For many of Australia’s top women leaders, the toughest decisions are often those that affect other people. Deciding to discontinue a business or sack a senior colleague potentially involves disappointing someone, uprooting their job – and maybe taking away their income in the process.

Decisions involving long-term employees can be the most difficult of them all, with several entrants in the 2024 The Australian Financial Review Women in Leadership Awards noting how tough it was to do just that.