Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
I fix the systems that stop women from progressing, because organisations that get this wrong lose money, lose talent, and lose the argument. My work sits at the intersection of gender equity strategy and commercial performance. I am a gender equity strategist, leadership advisor, non-executive director, co-founder of Lead to Soar, and author of The Leadership Compass. With 25+ years of executive leadership at Telstra, National Australia Bank, and FTSE-listed Serco, I understand how power, performance, and governance operate inside complex organisations. Today, I work with boards, executive teams, and ambitious women to close the leadership gender gap in ways that strengthen performance, accountability, and leadership pipelines. I do not fix women. I design systems that enable them to reach their full potential. For Organisations I partner with boards, executive teams, and HR leaders to: • Diagnose perception vs reality gaps in gender equity • Design an enterprise-level gender equity and DEI strategy • Strengthen leadership pipelines • Increase representation of women in senior roles • Align leadership development with organisational goals This includes diagnostics, strategy architecture, sponsorship frameworks, manager capability development, and board advisory. For Women Leaders My proprietary Leadership Compass framework, detailed in my book The Leadership Compass, develops leaders known for delivering results. The model builds: Business Intelligence (BQ) Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Social Intelligence (SQ) Women strengthen their business and financial acumen, increase executive credibility, and position themselves for promotion and influence. Delivered through The Leadership Compass programs and the Lead to Soar Network. Lead to Soar I co-founded Lead to Soar in 2019, a global leadership accelerator for ambitious women and organisations serious about closing the leadership gender gap. We provide leadership development infrastructure, corporate membership solutions, and a strategic community designed to build advancement-ready women leaders. Board & Governance I serve as a non-executive director and advisory board member across business and sport, bringing commercial discipline, governance expertise, and gender equity strategy to every boardroom.
Advancing Women in Business & Sport is a strategy and advisory practice focused on closing the leadership gender gap in business and sport. Since 2016, I have partnered with boards, executive teams, and HR leaders to design and implement enterprise-level gender equity strategies aligned to commercial performance. This work moves organisations from performative intent to measurable outcomes. Core Services Gender Equity Diagnostics & Strategy Design • Advancing Women @ Work organisational assessment • Perception vs reality analysis • Executive workshops and action planning • Enterprise DEI strategy architecture Leadership Pipeline Acceleration • Sponsorship and mentoring frameworks • Manager capability development • Advancement-readiness programs for women leaders • Leadership Compass integration (BQ, EQ, SQ) Board & Executive Advisory • Governance guidance on gender equity • Talent pipeline risk assessment • Strategic alignment of DEI and business performance My background includes executive leadership roles at Telstra, National Australia Bank, and FTSE-listed Serco, where I led large-scale operations, transformation programs, and commercial portfolios. I bring commercial acumen, governance capability, and systemic thinking into every engagement. If your organisation is serious about strengthening leadership pipelines and closing the gender gap in a way that improves performance, culture, and accountability, let’s talk. www.michelleredfern.com [email protected]
Lead to Soar is a global leadership accelerator for ambitious women and organisations serious about closing the leadership gender gap. Co-founded in 2019, Lead to Soar blends leadership development, strategic coaching, and enterprise-ready frameworks to strengthen women’s Business (BQ), Emotional (EQ), and Social (SQ) intelligence. Organisations use Lead to Soar to: • Strengthen leadership pipelines • Increase retention of high-potential women • Align leadership development with financial and strategic goals • Provide scalable capability-building across hybrid and dispersed teams Lead to Soar is not a networking group. It is leadership infrastructure.
Family Friendly Workplaces certification recognises organisations for their proactive efforts to support employees align their work, caring and wellbeing needs, endorsing them as a Family Inclusive Employer against a set of National Work + Family Standards. Family Friendly Workplaces strive to reduce the tension that exists between work and family by embedding and promoting policies and practices that genuinely support employees to thrive at work and at home.
An inclusive and supportive space providing inspiration and business coaching where women can connect, collaborate, learn, network, socialize, transact and support each other in the creation, development and growth of their own business; based both in the real and virtual worlds.