Australia’s 27 Most Influential Female Business and Conference Speakers

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07 Mar 2024

Australia’s 27 Most Influential Female Business and Conference Speakers

Australia's 27 Most Influential Female Business and Conference Speakers

Discover our range of female business speakers in Australia perfect for the International Women’s Day Theme 2024 – “Invest in women: Accelerate progress”.

ICMI is proud to have a diverse roster of female motivational speakers who can highlight the importance of encouraging investment in women to drive global progress and improve human rights. While many people think about gender equality and progress as large-scale political movements, it’s important to think about the role every business and organisation has to play.

Uplifting women in workplaces benefits everyone. A greater diversity of people taking on different responsibilities and leadership roles means there’s more opportunities for new ideas, approaches and innovation. Globally, we’re taking steps in the right direction, with over 40% of board-level executives at FTSE 100 companies are female, compared to just 12.5% 10 years ago. However, every business of every size has an important role to play. If we come from different places, we get unique answers, new perspectives and find the best solutions faster.

ICMI proudly represents a range of female inspirational speakers making waves in the business and conference speaking circuit. From motivational speakers to leadership speakers, sustainability speakers to business speakers, these women have shattered stereotypes and are rewriting the playbook in their respective fields. In this article, we will showcase Australia’s 27 most inspirational female business and conference speakers who are ideal as International Womens Day speakers 2024. Their stories, insights, and experiences have the power to motivate, educate and transform audiences. Whether you seek to boost your business acumen, learn about sustainable practices or feel inspired, these women will deliver a powerful and unforgettable experience.

Australian Female Business Speakers

Browse all our brilliant female speakers here

Amna Karra-Hassan

Amna Karra-Hassan is passionate about how people enact change at all levels of society.The Founder of the Auburn Giants Australian Football Club, Amna pioneered programs for women of minority communities in Western Sydney.

Anna Meares OAM

Anna Meares OAM is considered by many to be the greatest cyclist of all time. She made Olympic history by being the only athlete to win individual medals at 4 consecutive Olympic Games. Anna presents on sportsmanship, success and the power of the mind of the body.

Clare Desira

Known for the “most refreshing take on mindset, resilience, and leadership”, International Coach of the Year, Clare Desira shares hacks to train your brain, strengthen resilience, navigate change and build motivation

Carolyn Creswell

Carolyn Creswell, Carman’s Fine Foods Founder and Managing Director, has single-handedly grown her business from hand making muesli for a few Melbourne cafes and delis to a multinational company turning over more than $50 million annually. Her business success has turned her into a TV celebrity and an Australian household name.

Christine Anu

Australian music icon, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advocate. Christine Anu is one of Australia’s most popular recording artists and performers of all time that uses her voice and reputation to spread a message of unity and hope.

Christine Nixon APM

As the 19th Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, Christine Nixon APM was the first woman to become a police commissioner in Australia, leading 14,000 staff and oversaw an annual budget of $1.7 billion. Truly a titan of leadership, Christine Nixon rose to the top of this male-dominated field.

Tracey Spicer

Tracey Spicer AM BBus(Comm) GAICD is a multiple Walkley Award winning author, journalist and broadcaster who has anchored national pro-grams for ABC TV and radio, Network Ten and Sky News.

Dr Dianne McGrath

Dr Dianne McGrath is on a mission to be part of the first human settlement on Mars and is one of only 100 remaining candidates from 202,586 initial applicants. Dianne is a leading authority on sustainability and her presentations are both inspirational and fascinating.

Div Pillay

Div Pillay is an experienced and respected diversity and inclusion practitioner, leader, researcher and advocate, for over 25 years.

Dr Ali Walker

Dr Ali Walker is an expert on the Power of Human Connection. She is the creator of the Walker Profile, a personality assessment to identify how we connect and lead, and what we value. She is the bestselling author of Get Conscious: How to stop overthinking and come alive (2017).

Emma Murray

Emma Murray is a master of mindfulness and a peak performance mind coach for top AFL teams and elite Australian athletes. Emma shares how gratitude, empathy and mindfulness are key to achieving and performing better by connecting these principles so her audience leaves focused and empowered.

