The POWER List

For three decades, marie claire has celebrated women who inspire, agitate and champion change.

- WORDS MAEVE GALEA & COURTNEY THOMPSON

To mark the occasion, we've selected 30 of the most powerful women in the country. Whether they're smashing glass ceilings, swimming for gold or telling female-led stories on the screen, these are the women blazing a trail and bringing the next generation along with them

ADVOCACY
Professor Megan Davis

The leading Australian lawyer on constitutional recognition of First Nations peoples, Professor Megan Davis has been a singular influence in Indigenous rights, law and national reconciliation. One of the authors of the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart, she catalysed the campaign for a Voice to Parliament. “Seeing mob suspend their belief that change won’t happen in their own country, come together to imagine their world could be a better place and choosing a vision of unity and hope and belonging to Australian democracy, not being separate, was a real highlight,” she says. Even though the 2023 referendum did not pass, “we do what all Aussies do: dust ourselves off and fight on for the vision that the Uluru Statement from the Heart still provides. Because hope and peace matter.”

ENTREPRENEUR
Zoë Foster Blake

For millennial Australian women, Zoë Foster Blake is the blueprint. Always 10 steps ahead of the pack, Foster Blake launched a blog before Substack was even a thought and was writing romance novels (that were then adapted to TV shows) before BookTok took hold of the publishing industry. Then she became one of the country's most successful entrepreneurs when she founded her cult-favourite beauty brand, Go-To Skincare, with a relentless dedication to efficacy, accessibility and fun. Foster Blake is an icon of originality, proving that you can build an empire on wit, vision and an unwavering sense of self.

FINANCE
Michele Bullock