Book Catherine Fox for your next event

I do think that we have a reason for optimism. But it is hinging on futher intentional action.

Profile

Catherine Fox AM is a leading commentator on women and the workforce, an award-winning journalist, author and presenter.

During a long career with the Financial Review, she wrote the weekly Corporate Woman column and for Boss magazine, and has published several books. "Stop Fixing Women” was awarded the 2017 Walkley Award for Women’s Leadership in Media, and her latest book "Breaking the boss bias: how to get more women into leadership" was launched in 2024.

Catherine helped establish the annual Financial Review 100 Women of Influence Awards in 2012 and was named a Woman of Influence in 2018. She has been a gender equality advisor to the Australian Defence Force, sits on the Australians Investing in Women board, and the Sydney Women’s Fund advisory council.

In 2022, she was awarded an AM for her significant service to journalism, gender equality, and diversity.

Expertise

Talking Points

IWD 2026: The Right Side of History: Why Gender Balance Still Matters

As global backlash against diversity initiatives gains traction, many Australian organisations are questioning the value of gender equity programs. But the data tells a different story. In this keynote, award-winning journalist and author Catherine Fox explores why gender balance remains a business-critical issue, not a passing trend. Drawing on insights from her book Breaking the Boss Bias, she highlights how leading organisations are staying the course. Whether driven by compliance, talent retention, or a genuine commitment to equity, the message is clear: progress must continue. Catherine challenges audiences to cut through the noise, focus on what works, and lead with clarity and conviction.

Key Takeaways
- Why gender balance is essential for performance, culture, and reputation
- How to avoid “gender washing” and over-optimism that stall progress
- The importance of setting clear goals, tracking outcomes, and using data to drive change
- Why women do not need fixing, they need equal access to opportunity
- How to engage men meaningfully in equity programs and conversations
- What drives real change: removing bias, closing the gender pay gap, and visible leadership commitment

Reimagining Leadership: How to get more women at the table

For all the talk about gender equity there's been very little change in the way leadership is framed, and traditional ideas about authority, hierarchy and who is best at the top. But there are lots of different ways to share decision making, collaborate and include diverse voices. It needs new thinking and imagination but evidence shows when women are in charge the bottom line and outcomes for all women improve.

Key Takeaways:
- How gender barriers to leadership are real and can be overcome
- Case studies of successful organisations tackling gender equity - what works and what doesn't
- How women decision makers built their careers

Radical Flexibility & Redefining Success

The COVID era changed the parameters on flexible work although now there's growing pressure to get back to the workplace. Meanwhile the 'glass hours ceiling' is still acting as a barrier to women - and parents - with expectations that senior jobs need 60 hours a week at the cliff face and women do the bulk of unpaid care. It's time to look at a different way of working and caring which can still deliver results and retain talent - and a younger generation in particular is demanding a new deal.

Key Takeaways:

- The pitfalls of the 'up or out' mentality to careers and how to take the long view
- Why working from home has helped women and the need to look at outcomes not where or when you work
- The models that deliver - job redesign and job sharing

Respect at Work: Tackling sexism and harassment in the workplace

The last few years have been a watershed for addressing toxic and sexist workplace behaviour. Now the Respect@Work legislation is putting the onus on employers to provide safe environments and find what works at a systemic level and in shifting everyday sexism.

Key Takeaways:
- The strategies and interventions that are needed
- Circuit breakers for poor behaviour that don't penalise women and tackle backlash
- Men as allies and amplifiers of women

Panel Host & Facilitator

Catherine Fox AM brings authority, clarity and insight to panel discussions. With a background in award-winning journalism and deep expertise in leadership, gender equity and workplace culture, she facilitates with purpose and precision. Catherine keeps conversations focused, draws out meaningful contributions, and ensures takeaways are practical and relevant for business audiences.

