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A huge congratulations to the winner and the 26 nominees for Startmate’s 2024 Women Leader of the Year Award. 

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These stories of leadership are so incredibly inspirational to read, exactly the stories we need to shine a light on, for the very reason we started it because “you can’t be what you can’t see”.

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The most immediate impact has been:

• 27 leaders put in a spotlight to inspire 
• 150k+ estimated impressions

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More importantly, the power of stories lies in their ability to inspire, connect, and shape the future. They help us see what’s possible, learn from one another, and spark new ideas. 

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When women see others thriving in leadership roles—whether as managers, mentors, or trailblazers—they’re more likely to believe that they, too, belong at the top.

The nominations we received left us in awe. These women are driving change, leading teams, and inspiring others every single day. 

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Want to meet them? Keep reading. 

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Woman Leader of the Year

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This award honors a visionary leader whose innovative thinking and dedication have driven substantial advancements within their organisation and the broader community. The recipient has demonstrated outstanding leadership by fostering inclusive environments, mentoring emerging talents, and serving as a role model for aspiring women leaders. Their contributions have not only propelled their organisation forward but have also inspired others to strive for excellence and leadership in the tech and startup sectors.

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Winner: Shilpa Mohan, Head of Operations at ProcurePro

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Originally studying Pharmacy, Shilpa Mohan went onto become an award-winning Interior Designer, working on small-scale to $50m projects. Concurrently, her passion for storytelling saw her step onto the stage as a Speaker Curator and Host for TEDxSydney, where her curated talks have amassed $1m+ views. 

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After deciding to pivot to the tech space, Shilpa joined ProcurePro as their 8th employee in 2022 - an AFR Fast Starter company (2023,2024), ranked 3rd in LinkedIn’s Top Startups 2024. As Head of Operations, she has been instrumental in scaling the business globally with over 50 employees. 

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Shilpa has become a passionate advocate for Australia’s startup ecosystem as a speaker, Startmate Mentor, Airtree Pioneers Community Advisor, and SXSW Tech/Startups Advisor where she champions growth and inclusivity in the tech and startup landscape. 

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She's on a mission to help people pivot into startups, mentor women on accelerating their careers and find their voice and help founders build successful startups by coaching on operations, fundraising and storytelling.

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A few of our favourite quotes from her nomination:

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“A good company culture is noticed and felt from the first interaction. The people are happy. We feel safe. We feel like we belong. We are valued. We can do our best work, and live a balanced life. Shilpa Mohan, Head of Operations at ProcurePro, gives that to everyone in the team, the customers, and partners.”

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“Shilpa consistently goes the extra mile to get to know everyone, provides advice that empowers people to discover their own solutions, all while offering unwavering support from behind the scenes. Measured, composed, and often the voice of reason, Shilpa creates an environment where everyone feels seen and valued. Her leadership exemplifies what it means to lead with empathy, generosity, and a belief in others’ potential.”

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“She is inspiring not only by the quality of her work, her business intellect, her wit and humour, but she is the embodiment of what it means to be human and pursuing your life passions.”

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Read more here & here

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Nominees for the Woman Leader of the Year

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Grace Brown, Founder of Andromeda 

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Our favourite quote:

“I've seen her during some rough times - non-believers, short runway, people issues. She handled them like a maestro.”

Read more here

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Christina Hobbs, General Manager at Future Group

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Our favourite quote:

“Christina Hobbs has been a clear and direct communicator on many fronts but her information on financial abuse and control and violence against women has made me take notice.”

Read more here

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Maxine Minter, General Partner at Co Ventures

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Our favourite quote:

“What truly sets her apart is her authenticity, unwavering belief in others, and impressive gift for breaking down complex problems into clear, actionable frameworks.”

Read more here

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Anna Le, Communications Director at Fable Food Co

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Our favourite quote:

“It’s hard to think of our team and our culture at Fable without thinking of Anna. She lives and breathes our values, mushrooms, she’s vegan, she’s eternally positive, optimistic and takes hits and challenges in her stride. She’s the life of the party and everyone wants to spend time with Anna!”

Read more here

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Jill McKnight, Practice Group Leader at LegalVision 

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Our favourite quote:

“Jill is an incredible lawyer. She is commercial savvy and has impeccable attention to detail. She also possesses a pioneering spirit that has transformed our capital raising practice.”

Read more here

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Katrine Fox, Director of Marketing & Brand at Fable Food Co

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Our favourite quote:

“Katrine hired, built and lead an incredible Product and Design team at Finder through an enormous growth stage and set those teams up for success beyond her 6 years there. Her team have remained in close contact since she left and she helps mentor them as they continue their careers.”

Read more here

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Gemma Clancy Co-founder ofOvernight Success

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Our favourite quote:

“She juggles multiple roles with a great attitude. She's been a force multiplier working with me at OS, and we wouldn't be here without her. Gemma has driven OS's focus on celebrating female founders and highlighting the work to be done. “

Read more here

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Paloma Newton, Co-founder of Elita Genetics

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Our favourite quote:

“Her passion and determination to tackle complex challenges as a founder in this space are inspiring. Paloma exemplifies courage and innovation in action. The progress she and the Elita team have made in the last year is nothing short of incredible.”

Read more here

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Hannah Yan Field, Coach at Resonance.co

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Our favourite quote:

“In addition to her wildly impressive career history with Canva, Dropbox, Pandora, Folklore Ventures, etc, Hannah’s emotional intelligence, authenticity, and genuine kindness are what make her such an impactful coach.”

