Natasha Stott Despoja AO is an Australian politician, diplomat, gender equality advocate and author.
Throughout her life, Natasha has worked tirelessly to further the rights of women and girls through public policy.
Natasha was appointed as a Senator for South Australia at age 26, becoming the youngest woman to enter the Australian Federal Parliament, where she served from 1995 to 2008, including as Leader of the Australian Democrats.
In 2020, Natasha was elected by the General Assembly of the United Nations as a member of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The Committee, made up of 23 independent experts, monitors the progress of UN member states’ efforts to eliminate discrimination against women.
Natasha is the founding Chair of Our Watch (2013-2021), Australia’s national organisation to Prevent Violence Against Women and their Children, and was Australia’s Global Ambassador for Women and Girls (2013-2016), working to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment around the world.
In 2018, she was named one of the Top 100 Global Influencers on Gender Policy by Apolitical, and in 2019, she authored On Violence, detailing the state of domestic violence in Australia, published by MUP.
Natasha is a Principal at Deloitte and currently serves as a non-executive Director of The Australian Ballet, Global Citizen and Carrie’s Beanies for Brain Cancer. She is also a member of the Broad Agenda 50:50 by 2030 Advisory Group and the George Washington Global Women’s Leadership Council.
In September 2022, Natasha undertook the role as Professor in the Practice of Politics at ANU.
Natasha was an absolute delight to work with. She took to the time to understand our audience and our industry and adapted her message perfectly. She is a very powerful speaker, so articulat ... keep reading Corenet Australian Chapter
