Heighway.

Jo Heighway was newly single with two children to support when laws changed in 2005 allowing employees to choose their own super fund. Having trained as a chartered accountant in the superannuation division of Deloitte, Jo seized the opportunity to start her own business advising on self-managed super funds (SMSFs). Based in Gosford, SMSF Outsource Solutions provides independent audits on super funds for accountants, financial advisors and trustees Australia-wide. In six years, Jo has leapt from auditing funds for one client in her front room to leading a team of auditors as CEO, owning her own office premises and servicing 3000 clients. Jo is passionate about continual professional development to ensure she maintains the expertise to audit the work of other accountants and keep up with superannuation changes. To support her own development and encourage others, Jo contributes regularly to professional bodies and conferences and has established the Central Coast Young Chartered Accountants forum to mentor under 35s in the profession.

“I invest heavily in professional development to deliver the best for my business and the best for my staff.” – Maureen Houssein-Mustafa, OAM.

Maureen Houssein-Mustafa, OAM has helped more than 300,000 students over the past 17 years. Seeing a need for higher quality training in the beauty sector, Maureen started MHM Australasia as a “nail school” in 1994. She added hairdressing in 2004, then expanded into other beauty-related qualifications as well as hospitality, management, aged care and English, forming the Australasian College Broadway. The college is now a leading private provider of vocational education andtraining in Australia with up to 1000 local and international students and more than 100 staff. Maureen says her greatest asset is her team. By providing financial support for staff to gain extra qualifications, Maureen has been able to attract and retain high-calibre trainers and mangers to build the college’s reputation for turning out job-ready graduates. Now Executive Chairman, Maureen is focusing on governance, having bravely handed the reigns over to a new CEO to help the college transition to a specialist, self-accrediting university.

“It has always been my aim to ensure home healthcare has a voice within the health system.” – Anna Shepherd.

Anna Shepherd once won a professional debate on the premise that she could run NSW Health. While she is yet to have that opportunity, she has helped shape and enhance community nursing through 27 years of advocating for the profession as the CEO of Regal Health Services. Established by Anna’s mother, Patricia Shepherd, in 1966, the organisation is a leading provider of in-home health care throughout Sydney. In support of her mother’s vision for quality, dignified care for veterans and the community at large, Anna worked with the Australian Council of Healthcare Standards in 1994 to establish accreditation for community nursing. Regal became the first accredited service in Australia and has been endorsed for excellence ever since. The only Australian woman to graduate from Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management Program in 2010, Anna continues to advance community nursing through leadership in research and professional development. In 2008, she instigated a clinical study to improve wound care and also implemented the Regal Health Services Clinical Excellence Program with the University of Sydney.

“We have empowered women to fully and confidently express their style. We’ve changed the way they shop.” – Jodie Fox.

Jodie Fox dabbled in law and worked in advertising before she, along with husband Michael and friend Mike Knapp, committed to launching a website where women can design their own shoes. Shoes of Prey offers shoppers a choice of style components, colours and materials, leads them through the design process, then ships their handmade footwear in four to six weeks. In just over a year, women all over the world have created tens of thousands of pairs of bespoke shoes. Jodie helps drive strategic direction, while also leading design, product development, human resources and marketing. The success of her innovative fashion concept has seen the business expand to China, Japan, Russia and the Netherlands and attracted international media attention, adding spokesperson to Jodie’s list of responsibilities. Earlier this year, she was invited to Federal Parliament to consult with political leaders on fostering innovation among Australia’s small and medium businesses.

“Technology is a male-dominated industry with few female role models at the top. I’d like my success to encourage younger women to consider the potential of IT as a career.” – Deborah Hadwen.

