Stella Avramopoulos, CEO, Good Shepherd on being a hope holder and using her experience working at the coalface of disadvantage.

Join Rebekah Campbell as she chats with Stella Avramopoulos, CEO of Good Shepherd. Stella talks about her experience from working at the coalface of disadvantage and her mindset of opportunity to disrupt deep systemic roadblocks. She shares how she relentlessly drives innovation by engaging corporate, government services and services, and how we can all find a golden thread in someone to start an authentic conversation to build a shared purpose.   Key Insights (02:12) How did Stella start her leadership journey? Stella started her journey in high school while living in Reservoir. Stella’s father sent her to work with a friend who was a lawyer for Children’s Court. As she sat in Court, she observed a girl sentenced to juvenile justice. It really hit her hard to learn that the girl was also from Reservoir and the same age as her and without her family there supporting her. It was the first time she was exposed to the implications of inequality and it changed her and influenced her career path. (17:13) How does Stella approach engagement with corporates? Stella approaches corporates using a combination of business case perspectives and also impact and outcomes assessments. She reinforces the importance of addressing issues ‘up the top of the hill’, as greater hardship and inequalities create more complex issues for all of society to address. Stella thinks everyone, including corporates, government and community sectors are beginning to acknowledge the importance of creating coalitions and working on co-investment strategies to address these issues. (23:52) What tool can Stella share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox? Stella wants to turn the Toolbox into a tapestry. Tapestry is historically women’s work and is creative and innovative. Women are incredible because they can find different ways of getting through a solution because they’ve had to navigate barriers and have been told, no. A tapestry calls on you to know your craft and requires technical skills. It needs persistence and patience which are relevant in a world requiring solutions that are interdependent and need to naturally fit and weave in with each other.   Important Resources and Links This podcast contains content about financial abuse in the context of domestic and family violence, which some people may find confronting. At any time, if you think you or someone else is in immediate danger, always call Emergency First on Triple 0. If you or someone you know needs support, contact 1800RESPECT on 1-800-737-732. If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html   Host of the Leading Women podcast, Rebekah Campbell is a high-profile entrepreneur and public speaker who spoke at TEDx Sydney (2012). Rebekah is co-founder of payments app Hey You and author of the book ‘138 Dates’ published by Allen & Unwin in 2021. Rebekah was named a Woman of Influence in 2015 and APEC Young Woman Innovator. She was the host and curator of the City of Sydney's virtual event series 'Reboot', supporting 18,000 Sydney business owners to recover from the impact of COVID in 2020 / ‘21. If you’re interested in learning more about Rebekah visit her website: www.rebekahcampbell.com The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank.  The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson. Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.