About Women on Boards - Leaders and Directors in Conversation
Impact | Influence | Inspire
As we celebrate 20 years of Women on Boards in 2026, we are proud to launch a new podcast and vodcast series - 20 Years of Women on Boards.
This series captures the story behind the movement; how it started, the challenges along the way, and the impact it has had on boardrooms across Australia and beyond.
Delivered as both a podcast and vodcast, the series allows you to listen on the go or watch the conversations as they unfold, bringing the voices, stories and insights of our community to life.
Across 2026, we will release a collection of episodes featuring our founders, key contributors and long-standing members. Together, they will reflect on the evolution of Women on Boards, the progress made, and the work still to be done.
The series will explore:
• The origins of Women on Boards and why it was needed.
• The introduction of the 40:40:20 framework and its influence.
• The role of research, including the Board Diversity Index, in driving accountability.
• The lived experiences of members who have built board careers over the past two decades.
• The future of governance, diversity and leadership.
Visit our website www.womeonboards.net
Watch the Vodcast at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaYKLvbTeR00Oj3GqMWbjEDcID1YevTVW
Claire Braund OAM: 20 years of advocacy, opportunity and impact
28 Sept 2026
E22 | Susan Rix AM: Saying Yes, Serving with Purpose and Staying Curious
In this episode of the 20 Years of Women on Boards podcast, Claire Braund OAM speaks with Susan Rix AM, an accomplished business leader, chartered accountant and corporate adviser whose career has run alongside more than four decades of board service.
From her first board role as treasurer of Noah's Ark Toy Library to major Queensland Government, infrastructure, education, community and private sector boards, Susan's board career has been built less around a carefully mapped plan and more around being willing to say yes, contribute her skills and keep learning.
Susan reflects on growing up in Lismore, spending a formative year in Germany as a Rotary Exchange student and beginning a career in accounting that would eventually see her become a partner at BDO (mailto:https://www.bdo.com.au/en-au/home) – and, for seven years, its only female partner in Australia.
She shares how her accounting and governance skills opened doors at a time when far fewer women were sitting around board tables, and why some of the roles that mattered most were those where she could see the difference strong governance could make.
Now Chair of CleanCo Queensland, Susan is still stepping into unfamiliar territory and learning new sectors – proof that a long board career doesn't mean you stop being challenged.
The conversation also explores a question that has shaped Susan's approach to board service: is being a director a career, or is it also about service?
Susan discusses why not every board role needs to be highly paid, what decades working with family businesses have taught her about succession, and why being the founder's son or daughter doesn't necessarily make someone the right person to run the business.
She also reflects on what has changed for women in accounting and leadership, what she would tell her younger self, and why directors can't simply stay in their area of expertise as governance becomes more complex.
And after 20 years as a Women on Boards member, Susan looks at what the next generation of directors will need to know – including why AI governance is something every director needs to start understanding.
In this episode:
Being BDO's only female partner in Australia for seven years
Why a clearly defined skill set helped open boardroom doors
The board role where she felt she could genuinely make a difference
Why board service should be about more than remuneration
The biggest mistake families can make in succession planning
What has changed for women building careers and families
Why directors need to keep learning beyond their area of expertise
AI governance and the emerging challenges facing boards
Susan's reflections on 20 years as a Women on Boards member
It's a candid conversation about service, opportunity, resilience and staying curious throughout a long career – and why sometimes the most important career decision is simply being prepared to say yes.
21 Sept 2026
E21 | Dylys Bertelsen OAM GAICD: What Boards Are Really Looking For
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