In recognition of National Breast Cancer awareness month, the Sydney office hosted a lunch with Carole Renouf, CEO, National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Carole shared her career highlights, perspectives on the challenges women face in leadership positions, and tips for success. She encouraged attendees to embrace new challenges to progress their careers and to proactively utilise mentors to develop knowledge and skills. Carole indicated that she had created or initiated all her own career opportunities, and that she had never been passive about her career development.
Carole also described how she was building a more gender diverse workforce at the National Breast Cancer Foundation which, unusually, meant attracting and retaining more men. She saw the business case for this as equally valid as for the reverse scenario. Carole also provided a personal insight into how she balanced the challenges of motherhood and leadership.
Carole Renouf’s career spans over 20 years in the non-profit sector. Carole spent her early years teaching in Australia and Europe. Carole set up the first Australian national conference on HIV/AIDS and healthy lifestyle resources for seniors through NSW Health followed by the establishment of her own consultancy. Carole has occupied various roles in the Australian Consumers’ Association with a policy specialisation in food and health. During her ten years with the ACA she led the consumer campaign against genetically modified food and pioneered the first Australian consensus conference, which saw the establishment of the gene technology regulator.
Carole moved from the ACA to WWF Australia, where she was promoted to Director of Marketing and Communications. Carole and her team grew the WWF database from 20,000 to 60,000 over three years. A short period at the UNSW as Director of Development for the Science Faculty was followed by five years as CEO of the Garvan Research Foundation where Carole and her team increased annual fundraising for the Garvan Institute of Medical Research from an average of $3m to $15m. Carole initiated the campaign to raise $110m to build the Kinghorn Cancer Centre. Working closely with the Chairman of the Institute she raised $40m in philanthropic gifts to complement a $70m capital grant from Government.
In December 2010, Carole took up the position of CEO of the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The NBCF is the leading community-funded organisation in Australia raising money for research into the prevention, detection and treatment of breast cancer. It currently raises $17m per year, principally through corporate partnerships, community fundraising, and national campaigns such as the Pink Ribbon Breakfast.