Christine Holgate, Australian business leader, will be live on stage at UN Women Australia’s International Women’s Day 2026 event in Melbourne, joining a line-up of Australia’s most influential women leaders at a pivotal moment for gender equality.
Under the theme ‘Balance the Scales’, the 2026 events arrive at a critical moment. In NSW alone, conviction rates for sexual assault cases sit at just 7 per cent, and across Australia, the justice system routinely fails to protect the most vulnerable. Meanwhile, globally, 3.9 billion women and girls live in countries with at least one law restricting their economic opportunities and access to justice.
Ms Holgate is an internationally respected business leader and a prominent advocate for gender equality in corporate Australia. She currently serves as Group Executive Chair of Team Global Express, a leading $4 billion logistics company in Australia and New Zealand, and previously held the position of Group Chief Executive Officer from 2021 to 2025. Holgate is well known for her transformative leadership at Australia Post from 2017 to 2020, where she managed $8 billion in revenue and a workforce of 75,000, modernised critical systems, and guided the organisation through significant operational challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her executive tenure has included leading Blackmores Ltd, Australia’s foremost natural health company, and she was the first woman to win CEO Magazine’s “Australian CEO of the Year” award, demonstrating her commitment to workplace innovation, equal pay, and inclusive leadership. Holgate’s time at Australia Post drew substantial public debate and national attention, focusing on issues of governance, workplace culture, and gender equality after her high-profile departure, an event that triggered widespread conversations in the media and Parliament about how women in leadership are treated in Australia.
As a UN Women Australia International Women’s Day speaker, Holgate remains at the forefront of advocating for systemic change, workplace fairness, and investment in women’s advancement. Her career is marked not only by pioneering results in business but by resilience and a continued push for equality at the highest levels of leadership.
Simone Clarke, CEO of UN Women Australia, said: “Christine Holgate’s leadership stands as a powerful example of resilience and purpose. Her commitment to equity and accountability continues to inspire women across Australia as we advance the unfinished business of gender equality.”
UN Women Australia’s IWD events are among the largest in Australia and provide a vital opportunity to raise funds to support and empower women and girls. The national IWD speaker line-up joins the ranks of previous speakers including Dr Jane Goodall, Mellody Hobson and Celeste Barber, among others.
Tickets for the 4 March 2026 events are now available at iwd.net.au.
Media enquiries:
Jessica Lewington
External Engagement Manager
UN Women Australia
[email protected]
+61 2 5112 2060
About UN Women Australia
UN Women Australia is a non-profit organisation committed to achieving gender equality for all women, empowering them to contribute their unique knowledge and skills to help create a better world for themselves, their families and their communities. Working in over 100 countries across the globe, UN Women runs vital programs that provide women and girls access to technology, training programs and safe spaces, empowering women and girls to obtain an education, become leaders in their community and build a brighter, more equal future for us all.
About Balance the Scales
Balance the Scales is a promise that every woman and girl – regardless of background or identity – should be safe, heard, and free to shape her own future. Yet in 2026, millions of women and girls across Australia and the world are still denied that fair go. Discriminatory laws, harmful practices, and gender-based violence remain widespread, while structural barriers continue to block access to justice. These barriers are not inevitable. They are built – and they can be dismantled. When women and girls stand equal, families are stronger, workplaces are fairer, communities thrive, and society becomes safer for everyone.
