Leadership

Five female leaders who will speak at the Women’s Summit on 26 March in Sydney share the best piece of career advice they ever received.

Going remote was “one the biggest bets” in it’s 20-year history, but even while many companies call staff back to the office, Co-CEO Scott Farquhar says that way of thinking is solving the wrong problem.

Savvy workers are seeking sponsors to place them at the head of the queue for special projects, leadership roles or even to fast-track their next promotion.

Silvija Martincevic is the CEO of Deputy – an Aussie HR software firm for shift workers. Martincevic, who joined Affirm when it was worth about US$100 million, led the company to its US$24 billion IPO. She says Deputy is on a similar trajectory to ‘massive global scale’.

From the self-made founders shattering gender stereotypes to the pioneers whose work is paving the way for the next generation of leaders, these are the standout ForbesWomen stories of the year.

Forbes’ annual list of career downfalls highlights individuals at or near the top of their game whose professional descents in the previous year shed light on some of the biggest issues of our time.

Recent incidents in the tech industry, specifically the discriminatory public comments made by startup founder Sam Joel, serve as a painful reminder of the enduring issue of gender inequality and sexism in corporate Australia.

How’s this for irony? Slack, whose workplace messaging app has at some point prompted many employees to feel the tug of responding after hours, has a warning: People who feel obligated to work after hours also tend to be less productive.

Dr Nic Gill is the head of performance for the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team and sits on the performance advisory board of functional fitness gym Fitstop. With a PhD in human performance, Gill claims physical exercise can help you train qualities like discipline and goal setting – and improve your performance in the boardroom.

Forbes has unveiled its annual list of the world’s most powerful women, featuring celebrities like Beyoncé and politicians like Kamala Harris. Meet the four Australians who made the cut.