Meet the leaders: Wendy McCarthy

Wendy McCarthy AO is a businesswoman and the best-selling author of Don’t Be Too Polite, Girls. She’s also a social activist, company advisor and patron of the Sydney Women’s Fund and The Parenthood. Here, she hints there is more still to come — promising to “reinvent” herself once more in the new year. 

What is the best piece of feedback you’ve received?
Keep your heart and head connected.

What are you most proud of in your career?
Balancing marriage, motherhood, community activism, ambition and achievement. 

What advice would you give to anyone juggling work and other life commitments?
Plan day by day, and always be prepared for the unexpected. If you have children, encourage them to be active and responsible in their own care. Don’t keep ironing your son’s shirt until he’s 25. The greatest gift is to have your children leave home knowing how to care for themselves and be active citizens. 

What keeps you awake at night?
Nothing keeps me awake at night. Since the age of 17, I have aimed to divide the 24-hour day into eight for sleep, eight for work, eight for play. 

Who is the best leader you have ever worked for and why?
[One of the best was] Jim Kirk, who was the CEO of the Australian Bicentennial Authority. He saw in me things I didn’t know about myself and gave me opportunities I could not have imagined in my forties. 

My equal choice is a Catholic nun, Sister Batista who was principal of a private secondary girls school, Fontbonne Academy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I had no green card, was a feminist, campaigner for reproductive rights but she trusted me with her pupils to teach not only academic subjects but also introduce sex education.

Who do you most admire?
Brave women.

What if anything would you like to see change for women in the workplace?
Increased respect, safety and pay.

Was there ever a time when you felt stuck in your career and if so how did you work through it?
At age 55, I completed my last executive role as chief executive of a mid-tier legal practice. I could not find anything I wanted to do and I felt really stuck and not able to imagine myself in any roles that were offered to me. I made a decision to work independently and create my own business. I registered three business names, ‘Women’s Business’, ‘Corporate Goodworks’ and ‘Spokeswoman’. 

From that time my corporate life in both business and not-for-profit became governance. It was the beginning of a portfolio career that continues today. I am still a teacher but the classrooms are different.

What if any are your professional regrets?
I have no regrets.

Do you make new year’s resolutions and if so what is it?
I make new year plans. In 2024, I decided I had to concentrate on my personal health and wellbeing which forced me to be more flexible.

My resolution for 2025 is to reinvent myself … not sure how yet, but no more repeat, repeat.

If you were elected Prime Minister what is the one thing you would change?
I would bring climate change to the top of the agenda. 

What brings you joy?
Family, friends, travel, reading and swimming. 

Who are three women you’d like to be in the room with when making a big decision?
It depends on the decision I am trying to make but I always try to include someone who has known me for a long time, a young woman and a colleague in the endeavour that I am trying to make the decision.