SHINE’ing the Spotlight on… Dr Kirstin Ferguson
Dr Kirstin Ferguson currently sits on the boards of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, SCA Property Group Ltd, Hyne and Layne Beachley’s Foundation. She also sits on the Advisory Panel of SheStarts, an incubator for female led technology startups and is the Chairman of the Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards. Previous board appointments include CIMIC Ltd, Dart Energy Ltd, SunWater Ltd, Thiess, Queensland Rugby Union and the Queensland Theatre Company.
Dr Ferguson began her career after joining the military aged 17 and went on to become the Dux of her Air Force graduating class at the Australian Defence Force Academy and was posted to an F-111 Squadron. Kirstin went on to study law and spent almost a decade in leadership roles in a corporate law firm. Dr Ferguson then became CEO of a global consulting organisation in the mining and resources industry before commencing her professional company director career.
Dr Ferguson has a high profile social media presence and is the creator of the Walkley nominated #CelebratingWomen campaign. She is a regular commentator on leadership, corporate culture, diversity and inclusion. Dr Ferguson is a member of national and international women’s organisations including Chief Executive Women, Women Corporate Directors and the Women’s Leadership Institute of Australia.
We are delighted to have Dr Kirstin Ferguson as our interviewee this week. She has recently been announced as a recipient of a 2018 Women in Leadership award and she has an amazing story!
Tell us about your first job
At the age of 17 I went straight from school to join the military to train to be an Air Force Officer at the Australian Defence Force Academy.
What are you currently working on?
Amongst my various board roles that keep me busy, I am also busily writing a book called Women Kind which will be published by Allen & Unwin and will be in bookstores in September. It is about a global social media campaign I created last year called #CelebratingWomen and will also be looking at the wave of women supporting women we are seeing around the world.
First car?
1974 bright yellow Honda Civic.
Favourite book?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Favourite song and why?
Landslide by Fleetwood Mac. I think the messages of being afraid of change yet getting bolder as you get older resonate with everyone. And I love Stevie Nicks.
What are you watching right now, would you recommend it?
As I am on the board of the ABC, I am always watching as many ABC programs as I can including Squinters, Harrow and Sando and would recommend them all!
Can you nominate a day in your life that was a turning point
I have had plenty of turning points so there are a few I could name. I think in each case it has been where I have made a major decision, trusted my gut and gone for it.
If you could tell your 18-year-old self anything, what would it be?
Breathe. There is no need to rush to achieve everything, you will get there so remember to enjoy the journey along the way.
If you one $1 million, how would you spend it?
Travel, travel and some more travel
If you could have dinner with any three people, dead or alive, who would they be?
My great, great, great-grandparents. I would love to understand more about the people who are only ever really names on a family tree or pictures in an album.
To find out more about Kirstin, check out:
@kirstinferguson
@kirstinferguson
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