MEMBER HUB

    Members Directory

    CEW members are leaders across diverse sectors in Australia, including government, business, sport, academia, the arts, and the not-for-profit sector.

    Our members share a unifying goal: to remove systemic barriers and create pipelines that enable Australian women to rise to leadership positions in their communities. This ensures a diversity of women's voices at every decision-making table while supporting both women and men to thrive—at work and home.

    Nicola Wakefield Evans

    Nicola Wakefield Evans
    Nicola is an experienced independent non-executive director and is the chair of MetLife Australia and the 30+% Club Australiais also currently on the boards of Viva Energy, Sonic Healthcare, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the University of New South Wales Foundation Limited, the Goodes O'Loughlin (GO) Foundation, a member of the Takeovers Panel and a guardian of the Future Fund. Nicola was also a non-executive director of the Macquarie Group and Macquarie Bank from 2014 to 2024, the LendLease Group from 2013 to 2024, The Australian Institute of Company Directors from 2016 to 2022, Toll Holdings Limited from 2011 to 2017, Bupa Australia & New Zealand from 2013 to 2018 and Asialink and Asialink Business (University of Melbourne) from 2011 to 2018. Nicola is passionate about diversity and is the Chairman of the 30%+ Club (Australia). Prior to becoming a non-executive director, Nicola spent nearly 30 years at King & Wood Mallesons (20 years as a partner) as an M&A and equity capital markets lawyer. She was involved in a number of significant and ground-breaking M&A and capital markets transactions and has advised some of the largest companies in Australia, Asia and globally. Nicola had several management roles at King & Wood Mallesons including Partner in Charge (Sydney), Managing Partner, Practice (Australia) and Managing Partner, International (Hong Kong) and has lived and worked in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, New York and Hong Kong. Nicola has extensive experience in Asia where she lived in Hong Kong from 2007 - 2011 and advised a number of Asian and Australian companies throughout her legal career and where she has experience across Asia in her non-executive director career. Nicola was selected in 2009 as a member of Advance Asia 50 – a group of the most influential Australians living & working in Asia and was selected in 2011 as a member of Advance Global 50 – a group of leading Australian women working outside Australia. The Australian Financial Review named Nicola in 2013 as one of the inaugural 100 Women of Influence. Nicola was made a member of the Order of Australia in January 2023, in recognition of her significant service to business, the law, and diversity.
    0419789454
    nwakefieldevans@outlook.com