AHAA! Moments...

In this episode of AHAA! Moments, Avril Henry interviews one of her greatest friends and mentors, Ann Sherry OA, who is widely acclaimed as one of Australia's leading and most awarded business executives and a proven expert in sustainability strategy. Ann has performed a stellar career that span's Government, Banking and Cruise Tourism and is currently Chair of UNICEF Australia and ENERO and currently holds non-executive roles with the National Australia Bank, Sydney Airport, Palladium Group, Infrastructure Victoria, Cape York Partnerships, and the Museum of Contemporary Arts. Ann is the Australian Co-Chair of the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum.

Beginning working life as a Radiographer, Ann became First Assistant Secretary of the Office of the Status of Women in Canberra before moving to the banking sector initially in HR roles, then in CEO roles with Westpac NZ and Bank of Melbourne. She is an adviser, the former Chairman and CEO of Carnival Australia, the largest cruise ship operator in Australasia and a division of Carnival Corporation & Plc. After joining as CEO in 2007, she has transformed the entire industry and growth since and prior to COVID-19 has been double digits every year.

The Australian Government awarded Ann the Centenary Medal in 2001 and in 2004 she was awarded an Order of Australia. In 2015, Ann was named as the overall winner of the Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence Award. Ann devotes considerable energy to her passion for women's right's (currently as convenor of the MCC STEM), supporting opportunity for Indigenous communities, personal philanthropy and the support of the arts. Avril and Ann deeply and broadly explore what the meaning of the often used phrase in business, sustainability, really means in the current era for business, society and leadership and why it is so fundamentally important strategically for organisations and the key to survival and even growth going forward.

Nareen Young is Industry Professor, Indigenous Policy (Indigenous Workforce Diversity) at Jumbunna Institute of Indigenous Education and Research at University of Technology, Sydney. She leads the UTS Jumbunna Research Indigenous People and Work Research and Practice Hub, launched in March 2019, an international first.

Prior to her current appointment Nareen has spent over twenty years developing her standing as one of Australia's leading and most respected employment diversity practitioners, leading two peak diversity employment organisations (NSW Working Women's Centre and Diversity Council Australia) to enormous impact and success. She has lead diversity thinking and practice in Australia, and most recently as employment lead for PwC's Indigenous Consulting where she developed many concepts for Indigenous employment diversity practice, and is influenced by her own Indigenous and culturally diverse heritages in this regard. Nareen has received many awards and accolades for her work, has commentated widely in media and published and presented Nationally and Internationally for decades.

Additionally, Nareen has significant governance experience. She spent a three year term as a Director of Indigenous Business Australia and currently serves as non-executive Director of Souths Cares, BlakDance, Diversity Arts Australia and Per Capita. Please join us in this stimulating, informative and illuminating conversation with Nareen hosted by Avril Henry, one of Australia's most recognized experts in transformational leadership.

In this podcast, our 5th episode of AHAA! Moments, we hear Part 2 of Avril Henry's deep, entertaining and illuminating discussion with Australia's leading demographer, Bernard Salt. Avril and Bernard discuss the rise of China, artificial intelligence, the workforce of the future and expanding our understanding of the impact of global mega trends on Australia - especially now in the era of COVID-19. They dig deep into their immense collective leadership experience and expertise to also discuss how Australia will need to manage its relationship with China going forward into the 2020's. We also hear about the clear data that predicts that the largest population of Australian's born somewhere else will be Chinese by the mid 2020s, and what this means for us all. Bernard illuminates us with his own research into what he refers to as the "trust deficit" with Governments, institutions and corporation's and we even find out the real story behind his most famous of coined phrases globally - "smashed avocado".

In the midst of the Global COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Avril Henry interviews the legendary demographer, media personality, researcher and author, Bernard Salt - informative, articulate, humorous and globally famous for the term "smashed avocado". As fellow "numbers nerds", Bernard and Avril will take listeners on a fascinating journey of changes predicted for the 2020s based on Bernard's unique and powerful research. This podcast was recorded in early March as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Australia with force. They discuss generational changes in leadership, politics, social and work structures and what Australia is likely to look like post COVID-19. Boomers are offended by being seen as senior citizens and don't want to retire, while Gen Xs want Boomers to just go away , and Gen Y are coming to terms with being adults with their own family demands. Gen Ys and Gen Zs will lead the way in the new digital economy and change the way we work and live, all being accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and its severe consequences. The world has changed forever and nothing will the same ever again. Tune in for a lively, fun discussion.

In Part 2 of Avril Henry's interview with the Australian Icon of Women's Rights, Wendy McCarthy AO, we hear so much more about Wendy's life journey as one of Australia's and the world's most influential intellectuals in the space of women's rights, education and reproductive rights. In 2001 Wendy was voted a "Top 100" Australian Intellectual and in the same year she was noted in the publication "Power of One" as one of Australia's Top 100 people who impacted our nation's history. In Part 2 of this interview Avril and Wendy's discussion goes beyond Women's Reproductive Rights to her broad and deep life journey in making a meaningful and sustainable difference in change for women's rights broadly and education. They discuss the obstacles along Wendy's 50 year long journey in leadership, what it took to make a true and measurable difference for women's rights and what obstacles remain in 2020. We also learn more about their deep belief and experience in constructively engaging men in change for women and not just protesting and being outraged or "revolutionary" which is often not as effective and much more chaotic than collaborative engagement with men in power. In addition, another critical success factor for Wendy and other female leaders has been to lead women to better work and support each other together as a counterbalance to the power of the so called "boys club". This podcast brings to life what the saying "women hold up half the sky" really means and how a decades long "tribe" of educated women led by Wendy have changed the course of history.

