Deb Ferguson

The development of her successful business, Zootz Australia Pty Ltd, came from very humble beginnings. It was her husband's death from melanoma in 1984 that drove Deb Ferguson to find a means to fight what is a preventable disease, by designing the world's first ultra violet protection swimsuit.
Beginning in 1991, without any money, Deb Ferguson had a mortgage and no background in business. It was the peak of the recession and the cards were stacked against her. But it was a passion and vision of innovating a product aimed to reduce Australia's increasing melanoma rate that inspired Deb.
It was an adventure that even the headiest of days of Zootz Australia could not have prepared her for - a two person sailing journey through the Caribbean, Panama Canal and across the Pacific Ocean. Remote islands and peoples were visited. Storms and tempest were survived and she learnt the lessons of resilience in a most physical and confronting way.
After reassessing her core understanding of community and work, Deb Ferguson returned to Melbourne. A long period of readjustment followed. In the past three years, Deb turned her innate energy to contributing to the prevention of drug misuse in the community, especially with young people. The past six months has seen her establish a new business - Agents for Change, a partnership whose mission is to empower, educate and connect people of all ages through resilience and capacity building. A motivational speaker, Deb shares her optimism, determination and passion.