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DECADAL
PLAN

Decadal Plan

This is a call to action across society, urging educators, businesses, financial services, investors and governments to all play their part in unleashing women’s untapped entrepreneurial potential.

What is a Decadal Plan?

With the next ten years as its timeline, this Decadal Plan for Future Female Entrepreneurship and Business Leadership exposes ten baseline facts, sets ten big ambitions and outlines ten recommendations to fundamentally change the operating environment for women entrepreneurs.

To achieve its potential, Australia needs to leverage the untapped entrepreneurial talent of women and to do that, it needs to cast responsibility across society.

The ten recommendations in this Decadal Plan speak to educators, businesses, financial services, investors and governments.

An independent economic assessment of the Decadal Plan was carried out by Magenta Advisory.

By activating these ten recommendations, we hope to see the economic impact statement materialise through a new pipeline of women entrepreneurs, a new pathway towards genuine economic equality of opportunity and a new kind of “demographic dividend” that “draws on the resourcefulness and ingenuity of half of Australia’s population”.

You can download the Decadal Plan below.

Download Decadal Plan

Our expert panel

The development of this Decadal Plan was guided by a twelve-member Expert Panel, which brought together a diverse range of perspectives and expertise. Members of the Expert Panel generously volunteered their time to develop this report.

Who's on the panel?

The Panel was chaired by Fleur Anderson, Program Director for Enterprising ME and the report was authored by Dr Rachel Howard, Associated Director of Policy at 89 Degrees East.

Click here to read the Terms of Reference.

A woman with long, wavy brown hair is smiling at the camera. She is wearing a light purple blazer over a white turtleneck top. The background is plain white.

HAILEY BROWN

CEO and Founder, Vacayit

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Helen Dailey Fisher

HELEN DALLEY FISHER

Convenor, Equality Rights Alliance

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Wendy Anders

WENDY ANDERS

CEO, National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance

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A woman with long, wavy brown hair and blue eyes is smiling while leaning against a wall outdoors. She is wearing a white, mesh-knit sweater and bright natural light illuminates her face. The background is blurred and appears to be a street scene.

MANDY RICHARDS

CEO and Founder, Global Sisters

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CATHERINE DONNAN

Head of Engagement, COSBOA

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Sally Stevenson

SALLY STEVENSON

Executive Director, Illawarra Women’s Health Centre & Founder, Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre

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DR NIKI VINCENT

Victorian Gender Equality Commissioner

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KYLIE WALKER

CEO, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering

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Nuria

NURIA ALARCON LOPEZ

Senior Manager, Gender Equity, Harmony Alliance

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Scarlett McDermott

SCARLETT McDERMOTT

Founder of Longitude Advisory

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KELI MCDONALD

CEO, National Rural Women’s Coalition

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Amanda McIntyre

AMANDA MCINTYRE

Partner, EY and Former Head of the Office for Women

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When can we read it?

The report will be publicly available in October 2024. Register now to be the first to secure your copy.

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Hailey Brown

Hailey Brown is the founder and CEO of Vacayit, Australia’s first audio tourism platform. Vacayit embraces diversity and allows everyone to make independent, informed decisions about where they would like to travel. It also encourages tourism organisations to enhance their engagement and content for those who are blind or have low vision. An entrepreneur highly experienced in tourism and accessibility, Hailey aims to drive positive societal change around how we market and experience destinations, in turn paving the way to a better, inclusive future. She is an advocate for innovation and accessibility in the tourism industry, which continues through her work for the Queensland Government’s Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport as their Young Tourism Leader. Hailey has received numerous accolades for Vacayit and ranked as one of Australia’s 9 most influential women entrepreneurs in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian’s Top 20 under 40.

Helen Dailey-Fisher

Helen has ten years’ experience in advising government on gender policy, specialising in structural reform for gender equality and the realisation of women’s human rights. She started out as a solicitor, initially in private practice, before spending a decade in the community legal sector, where she practiced disability discrimination law, tenancy law, employment law and social security law. Helen coordinates the NGO delegation to the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York and regularly leads or contributes to the drafting of shadow reports on various human rights treaties and co-leads a joint project of the National Women’s Alliances on international engagement in the Australian women’s sector.

