ALLISON Schroder, as she was known back then, has just signed the radio advertising deal no one else in Queensland could get.
It is the early 2000s and the ace sales executive who relocated from rural Inverell, NSW, to the Gold Coast almost 20 years earlier as an ambitious, wide-eyed 18-year-old is at the top of her game.
The deal is a $4000-a-month ad spend with Maurie Pickering’s Mazda dealership.
“Back then my boss was like ‘Wow - you got Maurie - how? That’s great we’ve never had him’,” she recalls.
Meet your Women of the Year finalists
At the time she says it was hard to be taken seriously as a woman in ad sales, facing constant innuendo: “The boys would often say ‘How did you get that deal?’ and I’m like ‘I got it because I knew what I was talking about and (the client) believed in me’. I deliberately never wore short skirts, never had my cleavage showing, I always dressed absolutely professionally.
“But they would often innuendo ‘You only got that piece of business because you’re a female’. Back then we just dealt with it and got on with it, guys thinking you could never make it to the top of your career. That made me more determined. I wanted to be successful, I wanted to be in charge of my own destiny.”
She had been pursuing her own destiny since moving to the Coast as a teen in 1987: “I came to the Gold Coast when I was on holiday age 16, and just went ‘Wow, how long has this been going on? This is just absolutely amazing’. I visited a few more times and thought to myself ‘Next time, I’m staying’.”
She went from a pharmacy job in the Paradise Centre mall in Surfers Paradise, developing a passion for skincare and beauty products, to a temporary move to New York at age 23 before returning.
“I had many job offers to go back into cosmetics, but I actually ended up going into real estate and working for (the late property doyenne) Max Christmas. I was the only female on a male-dominated team, it was amazing.”
A close friend enticed her into radio sales: “Again, I moved to an all-male sales team. We were the most successful radio sales team in Australia - we worked only on commission.”
Ever mindful of the potential for “innuendo” from colleagues any time she closed a deal, she had a rule to never date clients.
So having signed up Maurie Pickering, when he later asked her out it put her in a difficult spot – she admits she genuinely liked him. The first time she had called on him for advertising (he had said no initially), she recalls: “I just went ‘Oh, he is so my speed’ but I didn’t take any notice, I was there on business.
“(Then later) he asks me out - and I just went ‘I don’t date clients’ - and he said ‘Oh really - okay - well, I’m not signing up (anymore) on my advertising then’. And I’m like ‘Where do we go from here?’. So I left and go back to my office and my boss was a Kerry Packer style boss. And he was like ‘What the f---, what the f--- did you f---ing do?’ I said ‘He asked me out and I don’t date clients’. He goes ‘oh that’s f---ing bullshit’. He was furious at me because I had lost the business.”
In the meantime, the ever chivalrous Mr Pickering persisted. He sent flowers to her work. When she rang to thank him, he asked her to dinner again.
“He lived on the Coast and (at that stage) I lived in Brisbane but I was going to my parents’ on the Coast for the weekend so I said ‘Okay sure’. I said to my parents ‘Don’t come out and meet him, I’m not going to marry him, I’ll be home by midnight’. I got home at 4am and nine months later he proposed.”
VOTE NOW: Gold Coast Women of the Year - People’s Choice
“This is 2004. He took me to Versace for dinner - where we just got talking, and his career was so like mine - he really tried to get ahead. Maurie was the youngest Mazda franchise/business owner in Australia - most of them were older or sons of dealers.
“It was hard for him to get to that level and it was the same for me at Estée Lauder - I was the youngest business manager ever employed by Estée Lauder Australia,” she said.
“I went for my interview and the GM was female. I put my age up because you had to be 21 and I was 20. Halfway through the interview I said ‘Look I’ve got something to tell you, I put my age up, I’m only 20’ and she was so impressed that I had one: put my age up and two: told her the truth and three: believed in myself. I got the job. Maurie’s story was so similar, he had to fight to get to where he was in his life.
