Business trailblazer, philanthropist and advocate for women empowerment, Bonnie Boezeman AO believes nurses should have equal opportunity to advance in their careers. Speaking on the SCU Buzz podcast, Bonnie shares insight into her entrepreneurial spirit and the creation of the Bonnie Boezeman AO Leadership in Nursing Scholarship, in partnership with Chief Executive Women and Southern Cross University.
Welcome to the podcast, Bonnie. Can you give an overview of how you started your business career?
I talked my way into my first job with Time Life Books. I was a personal assistant for the European Business Manager and three years later I stepped into his role. It was amazing and I loved it. I found my true leadership style and it was the study of sociology and psychology that led me to be able to manage people. I later stepped down from the role as I wanted to learn every department in the organisation so that one day I might be able to lead a bigger part of the company. And that is exactly what I did. I ended up running the largest division in Europe and then was CEO and Chair for the South Pacific Books, Music and Video for 13 years.
How did you become involved in Chief Executive Women?
I was approached after speaking at the first business women's conference in Sydney in 1984 about starting a women in business group in Australia by Barbara Cail, who had published Portfolio, the first business woman's magazine in Australia. It was so groundbreaking. We ended up with 15 women including designer women's clothing founder Carla Zampatti, Westpac regional manager Helen Lynch and Neutrimetics founder Imelda Roche. So, this evolved into Chief Executive Women. This year, we are celebrating our 40th anniversary. We started with 15 women and now have 1,300 members across Australia.
What inspired you to launch a scholarship for nursing leadership?
I underwent a number of health complications and spent six weeks in hospital in 2012 during which time I met an incredible array of nurses. I spoke with them about their job, what they love about it, their salary, working long hours and balancing work with family commitments. I met the most amazing women, and to me, they were as impressive as the CEO of a corporation. This led to the idea of a nursing scholarship. The hours that nurses work combined with their salaries meant there were no opportunities for nurses to advance their education. And reports were showing a significant shortfall of nurses. And so, I approached Chief Executive Women about funding a scholarship for women in nursing. We approached Southern Cross University and they were open arms. We established the Bonnie Boezeman AO Leadership in Nursing scholarship , which is an annual scholarship that enables a female nurse to study the Master of Healthcare Leadership at Southern Cross University. Now, in 2025, we are accepting applications for our seventh recipient.
What impacts has the scholarship had so far?
The recipients have been phenomenal. I am so proud of how they are progressing in their careers. The first, Danielle Coates , was a Paediatric Emergency Nurse Practitioner at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney. She's now created committees to grow nursing with a conglomerate of other hospitals. Lisa Vilé has served on an advisory board to the Premier of Western Australia. Le Truong led a St Vincent's team of 50 through the 2020 pandemic on a designated COVID-19 ward. Amanda Christie is now Director of Nursing at Legacy Nursing Home in Coffs Harbour. Lieutenant Colonel Kylie Hasse has completed her Masters degree and is now going from strength to strength. And last year's recipient, Sophie Daniel , has taken the Minister for Health through Liverpool Hospital and explained the vision for the future of that hospital. I can't tell you how proud I am of each them.
Bonnie Boezeman AO Leadership in Nursing Scholarship
The Bonnie Boezeman AO Leadership in Nursing Scholarship is awarded to a registered woman nurse to undertake a Master of Healthcare Leadership with Southern Cross University. The successful recipient has a career plan that will take her into a leadership role within the healthcare sector.
The scholarship is provided in partnership with Chief Executive Women (CEW). CEW is the pre-eminent organisation representing more than 1,300 of Australia's most senior women from the corporate, public, academic and not-for-profit sectors. Its mission is "women leaders empowering all women". Through advocacy, targeted programs and scholarships, CEW works to remove the barriers to women's progression and ensure equal opportunity for prosperity.
Applications close on 24 March 2025. Apply here .