Wendy Anders

Wendy Anders is an Arrernte woman from Mparntwe (Alice Springs). She is the CEO of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance (NATSIWA) and has a background in public health, community development, and education. Wendy is passionate about empowering First Nation people to see themselves as confident leaders in the community. Wendy has always worked in the Indigenous context and acknowledges and advocates the need for change and most importantly implicitly understands the approach and methodology required to achieve outstanding engagement, outcomes, and success. Wendy is a strong advocate for the safety of women, policy advocacy, and gender equality. Wendy is also deeply committed to addressing the root causes of gender-based violence and promoting women's empowerment through education and economic opportunities.

Mandy Richards

Mandy is a social entrepreneur fiercely passionate about human rights, animal welfare, eradicating poverty and empowering women. She established Global Sisters to democratise entrepreneurship in 2013 – with the goal of creating a scalable and efficient model for supporting women to create an income stream via self employment, when mainstream employment wasn’t accessible. Mandy’s diverse career path over the past 20+ years has spanned the commercial and not-for-profit sectors where she has worked internationally on government business incubation programs in Botswana and New Zealand, as well as for high profile charities including the Hamlin Fistula Hospitals in Ethiopia and locally as National Marketing Manager for the RSPCA. Mandy established the ACT Social Enterprise Hub while working at Social Ventures Australia and was Director for Place Based Philanthropy with the Sydney Community Foundation. Following securing the highest investment on Channel 7’s Dragons Den, Mandy launched a $3.5 million startup and has commercialised an invention internationally. Mandy has completed post graduate studies in Trade Mark Law as well as a Master of Human Rights Law at Melbourne Law School. She has also studied social entrepreneurship at INSEAD in Singapore. In 2019 she sat on a panel at APEC Chile in the Women and the Economy forum and in 2020 was a coach in the global Cartier Women’s Initiative. She has also been voted one of the 25 most inspiring and influential poplin the for-purpose sector as a Pro Bono Australia Impact 25 winner for 2022. A country girl who spent her younger years growing up on a small farm outside Armidale, NSW before her family moved to Indonesia, Mandy now lives in Sydney.

Catherine Donnan

As the Head of Engagement at the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA), I am dedicated to supporting and advocating for the interests of small businesses. Prior to my current position, I served as a Relationship Manager at Fortem Australia, where I built strong connections and facilitated collaborations between stakeholders for the roll out of a new organisation, helping those in Emergency Services. Additionally, I contributed to the mission of Soldier On Australia as an Employment & Operations, assisting veterans reintegrate into civilian roles. With a diverse background in business, operations, and employment, I bring a comprehensive skill set to my current role, enabling me to make a meaningful impact. Throughout my career, I have successfully brought together diverse groups of individuals and organisations, including government agencies, industry associations, and business owners. By actively listening to their concerns and priorities, I ensure that their voices are heard and represented in decision-making processes.National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science. As the past CEO of Science & Technology Australia, Kylie created the acclaimed Superstars of STEM program, championing Australian women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. She’s been Chair of the Australian National Commission for UNESCO, is a member of Chief Executive Women, and has been named one of AFR’s 100 Women of Influence for her work on improving equity, diversity and inclusion in STEM.

Sally Stevenson

Sally is the Executive Director of the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre and successfully led the campaign to establish Australia’s first Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre. She has positioned the Centre as a voice of authority on women’s health and gender equity, based on community trust and respect for the Centre’s services. With qualifications in finance and public health, Sally has worked for Médecins sans Frontiers in conflict zones as Head of Mission and as public health finance expert for the World Health Organisation and the World Bank. Sally founded and chaired international community development organisation, indigo foundation, for 17 years and has served on various boards including Women’s Health NSW. Sally was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for her national and international service to the community in 2014 and was Wollongong Citizen of the Year 2023.