“They shut the restaurant while we were still sitting there, sitting out the back smoking cigars. So then he says ‘Let’s go out’ - so we went to Melbas first. We went clubbing. I went home and the next day, he caught up with me. He just absolutely wooed me. It was overwhelming.
“I was blown away. He wasn’t mucking around - he was 40 and I was 36. I came with no baggage - he had been married and had three children. I had never been married - had no children and the only baggage I had was a bit of Louis Vuitton.”
She reveals he later told her he had fallen for her – well before she signed him for the $4000-a-month ad deal – when he saw her pitching a Mazda Queensland ad campaign.
“I had Mazda Queensland as a client and was presenting to the whole board. I was the only female in the room. He later told me it was that day he fell in love with me. He said he couldn’t speak because he was just in awe. He loved that I knew what I was talking about and was not intimidated. He said he was intimidated.”
Now, on the eve of their 15th wedding anniversary on Tuesday, they are among the Coast’s power couples.
His successful dealerships include Pickering Luxury Garage in Southport selling pre-owned luxury marques such as Maserati and Lamborghini – she has spent years launching her women’s high-end health and beauty product range Mx Skincare. Pickering Luxury Garage recently hosted an Mx Skincare showcase with ambassador and ironwoman Courtney Hancock featuring in a demonstration.
Mx Skincare is a sponsor for the Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year awards.
“We’ve worked very hard at our relationship - relationships can look amazing on the outside but there’s a lot of hard work that goes into it. Neither of us come from money - we are both self-made and we believe in each other. If we’re going to do something we do it absolutely 100 per cent to our best. Just like Mx Skincare - there was no way I was going to put it in a cheap plastic bottle, there was no way it wasn’t going to have a luxurious box, there was no way it wasn’t going to be the best ingredients. I actually sent it all off for testing, for Euro-Certification so we could take it international when we wanted to.”
Ms Pickering said sponsoring Women of the Year was about backing “something that empowers, compliments and champions the successful women in our city - whether they be sportspeople like we spoke about with Courtney Hancock … our city is really firmly on the map now - and we’ve got a lot to bring to the table and a lot of amazing women here. Look at Rebecca Frizelle, Katie Page. What better way to support Gold Coast women than to sponsor (Harvey Norman) Gold Coast Woman Of The Year.”
- The Gold Coast Bulletin has contracted Portia Large to cover the Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year awards.
- MxSkincare is a sponsor of the Harvey Norman Women of the Year awards’ Wellness Warriors category.
DON’T MISS: The inside story of Mx Skincare – in the Harvey Norman GC Women of the Year liftout with your GC Bulletin, July 17.
How Coast theatre legend’s work ‘keeps kids off the street’ - April
GOLD Coast theatrical linchpin Kate Peters has been recognised for her work in helping to put young actors in the limelight.
The 75-year-old, who has tirelessly provided opportunities for children to take part in pantomimes as well as raising awareness for the industry, has been nominated for the Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year.
Ms Peters travelled the world as a child to follow her dreams in theatre and moved to the Gold Coast.
“I think it's a great place to live,” Ms Peters said.
She said COVID helped the Gold Coast theatre community raise its standards.
“Professionals who were on cruise ships or living overseas have come home. (Overseas actors) are now able to take major roles in local theatre, so the standard is particularly high.”
Twelve years ago, Ms Peters introduced the Gold Palm Theatre Awards to reward the work of local theatre shows.
“We are deep into (bringing back) the Gold Palm Theatre awards this year (after COVID),” she said.
The mother of three and grandmother of four said she was proud to say they were all involved in theatre in some way.
“It keeps them off the street and they learn some discipline from theatre.”
Ms Peters said she was thankful to be surrounded by inspiring women.
“I think there are so many women who are doing incredible things, particularly on the Gold Coast, that you don't hear of.
“Women are playing a huge role in so many fields.”
She recently finished a film and TV series on Foxtel called The End, as well as Dive Club.
