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Key people at Chief Executive Women.
Chief Executive Women is a Sydney, Australia-based non-profit organization that provides networking, mentoring, and scholarship programs to address the underrepresentation of women in senior corporate and public sector roles. Operating as a registered charity since 2015, the entity maintains a workforce of six full-time and eight part-time employees to facilitate its various leadership development initiatives. The organization is currently led by Chief Executive Officer Marie Festa and President Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz, while its historical membership includes prominent Australian business figures such as Ita Buttrose AC. Funded primarily through charitable donations, annual membership dues, and event fees, the group focuses on advancing gender equity across the broader Australian business landscape. Chief Executive Women was originally founded in 1985 by a core group of fifteen female executives, including Barbara Cail AO, Wendy McCarthy AO, and Bonnie Boezeman AO.
Chief Executive Women (CEW) is Australia's pre-eminent non-profit organization representing over 1,000 senior women leaders from corporate, public service, academic, and not-for-profit sectors, with a mission to advance gender equity and balance through advocacy, education, and targeted programs.[1][2][4][5] Its vision—"Women Leaders Enabling Women Leaders"—drives initiatives like scholarships, leadership programs, and tools such as the Gender Diversity Kit to support women's progression into executive roles, influencing policy and business practices.[1][2][3] CEW's members oversee more than 1.3 million employees and $749 billion in revenue, generating $12.6 million in organizational revenue in 2025 with around 57-252 staff based in Sydney.[2][5]
CEW was founded in 1985 in Victoria as an offshoot of the international Women Chiefs of Enterprises International (WCEI), inspired by the need to mentor and support women entrepreneurs and senior executives amid limited recognition of women's business capabilities.[4] Barbara Cail AO, publisher of *Portfolio Magazine*, established the New South Wales branch by gathering 18 women leaders, becoming its founding president; she expanded focus to awareness-raising through events like lunches with male business leaders, with founding members including Wendy McCarthy AO and Bonnie Boezeman AO.[4] From these roots, CEW evolved into a national network advocating for gender equity, growing to over 1,000 members by 2024 while launching key programs like scholarships and the Leaders Program.[2][4][5]
While not a tech firm, CEW influences Australia's tech and innovation ecosystem by promoting gender diversity in leadership, where women remain underrepresented despite sector growth.[4] It rides the global trend toward DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) amid market forces like talent shortages and ESG (environmental, social, governance) pressures on boards, partnering with businesses to build inclusive cultures that boost innovation and retention.[1][2][5] By lobbying on issues like the gender pay gap and funding scholarships for executive development, CEW shapes policy and corporate practices, indirectly fueling tech startups and firms needing diverse talent to scale in a competitive landscape.[3][4]
CEW is poised to expand its influence as Australian businesses face intensifying scrutiny on gender equity, with trends like AI-driven workforce shifts and hybrid work amplifying needs for inclusive leadership.[1][5] Expect deeper integrations of its tools into corporate DEI strategies, more international collaborations, and scaled scholarships amid rising demand for women in C-suites. Its network's economic clout positions it to drive measurable progress, evolving from advocacy to ecosystem catalyst—ultimately enabling more women leaders to propel Australia's business landscape forward.[2][4][5]
Key people at Chief Executive Women.
