Reserve Bank of Australia board member and investor Carol Schwartz, Co-Founder of Big Red Group Naomi Simson, Flight Centre Travel group CEO and founder Graham “Skroo” Turner, CEO of Warrikal Engineering and founder of the Kirrikin Foundation Amanda Healy, Kogan CEO Ruslan Kogan, and the list of world’s top 50 best vineyards are among the highlights of the sixth issue of Forbes Australia, which was released on Monday, August 14.
Leading the issue is Carol Schwartz, one of Australia’s most well-known investors, who has poured millions of dollars into start-ups led by women. The Reserve Bank of Australia board member co-founded Scale Investors, a female-led start-up accelerator that has injected more than $20 million into 46 businesses now worth an estimated half a billion dollars.
More recently, her focus has shifted to investing in female venture capitalists – a move she hopes will help flip the switch in gender equality globally. She talks to Forbes Australia about funding the funders to disrupt the status quo.
Forbes Australia editor-in-chief, Sarah O’Carroll, said: “In every issue we tell stories of people striving to change the world and striving for more diverse voices and representation in leadership. Carol Schwartz is an example of this. She is someone who is using her power and influence to shift the dial on funding for women-led businesses. Carol is featured alongside an amazing group of female venture capitalists, who we like to think of as ‘venture catalysts’. We also delve into the stories of established, successful business leaders such as Naomi Simson, Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner, Ruslan Kogan, and Amanda Healy.”
Highlights of the new issue include:
In 2017, Naomi Simson co-founded Big Red Group, the largest experience marketplace in Australia and New Zealand. It serves an experience every 18 seconds, the equivalent of 1.5 million a year. The former Shark Tank judge shares the habits and insights that underpin her success.
Ruslan Kogan is best known as the founder and CEO of Australian online electronics retailer, Kogan. The Belarus-born entrepreneur has experienced the highs and lows of business over the past 17 years, but he believes the next phase of his company will be the most transformative.
Travel industry juggernaut Flight Centre Group’s share price peaked at over $60 in 2018. By March 2020, it had crashed to just under $9. While the now $5 billion business has made ground since the pandemic, the good times are a way off, but founder and CEO Graham “Skroo” Turner and his Flight Centre crew believe they can get there. “Skroo” talks with Forbes Australia about his reinvigorated business model and change in direction to help return to the good times.
The full issue can be found here.