Bold Women, Bold Futures with Andrea Milner

We recently hosted our latest Bold Women, Bold Futures event in Melbourne, bringing together senior female finance professionals for an open and honest conversation about the more challenging moments in our careers.

We were delighted to be joined by Andrea Milner, Chief Financial Officer, Advent One, who shared insights from her own career on speaking up, making difficult decisions and continuing to grow as a leader.

Much of the morning came back to knowing what matters to you. Andrea spoke about using your core values as a guide and taking a "win-win" approach, which means being clear on what you need from a role, understanding what the organisation needs from you, and reassessing when that balance shifts.

When it comes to difficult conversations, the advice was to avoid reacting in the moment and instead take time to understand the issue, gather the facts and talk to people you trust first.

That same considered approach becomes even more important as responsibilities grow, with leadership shifting from getting things done to developing others, thinking strategically and looking ahead, supported by regular self-reflection along the way.

The strongest message was the importance of having good people around you rather than trying to do it all alone. Mentors, peers, family and trusted advisers have all supported Andrea through different stages of her career, and she recommended building a network you can turn to for perspective and support.

The people in the room proved that point, openly sharing their own experiences and questions. That's what Bold Women, Bold Futures is all about: creating a space for meaningful conversations and genuine connections, and for sharing experiences that help others with their own careers.

Thank you to Andrea for sharing her story so openly, and to everyone who joined us. We look forward to seeing you at the next one.