Jana Pittman

World athletic champion and only Australian woman to have competed at both the summer and winter Olympics. Jana can tailor make a presentation to your needs or use some of her favourite topics to uplift.

Janine Allis

Janine Allis is not your everyday self-made businesswoman. Founder of Boost Juice Bars, now in 15 countries, and Salsas Fresh Mex Grill, Betty’s Burgers and Cibo espresso totalling over 600 stores, her story of perseverance and will to back her judgement is as engaging as it is impressive.

Jelena Dokic

Australian former world no. 4 tennis player, commentator and best-selling author of her autobiography, Unbreakable, the story of her life and career. Originally from Yugoslavia, Jelena shares her struggles of being a refugee, dealing with poverty, racism, bullying, and discrimination.

Justine Flynn

A true disruptor for purpose, Justine Flynn’s leadership as co-founder of Thankyou has seen a small start-up go against all odds to become one of Australia’s leading social enterprises, globally recognised for its creativity, innovation and impact.

Akec Makur Chuot

Akec Makur Chuot was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the AFL Women’s competition. Born in South Sudan, Akec was raised by her single mother in a family of seven and for twelve years they lived in Kakuma, a refugee camp in Kenya. The family moved to Perth and in 2009, she tried Australian Rules football for the first time at an East Perth Football Club all-girls carnival.

Sarah Walsh

Head of Women’s Football in Australia and a former Matilda, showcasing brilliance and leadership

Magda Szubanski AO

Magda Szubanski is one of Australia’s most beloved actors. In 2013, Magda came out on national TV and has been a high-profile campaigner for LGBTI+ rights ever since. Magda speaks from both a serious perspective and with great humour, and always engages her audience with authenticity.

Milo Wilkinson

Cook, food author, restaurateur, food manufacturer, Maggie Beer AO is an essential ingredient in any discussion about food and flavour, an inspiring Australian food icon.

Mimi Kwa

Mimi Kwa has been a journalist and media personality on stage, page and screen for more than 20 years before recently becoming an author with her best selling memoir House of Kwa.

Nicole Livingstone OAM

From Olympic champion to champion female role model, Nicole Livingstone OAM truly has an incredible story. Nicole is an expert sports commentator with a strong television presence who is also a spokesperson for women’s health issues. Nicole always proves to be a favourite with corporate audiences.

Pauline Nguyen

Having escaped Vietnam on a boat and survived a Thai refugee camp Pauline Nguyen’s achievements are all the more impressive. As owner and co-founder of Red Lantern, the most awarded Vietnamese restaurant in the world, when she talks of commitment driving outcomes, people listen.

Peggy O’Neal AO

Peggy O’Neal AO is an American born Australian lawyer who, since October 2013, has served as the president of the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). She is the first woman in AFL history to serve as a club president.

Laureate Professor Veena Sahajwalla

Professor Veena Sahajwalla is an internationally recognised materials scientist, engineer, and inventor revolutionising recycling science.

Professor Veena Sahajwalla is renowned for pioneering the high temperature transformation of waste in the production of a new generation of ‘green materials’ at the UNSW Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre, where she is Founding Director.

Rachael Robertson

Rachael Robertson is the keynote speaker of choice for events looking for practical leadership and teamwork tools, built on a fascinating and inspirational true story of leadership in the world’s most extreme workplace: Antarctica.

Sadhana Smiles

Sadhana Smiles is a CEO, Multi Award Leadership Winner, Author, Podcaster, Migrant, Business and Social Entrepreneur. Arriving in Australia at the age of 16 with dreams of making a mark, Sadhana has blazed her own trail. She has a strong voice on the issue of diversity and shares her challenges and struggles openly.

Susan Alberti AC

Passionate, driven and ambitious, Susan Alberti AC has forged paths in areas traditionally dominated by men. She is the co-founder and Managing Director of a large building company, the Chairman of her own medical research foundation and an Ambassador for the National Women’s Football League.

If you’re looking for female business speakers in Australia, explore our full roster to find the perfect option for your IWD 2024 event. We have hundreds of incredible female speakers who can inspire, motivate and educate audiences. Get in touch today, and our team can help you with one of the above-listed speakers or help source alternatives to best match your upcoming event and budget.

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