International Women's Day
The theme for this years’ International Women’s Day is #BreakTheBias. Imagine a gender-equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.
Together, we can create that world.
This year, we’re launching our inaugural list of So Perth’s 20 Most Inspirational Women. An annual list celebrating some of Perth’s game changers, role models, and women to watch.
Empower Hour
We’re partnering with Dress For Success Perth to help drive their Empower Hour campaign which calls on the community to donate one hour of your pay to ‘pay it forward’ to a vulnerable WA woman who is on the path to transforming her life.
So Perth's
20 Most Inspirational Women
In celebration of International Women’s Day and as a step towards helping to #breakthebias, we asked you, our readers, which Perth women inspire you the most. Through those answers, you’ve introduced us to so many current and future leaders who are doing amazing things.
From your suggestions, we’ve put together the inaugural ‘So Perth’s Most Inspirational Women‘ list. Scroll down to see the list!
And in the theme of inspiration, we’re also asking you to tell your story about IWD, breaking the bias, and the women who inspire you the most. If you’d like to submit your story, follow the link below.
Rhiannon Compton
People & Culture Manager, Globe 24-7
Still relatively early in her career, Rhiannon Compton is someone who has achieved more than most of us do in a lifetime. By day, she leads the people and culture function of a global HR recruitment and consulting firm. By night, she spends most of her time giving back to the community through her volunteering and mentoring activities.
Melanie Perkins
Co-founder & CEO, Canva
If you’ve had any sort of brush with design, you’ve touched on Canva before.
A revolutionary online design and publishing tool, Canva has been on a steady rise up since its launch in August 2013 and is continuing to help people create picture-perfect designs and marketing materials.
Dawn Wallam
CEO, Yorganop
Dawn is a Wadandi woman of the Noongar Nation who has dedicated most of her life to improving support for vulnerable children, youth, families and communities in a career spanning over 40 years.
Rachael Hain
Co-Founder & Chairperson, Dress For Success Perth
A working mother of two school aged children, Rachael understands the challenges faced by women in the workplace and securing employment – which is why she co-founded Ready to Work, now Dress for Success Perth.
Karyn Hinder
Founder, Working Spirit
Karyn is a military veteran with 25 years’ of service in the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force.
After her years of experience, she discovered a passion for helping men and women in service who were struggling to adjust back into society – and with that, Working Spirit was born. Her not-for-profit based business aims to raise awareness of veteran employability to businesses while also helping pave employment pathways for veterans and supporting female veterans thrive through employment post-service.
Shelley Cable
CEO, Generation One at Minderoo Foundation
Shelley is a Nyoongar woman passionate about Indigenous business, economic empowerment and financial inclusion. She is a promoter for Indigenous leadership and putting an end to economic disparity.
She is currently the Chief Executive of Generation One, supporting and securing employment outcomes for Indigenous Australians as well as advocacy for employment and social policy reform as part of the Minderoo Foundation.
Melissa Perry
CEO, Communicare
Melissa is the current Chief Executive Officer of Communicare with an impressive professional career spanning 20 years.
She’s a strong advocate for the inclusion and safety of individuals, families and communities and is an influential figure in the WA community services sector. She has been a pushing force for reform and increasing awareness to drive social change and achieve sustainable outcomes.
Dr Nikki Stamp
Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Dr. Nikki Stamp is a trained cardiothoracic surgeon, author, TV presenter and teacher of medical students and surgical trainees. Is there anything this woman can’t do?
Nikki is a strong supporter of women in surgery and all other careers with a passion for changing the way we think about health and helping women improve their heart health. She was chosen as one of ‘40 under 40’ for Time Out Sydney, as well as one of Mamamia’s Inspirational Women You Can Look Up To and 2017 Women of the Year in Harpers Bazaar.
Madison De Rozario
Australian Paralympian
Perth-born and raised, Paralympic champion Madison De Rozario is the perfect example of never letting anything get in your way.
She was just four years old when she suffered a bout of the flu and developed a rare autoimmune disease, transverse myelitis, that left her paraplegic. But that hasn’t stopped her from becoming one of the most inspiring athletes ever.
Julie Shuttleworth
CEO, Fortescue Future Industries
Julie is CEO of Fortescue Future Industries – a company focused on developing renewable energy resources and green hydrogen – and Deputy CEO of Fortescue Metals Group.
