Special Report: Women of influence

Whether they are a government minister or a laboratory scientist, women across WA are getting runs on the board. But there are added challenges as they juggle demanding careers with family responsibilities.

It has been a challenging two years for UWA Business School dean Tracey Horton.

Women remain significantly under-represented in the boardroom, with only marginal increases in the number of women directors and companies with at least one woman on their board during the past two years.

Alannah MacTiernan is no stranger to controversy.

Employment lawyer Maria Saraceni says she would have made her parents proud if she had become a hairdresser, married young and produced plenty of grandchildren.

The Australian Labor Party is considering a plan to extend maternity leave from 12 months to two years and giving parents the right to request part-time work when they return to their jobs.

With an acclaimed science career spanning more than 30 years, Western Australia’s chief scientist, Lyn Beazley, could hardly be criticised for moving into a well paid government advisory job.

Establishing a flight training business in Perth 10 years ago was easy, according to pilot Min Stokes, but no-one could have prepared her for the bumpy ride that followed.

Family is such a high priority for the Perth partners of accounting and advisory firm, Pitcher Partners, that the partners included a room specially designed for their children, and the children of their employees, when they moved into their new St George

Since 2005, WA Business News’ Women in Business feature has profiled many high-profile decision-makers in the state’s business community.