Cassandra Kelly

Cassandra Kelly is an international advisor and company director. She is chair of Pottinger, a strategic and corporate advisory firm, which she co-founded in 2003. Her thinking on gender equality, philanthropy, and business leadership has been featured in articles, speeches and books.

Early Life and Education

Cassandra was born in Sydney, Australia. She attended the University of Sydney and received a Bachelor in Economics (Honours in Finance), with a major in Commercial Law / Accounting. Her Honours year focused on economics of developing nations.

Executive career

After working as a fund manager, she was hired by McKinsey & Company and moved to Johannesburg, where she was one of the early founders of the global risk management practice. Following that, she worked at HSBC in London and then Deutsche Bank and was eventually based in New York City, where she led investment into online platforms such as Tradeweb, Market Axess and Creditex.

In 2001 she was hired by Chairman of GMAC Commercial Holding, David Creamer, as Vice President of GMAC Commercial Mortgage Asia, based in Tokyo.

She founded Pottinger in 2003,^[1][2] a global advisory business, with Nigel Lake. She currently acts as the company’s Chair, advising on Pottinger's unique “destination-led strategy" to leaders in business and government. Business Spectator reported that Cassandra drives a responsible and ethical business culture through recruitment of individuals “with a true understanding of what feels correct, ethical, decent, humane, authentic behaviour. People who have the courage to say ‘no’ to clients”.^[3]

Board Appointments

In 2015, Cassandra was appointed as deputy chairperson of Treasury Corporation Victoria, the central financing authority for the State of Victoria, established by an Act of the Victorian Parliament. She was also appointed chair of Allpress Coffee.

In 2014, Cassandra was appointed as an independent director of Flight Centre Travel Group, one of the world’s largest travel agency businesses, and of Allpress Coffee.

In 2010, she was appointed as director of the University of New South Wales Foundation, the Fundraising Board of that university.

Cassandra is also:

• A member of The International Advisory Board for The Resolution Project
• A member of the Global Leadership Council for MS Research Australia

Previously, Cassandra was a director and chair of the Audit and Risk Management Committee for The Starlight Foundation and a director of The Children’s Cancer Institute Australia, as well as vice president of Women in Banking & Finance.

Recognition

Cassandra is an advisor to the G20, as a member of the B20 Infrastructure and Financing Taskforce. In 2014, Cassandra spoke at the G20 Finance Ministers and Reserve Bank Governors Meeting, the B20 Summit on Financing Growth and the G(irls) 20.

Cassandra also participates in the Australia-Canada Economic Leadership Forum and the Clinton Global Initiative.

The Australian has quoted her thoughts on business leadership: “we are now living in a world where managements and boards have to be more nimble and collaborative and curious, because we are in an environment where companies have to embrace uncertainty”.^[4] At Daze of Disruption in 2015, she spoke about the importance of investing outside of core business operations in order that organisations remain vital in the future.^[5]

In 2010 the Australian Financial Review article ‘Women to Watch: Cultural Change’ in 2010^[6] featured her, as did the Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence Awards in 2012.^[7] In 2014 she was acknowledged as the Instyle magazine's and Audi's business-woman of style and sat on the judging panel for 2015.^[8]

In 2015, Cassandra was named a Director to Watch, by Directors & Boards, a quarterly US journal dedicated to the topics of leadership and corporate governance.^[9]

Community and Philanthropy

In 2012, Cassandra co-founded The Glass Elevator, a program designed to help connect, engage and inspire women in industry and government.^[10]

The book Leadership Revelations III: How we Achieve the Gender Tipping Point by Avril Henry, published in 2015 featured her thoughts on gender equality and she has also spoken in the UAE, Malaysia and Japan (by invitation from Shinzō Abe) on this topic.

Cassandra has presented at a number of forums:

• 2014 at All About Women held at the Sydney Opera House on the role that women need to play in each other's success, through mentoring, encouraging strength and courage, and by creating a workplace culture that is truly innovative, inclusive and caring.^[11] Leaders in heels features her speech, quoting “We need to start a tidal wave movement. One that supports and encourages other women and one that demands opportunities for women.”^[12]
• 2014 at W21 on advancing women’s leadership at the G20 summit.^[13]
• 2014 at the Global Summit of Women in Paris on the urgency for practical steps to close the gender gap.
• 2013 at the Global Summit of Women in Malaysia, debating the topic of quotas versus voluntary initiatives to achieve gender parity in corporate leadership, particularly the boardroom.^[14]

Cassandra has participated in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout, an annual Australian initiative raising awareness and raising funds to break the cycle of homelessness, and has been a member of the Vinnies’ Advisory Board for the event.^[15] Thread Publishing has shared her thoughts on philanthropy and how Pottinger was created with the intention of being a social and commercial enterprise.^[16][17][18]

References

External links

• Pottinger website
• The Glass Elevator website