Wendy McCarthy

Wendy McCarthy began her career as a secondary school teacher and remains passionate about the power of education. For four decades she has been a teacher, educator and change agent in Australian public life. In 2005 she was nominated by the Sydney Morning Herald as one of Australia’s Top 100 Public Intellectuals.
Wendy McCarthy has worked with government, corporations and community based organisations in education, women’s issues, public health, heritage, media and waste management and she has held national leadership roles in all of these areas. It is this eclectic combination that gives her a unique profile and network nationally and internationally. She has represented Australia at conferences on women’s health and leadership, education, broadcasting, conservation and heritage and for four years was Chair of the Advisory Committee of WHO Kobe Centre, Japan.
In 2005 Wendy completed a decade as Chancellor of the University of Canberra (photo left by Louise Lister). Wendy was a founding member of the Australian Chancellors’ Conference.
Currently Wendy McCarthy is Chair of McGrath Estate Agents; Chair of NSW Sustainable Access Priority Taskforce; Chair of Sydney Community Foundation, Chair of Circus Oz, Director and Immediate Past Chair of Plan Australia, Member of the Executive Committee of Plan International; Member of the NSW Health Care Advisory Council and the Australian Reproductive Health Alliance.
Her corporate advisory practice, McCarthy Mentoring, specialises in providing mentors to major corporations and the public sector. For over ten years she has assisted these organisations with issues around diversity, leadership and work life balance. Her clients have included Citigroup, UBS, Lehman Brothers (Tokyo), National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Allens Arthur Robinson, the Department of Lands and the Australia Council.
Wendy McCarthy has published many articles and is the author of five books including A Fair Go - Portraits of the Australian Dream published by Focus Publishing in 1999, and her memoirs Don't Fence Me In published by Random House in 2000. She enjoys public speaking and is an experienced speaker and facilitator.

Speaker Topics Include:

Leading Change
Governance Across the Spectrum - not for profit and the public and private sectors, similarities and differences
A Passionate Journey: from grass roots activism to international governance’
Consumers - Captives or Change Agents?
Women and Leadership in Rural Australia
A Woman’s Place is everywhere
Leadership is Everybody’s Business
Finding Spaces for the Leadership of Women
Building a Mentoring Culture