In our second episode of AHAA! Moments, Avril Henry interview's the Australian icon of women's rights and in particular women's reproductive rights, Wendy MCarthy in a thought provoking and in depth two part podcast.

"Women's sexual and reproductive rights have finally been recognized as human rights," the United Nations declared, going on to say that these rights "emerge from the recognition that equality in general, gender equality in particular, and the emancipation of women and girls are essential to society. Jan 20, 2009

Inequality and outright attacks against women are tearing reproductive rights and women's rights down, one policy at a time. By supporting reproductive rights that protect women's rights, we turn the tide for a more just, sustainable world.

Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for legal access to induced abortion services. The issue of induced abortion remains divisive in public life, with recurring arguments to liberalize or to restrict access to legal abortion services.

Wendy McCarthy is an experienced businesswoman who has assumed many major leadership roles in both the public and private sectors for nearly forty years. Her first experience as a political lobbyist came about when, newly pregnant, she and her husband joined the Childbirth Education Association (CEA) in Sydney, campaigning for (amongst other things) the rights of fathers to be present at the births of their babies. Since then, she has had three children, and been an active change agent in women's health, education, broadcasting, conservation and heritage and Australian business.

Her senior executive and non-executive positions have included: CEO - Family Planning Association of Australia (1979-84); Member - National Women's Advisory Council (1978-81); Member - Sydney Symphony Orchestra Council; Director - Australian Multicultural Foundation. She has held executive and non-executive director roles in many of Australia's leading private and public institutions including Executive Director, Australian Federation of Family Planning Associations; Deputy Chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) for eight years; General Manager of Marketing and Communications, the Australian Bicentennial Authority; Chair of the National Better Health Program; Executive Director of the National Trust; Director Star City; Chair of the Australian Heritage Commission; and Chair of Symphony Australia. In 2005 she completed ten years as Chancellor of the University of Canberra.

She has been Chair of Circus Oz, McGrath National Youth Mental Health Foundation and Pacific Friends of the Global Foundation, and a Non-Executive Director to GoodStart Childcare Limited. In 2009 after 13 years of service to Plan International, she retired from her role as Global Vice Chair. She is Patron of the Australian Reproductive Health Alliance

Wendy's contribution to Australian life has been recognised in various ways. In 1989 she became an Officer of the Order of Australia for her contribution to community affairs, women's affairs and the Bicentennial celebrations, and in 1996 she received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of South Australia. In 2003 she was awarded a Centenary of Federation Medal.

We remember where we were and what we were doing when those AHAA! Moments occurred, and our lives are changed forever. This podcast series shares with you the AHAA! Moments of well renowned Australian and international leaders, covering topics as broad as artificial intelligence, the future of work, gender equity, women's reproductive rights, cybersecurity, sustainability and geopolitics, from the likes of Wendy McCarthy, Bernard Salt, Ann Sherry, and Keith Suter to name just a few.

In this first episode of AHAA! Moments, we present a trailer for the entire 2020 series by Avril. Following you will have the opportunity to hear Avril interviewed by Avril Henry & Associates CEO, David Kwasha, as we discuss her AHAA! Moments during an illustrious career as a transformational leader in the corporate world to becoming a renowned speaker, author, coach and consultant after deliberately leaving corporate life and setting up her own independent business - Avril Henry and Associates.

As the series evolves over 2020, Avril and her amazing guests give us all thought provoking and illuminating insight into their own epiphanies with unique and inspiring lessons in a broad breadth of topics for leaders now and in the near future.

Avril Henry is the Founder and Executive Director of Avril Henry & Associates. An acclaimed keynote speaker, consultant, coach, mentor and author, who is passionate about diversity and inclusion, developing collaborative leaders and positive workplaces.

Over 16 years her consulting business has helped organisations to change their culture and build their leadership capability. Avril's career has spanned senior roles in finance, project management, change management and human resources in South Africa, Australia, the UK and USA.

In 2015 Avril was named one of the Australian Financial Review (AFR) Westpac 100 Women of Influence in Australia, and one of the 10 most influential women in the diversity space. She has been recognised by the Human Rights Commission and received business awards in Australia and the USA, for her diversity programs. She has received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement in HR Award at the Australian Human Resources Awards and received a global award for Excellence in Leadership Coaching.

Avril has been a senior advisor on cultural transformation, gender and diversity to the Chief of Defence, Chief of Army, Australia; the ACT Commissioner of Emergency Services and was a member of the Navy People & Capability Committee for over a decade.

Avril has coached Generals and Brigadiers in the Australian Army, including the Chief of Army and Head of Special Forces, ambassadors in foreign services and CEOs. Her clients cover banks, mining, construction, IT, health, universities, pharmaceuticals and biotech's, state & federal government departments and cabinet ministries. She is the author and co-author of several books on leadership, the different generations at work and gender. Avril is regularly on ABC national radio and TV and writes for several business magazines.

She lives in Sydney and Mollymook with her husband and two Spoodles, who keep her grounded!