“Dive Club features a lot of young and older people on the Gold Coast.”
The nominations for Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year are being considered by the judges.
The broad range of impressive nominees range from a six-year-old with her own charity to the leaders, volunteers and achievers shaping this city.
The finalists in each of the seven categories – Angels Among Us, Champions of Education, Champions of Sport, Entrepreneurs, Wellness Warriors, Entertainers and Young Women – will be unveiled in the Bulletin this month.
Join us when winners will be revealed at the Star Gold Coast on July 16. Tickets are $190 or $1800 for a table of 10. Head to www.womenoftheyear.com.au for tickets.
The Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year is sponsored by The Star Gold Coast, St Hilda’s School, Southern Cross University, Mx Skincare and Phoenix Creative Management.
SPORT STAR’S BIG PUSH
AN Australian-born ironwoman sharing insights from A-list celebrities, sports stars and political luminaries has been nominated for the Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year.
Gabrielle Reilly has a website The Global Town Hall encouraging important political conversations featuring a range of talent from recently retired tennis star Caroline Wozniacki to Rich Dad, Poor Dad author Robert T Kiyosaki.
Ms Reilly moved home from the United States a year ago and continued to build her gallery of inspirational interviews.
Singer Andrea Bocelli, astronaut Dr. Buzz Aldrin and golfer John Daly are all names featured in interviews she has done and posted on her website.
Ms Reilly said she hoped the catalogue of interviews would help others and pinned them down during her travels overseas.
“I love the day to day stuff of helping everybody, but also to have an impact on a huge part of the world.”
The Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year is sponsored by Star Gold Coast, St Hilda’s School, Southern Cross University, Phoenix Management and Mx Skincare.
‘I was delivering tea’: Coast young gun’s road to top job
May 1: A GOLD Coast business young gun has earned a position as CEO at 27, stepping up to the top job just months before the pandemic.
Helming web design company Five by Five, Carla Schesser was nominated for Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year for her leadership during the challenges of COVID-19.
Ms Schesser began working in the industry as an admin assistant straight out of school.
“I was delivering teas and coffees,” she said.
“What was cool about it was that I was exposed to a lot of business training through the company.”
The young entrepreneur moved to the Gold Coast from Cairns four years ago and began a job at Five by Five as a project manager.
“I was appointed CEO in January last year,” she said.
“The position was interesting as it was a couple months before COVID hit.
“I had to get rid of the training wheels quickly.”
She said Five by Five co-founder Jon Hollenberg helped her find her feet.
“He has been my mentor, life coach, therapist and everything in between,” she said.
“He is a massive advocate for female leaders — 60 per cent of the leadership team is female.”
But Ms Schesser said it was her mum who she had to thank for her determination to climb the career ranks.
“She had me when she was 16 and was a single mum for a few years.
“I get a lot of my determination and strength from her.”
RACHAEL DIDN’T LET ILLNESS SLOW HER DOWN
April 29: Supercars fanatic Rachael Reid hasn’t let severe illness stop her pursuing her passion.
The Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year nominee founded automotive lifestyle business Her Supercar Life to empower other women in the male-dominated field … and she did it all while battling sarcoidosis.
The growth of inflammatory cells in the body, most common in the lungs and lymph nodes, was initially misdiagnosed as lymphoma and struck when the mum of three was enjoying a career high.
“In 2019 I was personally invited by Lamborghini in Italy to join the global Lamborghini female advisory board,” she said.
“I then became unwell.
“I’m not giving up though because I have three little ones.
“I have been trying to show the girls it’s all about what you want to do and not what people want you to do.”
The exotic car owner, collector, racer, precision driver, burnout champ and former Miss Indy uses Her Supercar Life as a vehicle to invite other women in on the automotive action.
“(At our events) females get to come out without their partners and learn about how a car does handle and then get to drive supercars,” she said.
Her Supercar Life provides reviews and advice for men and women.
Why mastermind behind Coast icon ‘had to grow up fast’
April 25: The female force behind the Gold Coast’s foremost entertainment precinct says “men will never understand how hard it is for a woman in business”.
