1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

Navigating the authorising environment for decision making by senior executives.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I trained as a teacher and entered the classroom very young. I made my way up the promotional ladder until I became a school Principal. I then made the move into the Education head office as a senior executive.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I have a very routine based diary that includes all work and family commitments for the day. I also make space for strategic thinking time as well as operational tasks.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

I have recently been reminded of the need to engage early and authentically with stakeholders on proposed policy changes.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

Looking to the Future. This is a report that considers new and emerging pathways for young people as they move through the education system. It nudged my thinking to challenge the status quo about the purpose of schooling.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

Be decisive, admit when you're wrong and hire people with skills you aren't strong in.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

One thing that comes to mind is a situation where I was able to navigate a very complex leadership challenge that had significant political implications. The key to the success of achieving a positive outcome was to take an empathetic approach to the stakeholder engagement conversations that took into account the opposing views and found common ground to move forward.