Shirley Chowdhary GAICD

Shirley Chowdhary’s current portfolio aims to create commercially sustainable and inclusive services and products for all members of our community. Her career has been driven by a strong desire to create a connection between people, place and purpose and this work was recognized when she was selected as one of the 2019 AFR 100 Women of Influence. 

Shirley is currently the Chair of Women for Election and an external member of the University of Sydney Senate People & Culture Committee. She sits on the Advisory Boards of Propel Group, an organisation empowering boards and C-Suites to manage digital reputation, and Mentor Walks, providing mentoring to over 10,000 women across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Dubai and Canada. Her previous roles include being Deputy Chair of YMCA NSW, Chair of the Australian Institute of Architects, and non-executive director on the boards of the Australian Associated Press and Northrop Engineers.

Shirley has a current research focus on how boards can adopt AI as a collaborative thinking partner to enhance judgement, improve productivity in the boardroom, and strengthen governance decision-making. Her work responds to growing expectations on directors to lead with foresight and confidence, supporting responsible innovation while maintaining trust, transparency and alignment with emerging regulatory frameworks.

Career highlights include being in private practice at Cleary Gottlieb in New York and Tokyo, Regional Counsel for JP Morgan Investment Management, and CEO of the GO Foundation, an NFP founded by Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin of Sydney Swans fame. She lived and worked for a decade in Japan, and has worked internationally across Asia, North America, Europe and Africa in the listed, private and for-purpose sectors. She has also hosted two series of the Women’s Agenda Leadership Lessons podcast and written a biography for a WW2 POW.

In 2024, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Sydney for her contributions to law, business, gender equality and Indigenous education, and she was recognised as a 2019 AFR 100 Women of Influence. She is currently part of the AICD’s flagship Chair’s Mentoring program.