Read more here

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Vinisha Rathod, Founder of p3studio

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Our favourite quote:

“She is an inspiring example of someone who brings expertise, wisdom, authenticity and pure joy to everything she does. She is a leader.”

Read more here

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Caity Randall, Founder of Huntabil.IT & Sustainabil.IT

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Our favourite quote:

“Caity is more than just a leader; she’s a role model who leads with empathy, vision, and purpose. She creates environments where her team can thrive and harmonises the personal and professional aspects of life, empowering us to achieve our full potential.”

Read more here

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Mayan Maranda, Founder, May & Tay Consulting

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Our favourite quote:

"Mayan’s story is one of relentless determination, humility, and the quiet revolution of consistent excellence. She doesn’t just lead; she inspires those around her to reimagine what’s possible."

Read more here

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Madeleine Clunies-Ross, Head of Customer Success at JigSpace

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Our favourite quote:

“Maddie joined us as a Law graduate in 2020 and hasn’t looked back, becoming an invaluable part of JigSpace leadership. It’s wild to think of the exceptional impact she’s had on Jig in just four short years since Uni, but that’s Maddie—exceptional.”

Read more here

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Annie Parker, Mentor & Ex-Microsoft

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Our favourite quote:

“Beyond professional realms, Annie embraced my infusion of play into corporate life, defying the notion that 'play' could exist in a traditionally rigid environment. Annie's encouragement allowed me to bring a fresh, lively perspective to the conventional. “

Read more here

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Elleesha King, Founder and CEO of Pulsatile Innovations

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Our favourite quote:

“Elleesha’s story is one of courage and determination: identifying a problem, envisioning a solution, and then making it a reality—all while breaking new ground as a female founder in medtech. Her work not only transforms current standard practice in healthcare, but also inspires others, proving that women belong at the forefront of innovation and leadership.”

Read more here

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Faith Rees, CEO & CoFounder of Cloud Ctrl

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Our favourite quote:

"At the core of her leadership is a belief in true collaboration—not just building software but creating solutions that impact our day-to-day lives. She approaches every challenge with a “market pull” mindset, ensuring real-world demand drives innovation."

Read more here

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Joanna Barker, Head of Customer Operations at PaidRight

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Our favourite quote:

"Your calm and collected approach, coupled with strategic thinking, has helped me overcome obstacles that I thought were insurmountable, and has without doubt helped us all drive past challenges everyday. Your ability to turn a crisis into an opportunity is truly remarkable 💕

Read more here

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Heidi Lenffer, CEO of FEAT. Live

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Our favourite quote:

“Heidi’s superpower is inspiring others to believe in themselves, to find their unique role to play, to find their power, and, most importantly, that their actions matter. She’s a master storyteller, turning bold dreams into cohesive soundbites that resonate deeply and spark change.”

Read more here

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Kerri-Ann Allen, Head of People at Eucalyptus

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Our favourite quote:

“What makes Kerri truly exceptional is her rare combination of emotional intelligence and operational excellence. She's transformed our People function while building what Simon Baume describes as 'the best HR team in the world.' Kerri's influence can be seen in the strength of Euc's culture, the performance of our teams, and the individual growth stories across Eucalyptus.”

Read more here

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Aisling McGettigan, Head of Finance & Operations at Athletic Ventures

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Our favourite quote:

“Ash has been a driving force behind the evolution of our holistic financial operations, overseeing our trustee migration, and has led the structural and strategic decisions—culminating in the launch of our first fund!”

Read more here

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Cathleen Santoso, Head of Growth and Operations at Athletic Ventures

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Our favourite quote:

“I have been working with Cathleen Santoso since January and she has been nothing short of an inspiration in empowering athletes on and off the field, supporting their transitions beyond sports with confidence, advocating for diversity, fostering an inclusive environment for athletes across all sports, genders, and backgrounds and encouraging female leadership, working to create more opportunities for women in investment and business.”

Read more here

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Felicity Jacob, CEO at Common Ground Project

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Our favourite quote:

“She’s one of those humble people that won’t ever tell anyone about all the cool things she's done, her motivations are purely intrinsic and she truthfully doesn’t need external validation to keep going.”

Read more here

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Jacqui L, Executive Director of the AWSN

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Our favourite quote:

“We really value her openness to providing feedback on business and product, her values around equality in the industry as well as her willingness to support the growth of early companies like us with dedicate initiatives, eg. Summer of Cyber Program.”

Read more here

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Karen Monaghan, Co Founder and CEO at Our Kinds

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Our favourite quote:

“Karen Monaghan is a leader who inspires through her actions, words, and unwavering vision for a better future. At 61 years young, she’s built a career rooted in flexible work as a lifeline for 28 years—navigating life as a working mum and female founder with grace and grit.”

Read more here

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Kelly Eldridge, Chief of Staff at Quickli 

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Our favourite quote:

“Her dynamic leadership style is rooted in both strategic brilliance and genuine care for people. She organised a one-of-a-kind team offsite in Bali, combining work and fun to foster a stronger sense of connection and high performance among our team.”

Read more here

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Selena Griffith, Country Leader & CEO at Enactus Australia

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Our favourite quote:

“Selena embodies the spirit of leadership that uplifts others, fosters innovation, and drives real-world solutions. Her dedication to improving lives and empowering communities inspires us to dream bigger and achieve more.”

Read more here & here.

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