The National Foundation for Australian Women is delighted to announce that the speaker at our annual dinner on 11 November 2024 will be her Excellency the Governor-General, Sam Mostyn. The Governor-General was sworn in on 1 July 2024. A long term advocate for gender equality, the Governor-General most recently chaired the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce, which delivered a broad-ranging report to government. At her swearing in, the Governor General declared:
Care has a deep and resonant place in our Australian identity. Care is the gentle thought and the outstretched hand that Australians have always been ready to share when great challenges present themselves. Care is the quieter, better part of ourselves. And it is that sense of care that Simeon and I will seek to depict and amplify as we take on this role.
The National Foundation for Australian Women is a leading organisation working in partnership with other women’s organisations to advance and promote the interests of Australian women, record and make accessible their histories, and ensure their achievements are handed on to future generations. It is not affiliated to any political party and is independent of government funding.
We have 35 years of achievement from 1989.
Each year, our annual dinner is an important part of the feminist calendar in Australia, highlighting gender equality issues on the Australian agenda.
BIO:
Ms Sam Mostyn AC was sworn in as Australia’s 28th Governor-General on 1 July 2024.
A businesswoman and community leader, Ms Mostyn is known for her exceptional service to the Australian community. She has a long history in executive and governance roles across diverse sectors, including business, sport, climate change, the arts, policy and not-for-profit.
In 2024, Ms Mostyn was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service in the social justice, gender equity, sporting, cultural and business sectors, to reconciliation, and to environmental sustainability. She had previously been appointed an Officer of the Order in 2021.
For her continued contribution as an advocate for gender inclusion and equality, sustainability, and climate change action, Ms Mostyn was awarded the 2020 United Nations Day Honour Award and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the Australian National University in 2018.
Most recently, Ms Mostyn chaired the boards of Aware Super, Centre for Policy Development, Beyond Blue, Australians Investing in Women, Foundation for Young Australians, Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce, Australian National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) and The Climate Council.
She has also served on the boards of some of Australia’s leading companies including Mirvac, Citi Australia, Transurban and Virgin Australia.
She dedicated more than a decade to the boards of the GO Foundation and Climateworks Australia, during this time she also served on the boards of Tonic Media and Global Business & Sustainable Development Commission.
Ms Mostyn was a Commissioner with the Australian Football League for over a decade until 2017.
She has also been a strong supporter of women in sport, and was an advocate for the creation of the AFL Women’s league and co-founded the Minerva Network, Australia’s only mentorship and development program dedicated to professional female athletes.
From 2013–2017, she was President of the Australian Council for International Development.
Ms Mostyn became an inaugural commissioner with the National Mental Health Commission in 2012 and Deputy Chair of the Diversity Council of Australia in 2010. She served on the Australian faculty of the Cambridge University Business & Sustainability Leadership Program from 2010–2024.
She has contributed to independent reviews for the betterment of the community as a member of the panel of the Crawford Sports Funding Review (2009), and Review of the Treatment of Women in the Australian Defence Force (2012). She chaired the NSW Government Women’s Economic Opportunities Review (2022), and Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce report (2023).
She also held membership to the boards of Reconciliation Australia and Australia Council for the Arts.
Before taking on non-executive roles, she held senior executive roles at Insurance Australia Group, Optus, and Cable & Wireless plc.
Ms Mostyn is married to Mr Simeon Beckett SC and they have an adult daughter, Lotte Beckett. Ms Mostyn is an avid Sydney Swans fan, and served on the board from 2017–2024.
