About Me - My Biography

Present

I’m a Director and founding partner of Imalia, where we create innovative financial services and products that empower women to take control of their financial futures.

After a career in law and financial services, my understanding of the challenges women face in setting up their own businesses and achieving financial equality, empowerment and independence became increasingly clear. So too did the resolution: to create a new financial service’s company focused on righting what I felt was an inequity in the market.

Past

After studying law at the University of Sydney, I worked for the Director of Public Prosecutions and also as a lawyer in London.

A Texan company chairman gave me my big corporate break, appointing me president and chief operating officer of Swire Blanch Australia and Asia, a US publicly-listed insurance and reinsurance intermediary. During my tenure, Swire Blanch became one of the first brokers to obtain licences in China and Vietnam before being sold to the Benfield Group in 2001.

After returning to Australia, I was invited to lead Altiora Insurance Solutions, a retail broker and underwriting agency facing a number of challenges around licensing. I led a dedicated team to rebuild the company which was then successfully sold.

Passion

In 2007, I was proud to be recognised for my work with Altiora, winning the Hudson Private and Corporate Award and being named the Telstra NSW Business Woman of the Year.

Public service is important to me, an ethos instilled in me by my father and mother. In my community life I am Deputy Chair, Director and Honorary Legal Counsel of Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway, a Director of the Sydney Community Foundation and Sydney Women’s Fund and Chair of Liverpool Neighbourhood Connections at Warwick Farm.

Animal welfare is another passion of mine – as well as running my business, I also run a busy farm and care for lots of beloved animals.

Entrepreneurialism

I love being an entrepreneur. I love the idea that there are no rules other than the ones I create. My business Imalia was born from a desire to develop a new way forward for women, to change how we do things in the financial services space, and to educate women (and the men who love them!) about the importance of financial education and awareness. Being an entrepreneur allows me to create from my dreams. There are no boxes to fit in; at Imalia, we can be whatever we want to be.

My favourite entrepreneur is Emma Lo Russo from Digivizer. Emma is a great role model for women entrepreneurs as she is so real. I love her energy, her passion, and her focus on clients and delivering them the best outcomes. She has such courage to keep excelling and trying different things; her commitment to helping other women is extraordinary.