My career has travelled many paths and my destination is still not certain. I enjoy the attraction of the unknown but also having the courage and skill to indentify and seize opportunities when they arise. I have been approached for all my roles with my choice being influenced by those I work with and respect.
I started my career as an accountant in Coopers & lybrand (now pricewaterhouseCoopers), Australia, and expected to be a partner. At age 27, I was managing a group of 47 accountants in London, the youngest person appointed to this position, female and Australian. At age 30, I relocated back to Australia and joined a global mining company. This opportunity allowed me to start taking all the good business practice advice I had been giving my clients.
I left the mining company to take a finance company through an IPO. This career move was short as my values were not aligned to the organization. I had lectured on ethics and never expected to be in the situation where my values would be challenged. My next role, in 2000, was CFO for Stryker South Pacific, a division of Stryker—an easy choice given the sterling reputation of Stryker. During this role I developed and implemented a compliance program.
In 2006 I moved to the USA as Stryker’s chief compliance officer to build the global compliance program. The business skills gained over the years helped me establish the compliance framework and infrastructure needed to support the business. This role gave me the opportunity to be a change agent and to partner with great people from many different cultures. I have found myself in an informal mentoring role to divisional compliance officers. More recently, my role in Stryker has expanded to include internal audit, a natural fit with existing compliance responsibilities.
My career has changed course based on a blending of personal and family needs. I made decisions based on the heart, the head, and my core values. Colleagues I have worked with are now dear friends and advisers whose views I cherish, and I have learned that some skills come with time and experience. Looking back, my career choices have all contributed to my current professional standing.