Deborah Hadwen is one of few women at the top of a technology firm in Australia. She was this year appointed the Australia and New Zealand CEO of global IT outsourcer Tata Consultancy Service (TCS), having led enormous growth while Director of Banking and Financial Services. TCS provides IT services for large corporates, including applications development and maintenance, infrastructure, engineering and consulting. Previously in IT management and sales roles, Deborah helped TCS transform its scale and services to such an extent over five years that 30 full-time employees grew into a team of 1000. She has a proven track record of partnering with technology clients to identify new value opportunities, which have increased client demand and satisfaction, while also developing expertise within TCS. As CEO, Deborah now leads more than 5000 consultants and associates supporting Australian and New Zealand clients and is involved in global initiatives to encourage diversity across TCS.

“The core of my life is my enduring love for food and wine, and the characters behind them. My new business ventures combine perfectly to fuel that love.” – Lyndey Milan.

Starting as a caterer in the late 1980s, Lyndey Milan has spent the past 25 years serving, sampling, styling and celebrating food. Having re-energised the recipe pages of The Australian Women’s Weekly as Food Director for more than eight years, last year Lyndey launched integrated businesses around her enjoyment of food and a desire to inspire the same joy in others. Well-known to food-lovers, she is Managing Director of Lyndey Milan Enterprises, the brand behind her books, articles, website, TV and radio appearances, and most recently, kitchen products. Lyndey is also co-founder and co-owner of two additional food-related entities: Sydney Studio Kitchen, for shooting cooking programs and testing recipes; and Naked Flame Productions, which creates lifestyle programs for Australian and international audiences. Always aiming to bolster Australians’ food knowledge and appreciation, Lyndey is the inaugural Chair of the Royal Agricultural Society’s Fine Food Committee and behind the successful TAFE Tasting Success Program, where top culinaries mentor trainee chefs.

“Our business will continue to thrive as a result of unstoppable global trends, such as multiculturalism, the advancement of women and ageing populations.” – Heather Price.

Political and social upheaval in South Africa prompted social worker Heather Price to start a consultancy in 1990 to help dismantle apartheid in the workplace. In 2003, she moved to Sydney on a temporary business visa and noticed many companies overlooking talent in minority sectors. Using her previous experience in improving race relations, Heather set up Diversity Consulting in her garage to help corporations develop more diversified and inclusive cultures, despite critics arguing there was no need for such a business in Australia. The Pyrmont company now supports more than 40 corporate clients with end-to-end diversity strategies and solutions, including diversity audits, training and professional development and communication plans. Diversity Consulting also distributes a suite of workforce tools through licensed partners in Europe and the United States. As CEO and one of three directors, Heather has proven critics wrong, transforming the business into a global enterprise with 15 staff, six international associate/partner companies and 15-fold revenue growth since 2004.

“My passion is customer service and community engagement and making sure we get it right for the community, victims and witnesses.” – Catherine Burn.

Catherine Burn’s family wanted her to have a career in law or medicine but she chose to be a police officer. Today, having served in the NSW Police Force for 27 years, she runs the business side of policing as Deputy Commissioner for Corporate Services. One of three Deputy Commissioners, Catherine’s role is to ensure the state’s 15,806 police and 4000 civilians have the capability, resources and capacity to do their jobs. Her broad remit covers all police finances, human resources, assets, technology and systems, and education and training. Catherine is passionate about breaking down barriers between police and the community, having previously led difficult inner-city operational commands.. She has spent the past three years introducing cultural change to reduce customer service related complaints against police, improve victim follow-up and increase community confidence. Her ethics and dedication have been recognised with several police and community accolades, including the Australian Police Medal and International Women’s Day NSW Woman of the Year award.

“I build credibility by being honest about impacts, always focusing on the outcome for the business and delivering when I commit to deliver.” – Rachel Johnson-Kelly.

Rachel Johnson-Kelly has spent the past three years leading a $300 million IT transformation at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), Australia’s corporate, markets and financial services regulator. As Chief Information Officer, Rachel has reduced risks in ASIC’s aging technology fleet, introduced new functionality and changed the business model so senior leaders buy into IT projects. This has increased engagement, reduced inefficiencies and ensured the IT team delivers on business objectives. Rachel started in finance as an insolvency accountant, before overseeing finance and operations for Sony’s Playstation distribution in Europe in the 1990s. She moved into management at IBM and is now able to meld her finance and IT expertise in her role at ASIC, where she leads 350 employees, contractors and consultants. Rachel concedes she has had to make many bold and, at times, controversial decisions and says she has driven change and gained support from ASIC’s executive through regular and honest engagement and fact-based arguments.