Dr Niki Vincent

Dr Niki Vincent commenced as Victoria’s first Public Sector Gender Equality Commissioner in 2020. She oversees the implementation of the Gender Equality Act 2020 and plays a key leadership role in promoting gender equality in the community and workplaces. Dr Vincent has a wealth of experience in gender equality and organisational leadership. This includes serving as the South Australian Commissioner for Equal Opportunity from 2016-2020. Prior to that, Niki was CEO of the Leaders Institute of South Australia and a member of the Remuneration Tribunal of South Australia. She has established two successful not-for-profit organisations, and has led major programs of academic research. Niki holds an appointment as an Adjunct Associate Professor in UniSA’s Business School and is a board member of InTouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence.

Kylie Walker

Kylie is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. She works with Australia’s leaders in applied science, technology and engineering to advise decision-makers, lead crucial national conversations to solve complex challenges, and support Australia’s technology-powered, human-driven future. Kylie is Chair of Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA), driving evidence- based quality care for older Australians, and - as a national award-winning science communicator - is a visiting Fellow at the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science. As the past CEO of Science & Technology Australia, Kylie created the acclaimed Superstars of STEM program, championing Australian women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. She’s been Chair of the Australian National Commission for UNESCO, is a member of Chief Executive Women, and has been named one of AFR’s 100 Women of Influence for her work on improving equity, diversity and inclusion in STEM.

Nuria Alarcon Lopez

Nuria manages the Harmony Alliance and leads its significant portfolio of programs and research projects. She provides policy advice and represents Harmony Alliance on many national advisory bodies. She brings expertise in gender equity, cultural responsiveness of systems and services, community engagement, and intersectionality in policy and practice. Nuria has led SPG’s Communication and Engagement Strategy to support the COVID-19 Vaccination Program rollout to culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Australia. With a public policy and political science background, Nuria worked in the legal, education and diplomatic fields in Australia and abroad before joining SPG.

Scarlett McDermott

Scarlett McDermott is the founder of Longitude Advisory, an independent tech advisory firm serving organisations across Australia. With over a decade of experience, she specialises in helping boards and executives of non-tech companies leverage technology to enhance operations and drive growth. Scarlett has experience as a hands-on technologist, including having been a Chief Technology Officer, and at industry level, having worked at the Tech Council of Australia and contributed to major industry initiatives. An ongoing focus on the diversity and capability of Australia's technology workforce drives her volunteer work on various committees and groups.

Keli McDonald

Keli McDonald is a rural woman through and through. Keli has a strong sense for community and the benefits of inclusiveness. Keli is the CEO of the National Rural Women’s Coalition, owns her own business that specialises in community, not for profit and small business, is a farmer of a broadacre cropping and beef operation and active volunteer community member. Through her roles Keli is driven to make rural communities strong through healthy small businesses and equality for all. She believes that women are the weavers of strength and resilience. Keli fights for better health, education, telecommunications, transport, economic security and safety for all women living and working in rural regional and remote Australia. As CEO of the National Rural Women’s Coalition Keli sits on a number of national committees, National Women’s Health Advisory Committee, the National Rural Women’s Health Commissioner - Consumer Advisory Group, Rural Regional and Remote Communication’s Coalition and the Australian Women Against Violence Council, as well as frequently consulting government departments like Department of Social Services, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, the Department of the Attorney General, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Department of infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts. Keli is a feminist and gender equality advocate.

Amanda McIntyre

Amanda has over 20 years' experience working within and advising Commonwealth agencies, focusing on assisting them to transform and build efficient and effective business functions, achieve financial sustainability and build capability. Before joining professional services, she worked in diverse Senior Executive Service roles across four portfolios in the APS. Here, she gained an understanding of program delivery, policy and corporate functions and brings this understanding to deliver consulting advice with can be implemented within the unique APS environment. Amanda served for five years as the Chief Financial Officer for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and was the Head of the Office for Women. An accomplished speaker, she has represented the Australian Government in International Fora. She is passionate about the public sector, diversity (particularly in leadership) and the role government's play in supporting communities, businesses and citizens.