From airline chiefs to United Nations advisors, these are the four Australians to make Forbes’ 50 Over 50 Global list for 2026.
Forbes has just unveiled its 50 Over 50 Global list, which looks at the leaders, founders, creators and innovators over the age of 50 across the globe.
It spans 36 countries and territories and, this year, three Australian women made the list (and there’s an honorary mention for a New Zealander who spent 30 years in Australia).
Full List
Vanessa Hudson, 55
Vanessa Hudson is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Qantas Group, Australia’s flagship airline, and the first woman to lead the company in its history. She was appointed to the top job in September 2023 after a 30-year career at the airline, where she held senior commercial, customer and finance positions across Australia and overseas. Looking ahead, Hudson is gearing up for the launch of Qantas’ new Airbus aircraft later this year, which she says “can fly further than anywhere in the world.”
Cheryl Pearce, 58
Cheryl Pearce is the highest-ranked uniformed woman in the United Nations. At 58, Pearce brings more than three decades of Australian military experience to the organisation. Before the UN, she’d risen through the ranks to become the Deputy Chief of the Army of the Australian Defence Force.
Amanda Lacaze, 63
Lacaze is the CEO and managing director of Lynas Rare Earths and has been since 2014 when she joined as the first woman in the company’s 40-year history. Today, Lynas is the world’s second-largest producer of rare earths, and the only major producer outside of China.
An honorary mention for New Zealander, Jo Townsend, 58
The CEO of the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation fund, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, 58-year-old Townsend is a New Zealander, but spent 30 years in the Australian investment sector. According to Forbes, the annual returns of the fund since its inception in 2001 have averaged 10.1%, and it was named the best-performing sovereign investor in the world between 2013 and 2022 by Global SWF.
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