“I’m a constant campaigner for making art more accessible, not by shying away from complex or difficult work, but by treating our audience with respect.” – Elizabeth Ann Macgregor.

When British-trained curator Elizabeth Ann Macgregor took over Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in 1999, it had dwindling funds and visitors and was seen by the community as elitist. Having transformed galleries and curated exhibitions in a bus that travelled through Scotland, Elizabeth set about revitalising the MCA and convincing both the community and NSW Government that contemporary art had something for everyone. She trained staff to be museum ambassadors, introduced innovative education programs and engaging exhibitions, all of which helped persuade the NSW Government in 2002 to commit to long-term funding. Elizabeth also attracted new corporate sponsors and developed programs to take art on the road. Elizabeth is now overseeing a $53 million redevelopment of the museum, with a sustainable public and self-generated operating fund. Significantly, Elizabeth has connected the community with contemporary art, with visitors to the MCA growing five-fold in the past decade and rising.

“Housing is the foundation required to build a life, to engage with others and participate in the workplace and community.” – Nazha Saad.

As a young Australian woman with Lebanese migrant parents, Nazha Saad had encountered plenty of social challenges before a career in government and community services. Her background helped her advocate strongly for the disadvantaged, a quest she has continued over the past four years as CEO of St George Community Housing (SGCH), where she has implemented a blueprint for the sector. By seeking new funding sources, influencing and delivering public private partnership, Nazha has led SGCH’s transformation from social to affordable housing and introduced new social programs to empower clients to enhance their lives. Under Nazha’s leadership, SGCH has increased revenue 200 per cent and multiplied its property holdings from 1600 to more than 4000, making it one of the leading community housing providers in Australia. Clients can also access education bursaries, interest-free loans, technology training and employment programs. Nazha is a key influencer in shaping public policy through the NSW Government’s Community Housing Advisory Committee and various social service boards.

“We’ve done things before we were completely ready to do them. Striving for perfection at the price of inaction doesn't work for innovators, especially in the fast-paced online environment.” – Jodie Fox.

Before Jodie Fox and her co-founders came up with the concept for Shoes Of Prey, women who wanted custom-designed shoes parted with up to $1,000. Now, women can create their own designs on screen, at similar prices to quality shoes on shelves. Launched in 2009, the Shoes of Prey web site gives shoppers a choice of size (2.5 to 15), heel, toe, materials and multiple other design elements to style a shoe, which is then hand-crafted and shipped within four to six weeks. Created entirely in-house, the mass-customisation concept has captured the imagination of women all over the world, who have so far spent more than 15 million minutes on the site creating shoes. Jodie has used equally creative marketing to expose the concept to a global audience. Last year she engaged popular YouTube style blogger Michelle Phan to explain the concept and give away a pair of shoes. Within a day the clip had received 200,000 hits, which translated to a 30 per cent long-term lift in sales.

“Growing up in India, I would walk past huge mountains of waste supporting communities of rubbish pickers and imagine what it would take to convert "rubbish" into something more valuable.” – Veena Sahajwalla.

Veena Sahajwalla is helping the steel industry combat enormous environmental challenges. As Director at the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology at The University of NSW, Scientia Professor Veena developed technology to reduce carbon-emissions during steel production and recycle end-of-life materials that would otherwise go to landfill. Traditionally, in electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking, scrap is reprocessed using large amounts of coke and coal as sources of carbon. After successful lab experiments which commenced in 2003, Veena collaborated with manufacturing giant OneSteel to develop technology to recycle plastic and rubber waste in the scrap reprocessing furnace. The “green steel” technology not only produces lower emissions, but reduces reliance on coke and coal and requires less electricity. In addition, plastic and rubber waste are spared from landfill. The innovation has attracted science and technology awards in Australia and the United States and has the potential to transform steel production globally.

