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Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz

 President, Chief Executive Women

Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz is President of Chief Executive Women, Chair of the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, a non-executive director of Rio Tinto Limited, a non-executive director of Macquarie Group, a member of the Sydney Opera House Trust, a member of the INSEAD Global Board and Chair of the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work Advisory Board.

Susan was Chief Executive Officer of Mirvac and a Director of the Mirvac Board from 2012 to 2023.

Prior to this appointment, Susan was Managing Director at LaSalle Investment Management in London.  Susan has also held senior executive positions at MGPA, Macquarie Group and Lend Lease Corporation, working in Australia, the US and Europe.

Susan holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from the University of Sydney and an MBA (Distinction) from INSEAD (France).

Lisa Annese

CEO, Chief Executive Women

Lisa Annese commenced her role as the Chief Executive Officer of Chief Executive Women in January 2025 and is committed to the empowerment of women and girls across the economy.

Prior to this, Lisa spent 10 years as the CEO of the Diversity Council Australia, where she led a broad array of groundbreaking, evidence-based research, including Australia’s first national index on workplace diversity and inclusion, seminal research on the economics of the gender pay gap, and original work on Counting Culture and building Asian Leadership Capability, as well as research supporting individuals being ‘Out at Work’, mainstreaming flexible work, and myth-busting workplace responses to sexual harassment and domestic and family violence. 

In 2024, Lisa was appointed to the NSW Women’s Advisory Council and reappointed to the Respect at Work Council by the Attorney-General, implementing the legislative reforms from the Respect@Work Act. In 2018, Lisa was named one of the AFR’s 100 Women of Influence. In 2019 she was elected to the Board of Amnesty International Australia and, in 2021, to the Board of the non-partisan organisation Women for Election. As well as being their CEO, Lisa is also a member of Chief Executive Women.

Lisa has had a long career progressing positive change across the corporate, government, and not-for-profit sectors. Earlier in her career, at the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (formerly the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA)), she developed the first-ever census of Australian Women in Leadership, the first-ever Business Achievement Awards, the creation of the Employer of Choice for Women citation, and the development and implementation of the policy framework for the EOWA Act 1999 with Australian businesses. For her contribution at EOWA, she was awarded a Medal for Significant Contribution to the Australian Public Service. 

Jodi Cant

WA Department of Finance Director General

Jodi Cant is the Director General of the state Department of Finance.

Finance’s core business is essential to supporting the Government’s priorities and election commitments across procurement, infrastructure delivery, and revenue and grant administration. Finance’s strategic policy advice and delivery functions enables it to enact policies to support government’s social and economic agenda and lead its implementation across the State.

Jodi is an authentic leader who leads with clarity, courage and kindness. She is an innovator, collaborator, and connector with excellent communication skills. 

Commercially savvy with community at heart, Jodi’s experience crosses the government, start-up, private and not-for profit sectors—and she faces challenges informed by the perspective of each.

Jodi was awarded the 2020 Telstra Western Australian Business Woman of the Year and won the Western Australian category for Public Sector and Academia.

Jodi has an Economics degree from the University of Western Australia and is currently a member of the CEDA State Advisory Council, Chief Executive Women (CEW) a Graduate of the Australian Institute if Company Directors (GAICD) and a Fellow of Leadership WA. Jodi has previously sat on the Boards of PSMA Australia, PEXA Ltd, earthmine Australia, Infrastructure WA and the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) Council. 

Jodi is most at home in the bush with her horses and dogs. She loves reading, writing, and good wine.

Karen Wood

Chair, South32

Karen has worked in legal practice and business, having held several global executive leadership roles at BHP, including Group Company Secretary, Chief Governance Officer, Chief People Officer and President People and Public Affairs (Corporate Affairs). Following her retirement in 2014, she continued as an adviser to BHP’s Board and Chief Executive Officer until 2015. She also chaired the BHP Foundation until 2019. Before joining BHP she worked at Bonlac Foods Limited, where she spent five years as General Counsel and Company Secretary.

She is a Director of the Robert Salzer Foundation and the Stars Foundation, serves as an ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Sir John Monash Leadership Academy.

Ms Wood brings extensive corporate governance expertise, a strong understanding of the regulatory landscape and key strategic risks and opportunities. She has deep expertise in shaping culture, public policy, social performance and stakeholder engagement.

Simon Trott

Rio Tinto Chief Executive, Iron Ore

Since joining Rio Tinto more than 20 years ago, Simon has held a variety of operating, commercial and business development roles across a number of commodities.

He was appointed to his current role in 2021. Simon knows Western Australia well and has a deep understanding of the iron ore business and customers globally.

He is focused on transforming Rio Tinto Iron Ore’s safe operational performance while building the business needed for the future.

Diane Smith-Gander AO

Chancellor of the University of Western Australia, Chair of HBF Health, ZipCo and CEW Past President

Diane Smith-Gander AO is well known as a professional company director with an accomplished business career 40 years in the making.  Diane had a successful executive career working at Westpac twice finishing up in the C-suite – and was a partner at McKinsey & Company in the USA.

She is well known as one of Australia’s foremost advocates and commentators on gender equity and is committed to helping individuals and organisations reach their full potential.

She now pursues a portfolio career and has built a vibrant portfolio of directorships currently chairing Zip Co Limited and HBF Health Limited, and as a non-executive director of listed mining services company Perenti. Diane sat on the Wesfarmers board for more than 11 years, chaired Broadspectrum (initially Transfield Services) during a tumultuous time and had an eventful six years at AGL Energy. She was the float Chairman for DDH1 Limited and stewarded the company through the acquisition of Swick Mining Services before the company combined with Perenti.

Diane is a Past President of Chief Executive Women – Australia’s pre-eminent women’s advocacy group and is now National Chair of CEDA – the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia, a member based thinktank.  A seasoned media performer Diane has appeared on The Drum, Q&A, The Project, Flashpoint, SkyNews and as a special interest commentator on ABC Budget Night coverage.

Diane was educated at Melville Senior High School, UWA and U Sydney.  She was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Economics by UWA in 2015 and is Chair of the Advisory Board of the Business School there.

A state representative basketballer Diane chaired Basketball Australia, the Australian Sports Drug Agency and is now independent chair of the WADA Nominations Committee.

Diane became an Officer in the Order of Australia in 2019 for services to business, women’s engagement in executive roles, gender equality and the community.  She won the Business Award in the WA Day Western Australian of the Year awards in 2018.  She is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Australian Institute of Management and Governance Institute of Australia (GIA).  She received the GIA Presidents’ Award for outstanding service in 2017 and acts as a Brand Ambassador for the GIA.