Miami Marketta founder Emma Milikins, whose devotion to the local music scene has been recognised with a Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year nomination, said she held off having children in her 30s because of her career.
Mrs Milikins had her first son at 41 and had to hire a nanny for his first 12 months to continue her business.
“You are constantly torn between the two — it’s just something men will never understand when we go for jobs,” she said.
“There’s an innate equality because we are the ones who have to bare the children.”
Mrs Milikins’ business instinct kicked in early, driven by a desire to change the direction of her life.
“I grew up in commission homes and I didn’t want to recreate that pattern of being in the lower socio-economic group,” she said.
“I didn't really have a strong mother role model when I was a child.
“She did a great job — don't get me wrong, she was a single mum — but I had to grow up fast.”
Mrs Milikins said the COVID-enforced pause pushed her into creating new ideas for the already thriving Miami Marketta.
“When you are in your business all the time, it’s like you are in a one-lane highway and not looking anywhere,” she said.
“I created weird things like drive-through drag queens, which was really successful.
“COVID validated my creativity, which as an artist you question.
“It’s been rewarding in that sense but frustrated in many other ways.”
GOLD COAST’S MAN’S TIRELESS LOVE FOR INSPIRATION
April 20: Queensland’s Australian of the Year Dinesh Palipana is an inspiration to many, but he says it’s his mum that’s the “quiet hero”.
Dr Palipana has nominated his mother Chithrani for Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year to recognise her support during his toughest years.
After he sustained a spinal cord injury in a severe car accident 12 years ago, Chithrani became his primary carer.
Thanks to her devotion, he became the first quadriplegic in Queensland to graduate with a doctorate in medicine.
“I wouldn’t be who I am without my mum,” he said.
“She taught me how to drive, how to shave and how to be better among other things,
“She’s been tirelessly there for me since the accident — every day.
“After helping me get ready for work, mum sets to work in advocacy.
“When I get home 12 hours later, she’s still going.”
Now a rehabilitation counsellor and disability carer, Ms Palipana said she struggled for months after the accident to find help for her son.
“We had been through a lot of hardships after the accident,” she said.
“We were given the run around and we were lost.”
Ms Palipana said she inherited her nurturing nature from her own mother.
“I always think of her dearly, she was quite strong,” she said.
“She came to the hospital all the way from Sri Lanka and travelled for the first time.
“Every time I cried she turned around and said, ‘What are you crying for? That child needs help, if you do down who’s there to help him?’
“That really stuck with me.”
HOW INJURY KICKSTARTED NEW CAREER FOR COAST STARLET
April 16: She’s formidable on a wave, but it was Jade Wheatley’s mentorship of tomorrow’s surf stars that landed her a nomination for Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year.
The 24-year-old owner of Just Surf started surfing when she was nine years old, collecting state and national titles as a talented teen.
Her competitive surfing career came to a halt when she tore a medial ligament in her knee, but she says the injury helped her discover her calling as a coach.
“I started surf coaching because I had a year out of the water,” she said.
“I love helping kids with things that come about, whether it is transitioning into high school or personal things.
“I like to think of myself as a role model for the girls in terms of respecting themselves in the surf.”
RECAP: 2020 GOLD COAST WOMEN OF THE YEAR
Ms Wheatley, a contender in the Champions of Sport category, mentors intermediate to advanced young Gold Coast surfers.
She said the COVID-19 lockdown was the push she needed to start her own surf coaching business in January.
“I’m pretty stoked to have been doing that this year,” she said.
“I have a squad morning and afternoon.”
Ms Wheatley said her biggest role models were her mum and pro surfer Carissa Moore.
“My mum is a single mum of five kids,” she said.
“My nurturing role of my mentoring would come from her.
“I’ve always looked up to Carissa Moore mostly because of her power in her surfing.
“You can be an amazing surfer and still wear a bikini — Carissa to me was that person.”
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