“Brands now have to be personally relevant to each consumer to pull their attention.” – Jodie Fox .

Jodie Fox admits she wasn’t a shoe-aholic until she hit upon the idea of helping women design their own. In 2009, aged 27, she partnered with husband Michael and friend Mike Knapp to launch Shoes of Prey, a website where women can style their own shoes at comparable off-the-shelf prices. Much of the concept’s success has been driven on the back of Jodie’s clever marketing. Leveraging previous brand experience with The Campaign Palace, plus her own insights as the target market, Jodie developed creative activities to generate early buzz around the concept and drive traffic to the site. One 10-minute clip with a leading YouTube blogger last December immediately doubled the business’s Facebook followers to 10,000 and boosted sales 30 per cent, a growth rate it has since maintained. Shoes of Prey now has an international footprint and following, with offices in China, Japan, Russia and The Netherlands and more than 24,000 Facebook fans acting as ambassadors.

“To audit the work of another accountant means I have to know superannuation law better than any other accountant – and lawyer – in Australia.” – Jo Heighway.

A decade after starting her accounting career with Deloittes, Jo Heighway decided to go out on her own at age 27 to be an accountant to accountants. She launched SMSF Outsource Solutions (now Engage Super Audits) in 2005, auditing self-managed super funds in the front room of her home. Today, the Gosford-based business is one of the largest self-managed super fund auditors in Australia, providing independent audits for around 3,000 accountants, advisors and trustees in all states. Now 33, Jo has worked hard to earn the respect of large administrators at a young age through investment in continual education. Her knowledge must exceed that of the accountants and administrators she audits to ensure she can review records accurately, provide correct superannuation advice and report any compliance breaches. With 2500 new self-managed super funds emerging in Australia each month and new rules in train for independent auditors, Jo is currently working on plans to ensure Engage Super Audits is well-placed to capitalise on growth opportunities and future industry consolidation.

“I’m reassured that I can offer a point of difference as an online retailer. I know that I’m offering a gift service that is truly unique and exquisite.” – Bianca Kristallis.

Gift-givers won’t find cane baskets and cellophane among Bianca Kristallis’s online selection of stylish hampers. Believing there was great opportunity to improve the quality of gift hampers offered online, in 2004 Bianca launched Pamper Hamper Gifts. Working with leading brands, Bianca offers more than 200 types of luxury hampers, which are shipped anywhere in Australia from the company’s Kingsford warehouse. The 33-year-old runs the business on her own, outsourcing expertise such as marketing and web development, and relying on a flexible, casual workforce to help source and package the hampers. In 2008, Bianca overhauled the website to create a more sophisticated look and feel and optimise its search engine performance. Pamper Hamper now rates in the top two or three of category searches on Google, helping drive 25 per cent revenue growth for each of the past three years. Bianca is now planning a physical store in response to customer demand.

“The greatest inspiration for me are the men who admit they are not invincible and make changes to improve their health for themselves and their families.” – Leanne Scanes.

Leanne Scanes made her first profit at age 11, when she and three friends ran lunch time dance lessons at school. In 2000, at 22, freshly graduated with a Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Dietetics) degree, she co-founded Corporate Bodies International (CBI) to deliver workplace health programs. Leanne opted to focus on male-dominated industries, having noticed a macho reluctance amongst workers to seek help. She landed her first client, a coal mine, in 2001. Since then, CBI has delivered health and well-being programs to some 500,000 employees across more than 500 organisations in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. At 33, Leanne is now the sole owner of CBI, with over 45 employees in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Emerald and Kalgoorlie. It is the only fully Australian-owned workplace health consultancy of its size. Despite a slump in 2008 due to the global downturn, which saw Leanne sacrifice her own salary to maintain staff, CBI’s turnover grew 15 per cent last financial year.