MC & Event Host

As an MC, Catherine delivers professionalism, polish and relevance. She frames sessions with intelligence, maintains strong flow across the program, and connects content to the broader event themes. Her background ensures confidence on stage and genuine engagement with executive audiences.

Topics

Business

Lifestyle & Wellbeing

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Celebrity & Media

Politics & Advocacy

Women's Rights

Media

Video

Catherine Fox | Intro | Saxton Speakers

Catherine Fox is a journalist, author and commentator with over two decades of experience exploring women in the workplace, workplace culture, and leadership. She challenges traditional ideas of leadership and highlights how “boss bias” and gender norms continue to hold back capable women from leadership roles. In this video, Catherine introduces her expertise in MCing, moderating panels, and exploring what makes high-performing workplaces, especially how to reshape leadership styles to include better collaboration, equity, and inclusion. Her latest book, Breaking the Boss Bias, investigates the systemic barriers women face in leadership, from toxic sexism to outdated management norms, and proposes actionable pathways for businesses to unlock leadership potential more equitably.

Catherine Fox | Radical flexibility | Saxton Speakers

In this inspiring talk, Catherine Fox explores radical flexibility in the workplace—why we're rethinking traditional work hours, what it really means to work “hybrid”, and how flexibility can span an entire career, not just a day. Fox argues that flexible working—having the option to split time between home and the office—is doing more than maintaining productivity; for many, it’s improving it. She discusses the importance of flexible schedules, especially for women and younger workers who juggle caring responsibilities, life transitions, or simply want more autonomy. Rather than being a “time out”, stepping away from intense work periods is reframed as essential to long‑term career fulfilment and balance. Key takeaways include: ✅ How hybrid work models support work‑life balance ✅ Why trust and outcome-oriented performance matter more than “time at the desk” ✅ How employers can build cultures that accommodate flexibility across all stages of a career

Catherine Fox | Reimagining Leadership | Saxton Speakers

In this inspiring talk, journalist and leadership thinker Catherine Fox invites us to reimagine leadership for a rapidly changing world. Drawing on conversations with CEOs in Australia and globally, she challenges traditional notions of pyramid‑style leadership and calls for a more inclusive approach. Gone are the days when a single person at the top dictates — Fox argues that leadership today must be collaborative, adaptive, and less prescriptive. She explores what really motivates people, how emerging generations are reshaping expectations, and why the future belongs to those who listen, empower, and reflect.

Catherine Fox | Respect at work | Saxton Speakers

In this powerful talk, Catherine Fox AM breaks down why respect at work — through tackling bias, inclusive behaviour, and fair systems — isn’t just a moral imperative, it’s a business one. Whether you’re a leader, manager or team member, learn how “circuit breakers” for bad conduct, access to opportunity, and a commitment to fairness help create workplaces where everyone can perform at their best.

The Gender Pay Gap is Real - Catherine Fox Interview

Equal pay can deliver huge benefits for our society and economy. Employment Law Principal Alex Grayson interviews Catherine Fox, author and journalist.

Catherine Fox on Breaking the Boss Bias

Despite the surge of women into university, jobs and sitting in federal parliament, why are men still overwhelmingly running the show? This is the question longtime Women on Boards member and leading commentator on women and the workforce - award-winning journalist, author Catherine Fox - asks in her new book Breaking the Boss Bias which aims to bust the ‘dangerous myth’ that gender equity in Australia has been ‘fixed’. In the book - in which Catherine talked to more than 40 men and women and examined a wealth of recent data and reports - she argues that headline figures showing the number of women directors on listed company boards does a lot of heavy lifting in the gender equity debate - and is often used to “prop up the delusion of progress” - but that much less attention is paid to the low numbers of women chairing boards or in senior executive ranks. “The book is unashamedly about changing the composition of decision-making tables,” Catherine told Women on Boards.

Libby Lyons and Catherine Fox Facebook Live

With three decades as a journalist and advocate, Catherine is one of Australia's leading experts on leadership, the future of workplaces and the status of women.