She’s a woman making her mark in the resources sector with 27 years’ of experience and is now focused on leading the global energy transition by producing zero-emission green hydrogen from 100 percent renewable sources.
Dr Katharine Giles
Managing Director & CEO, OncoRes Medical
Talk about a woman kicking ass in the medical world.
Dr Katharine Giles has had quite an impressive journey from investment manager at Brandon Capital Partners to becoming director and CEO of OncoRes Medical – an intraoperative imaging tool that translates the surgeon’s sense of touch into a microscale image, improving surgical accuracy and reducing complication rates.
Elizabeth Knight
Founder, Purposeful
Elizabeth Knight is a 23-year-old entrepreneur on a mission to transform our education system for the better.
She is the founder of Purposeful, an ed-tech startup helping young people find their place in the world and careers they are passionate about. Through their purpose and self-discovery programs and The Lost Button podcast, Purposeful has worked with more than 8,000 students since its opening in 2019.
Carma Levene
Head of Social, So Media Group
A marketing professional with a flair for all things digital and content-related, Carma is the quintessential social media nerd and loves nothing more than researching and exploring the infinite possibilities of social media marketing to connect people across ideological and geographical divides.
Dr Jemma Green
Co-Founder & Executive Chairperson, Powerledger
Dr Jemma Green is your go-to person on matters of cities, energy and transport in Western Australia and Co-Founder and Chairman of Powerledger – a tech company that uses blockchain for energy and environmental commodity trading in a mission to create markets that remove the obstacles to 24/7 renewable energy.
Dr Tracy Westerman
Managing Director, Indigenous Psychological Services
Dr. Tracy Westerman is a proud Nyamal woman from the Pilbara region. She’s renowned as a world leader in Aboriginal mental health, cultural competency and suicide prevention.
Brittany Garbutt
Founder, Pretzel Australia
At just 23 years old, Brittany Garbutt created her iconic, pretty-in-pink Pretzel business with the opening of its first store in Northbridge. Nearly five years later and she’s raking in the success with ten stores across WA and Victoria, selling around 660,000 pretzels a year.
June Oscar
CEO, Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre
A proud Bunuba woman from the remote town of Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley, June is a powerful advocate for Indigenous Australian languages, social justice and women’s issues.
She has worked tirelessly to reduce Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and in 2015, received the Menzies School of Health Research Medallion for her work.
Rabia Siddique
International Humanitarian
Rabia has had quite the journey as an international humanitarian lawyer, retired British Army senior officer, former war crimes and terrorism prosecutor and child sex abuse and hostage survivor.
She has undertaken humanitarian aid work in Asia, South America, Europe and The Middle East, for which she was decorated by Queen Elizabeth II.
Fadzai Matambanadzo
Chief Executive Officer, Avenues Australia
Fadzai is CEO of Avenues Australia and the founder of The African Dream Foundation, a scholarship fund aimed at developing high potential young leaders experiencing financial disadvantage in Africa.
Dr Gina Ravenscroft
Genome Biology and Genetics Program, Perkins
Dr. Gina Ravenscroft has identified more than ten novel human disease genes in recent years and is a recognised world leader in fetal akinesias and congenital myopathies.
Empower Western Australian women this International Women's Day!
This year we are choosing to support Dress for Success Perth and Empower Hour in their mission to #BreaktheBias and empower WA women.
Dress for Success Perth is a WA-based charity that is part of a global movement for change. They support vulnerable women to achieve economic independence by providing them with professional clothing, career development workshops, and one-to-one job application support.
Join us by donating your hour and help us reach our target. Your hour is more than just a gift — it’s an investment in the future. When women work, families thrive, communities prosper, and the economy grows.
Thank you for supporting WA women as they grow their confidence, courage and job-readiness skills ready for their new start.
Dress For Success Perth
Dress for Success Perth is a not-for-profit that empowers vulnerable Western Australian women to gain and retain employment. They help vulnerable women face their job search with the confidence, clothing and tools they need to get hired.
For Dress For Success Perth clients, gaining employment represents security, breaking the cycle of poverty, increased confidence, and pride. They rely on the generosity of the community and their amazing volunteers to deliver these services.
