Revealed: The most inspirational business women in the Goulburn Valley
They are the leaders that people look up to, role models for youth and those who have had a profoundly positive impact on the region. Here are some of the most inspirational female businesswomen in the Goulburn Valley.
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The Goulburn Valley is home to some of Victoria’s most inspirational business women.
Whether it’s raising money for hospitals, helping disadvantaged youth, starting a small business or running a sporting organisation, these leaders in the Goulburn Valley are some of the most inspiring people you will come across.
Here are the Goulburn Valley’s most inspirational female business leaders.
DEANNE ARMSTRONG
Deanne Armstrong is one of the Goulburn Valley’s inspiring female business leaders.
She served as the chief executive for the Echuca Moama Committee from September 2020 to February 2023, navigating the region through the difficult floods of 2022.
Ms Armstrong is known for her volunteer work, working for the Blue Ribbon Foundation for a number of years, as well as being the secretary of the Nathalia Football Netball Club.
She was also the committee chair of the Careers Day Out Committee, which promotes and engages career and education pathways for the future workforce.
Currently, she is a board member of Regional Development Australia Murray, as well as being on the board of Goulburn Murray Community Leadership.
Ms Armstrong is also the marketing & events manager at Rich River Golf Club, based in Echuca Moama.
LOUISE ARMSTRONG
Louise Armstrong has had quite the distinguished career across many sectors, making her a truly inspirational business leader in the Goulburn Valley.
Her career has traversed across healthcare, business and farming.
The Former Chair of Benalla Health is currently the operations director at Marangan, a beef cattle operation that has produced “high-quality, pasture-fed beef” since 1979.
Ms Armstrong was also the Chairperson of the Benalla Business Network for five years.
BRONWYN BEADLE
Bronwyn Beadle has been a staple of the Goulburn Valley community for years, best known for her wonderful work in the healthcare sector in both Nagambie and Shepparton.
Ms Beadle has more than 35 years of experience working as a nurse and in the healthcare sector.
Ms Beadle was the chief executive of Nagambie Healthcare from 2014 to 2022.
She also worked with primary mental health and aged care in the Shepparton region.
She worked for over a year as a mental health clinician at APMHA HealthCare Ltd, which is a not-for-profit ompany “focused on wellness, recovery and supporting people to live a full and contributing life as determined by them”.
WENDY CROW
Wendy Crow is a leading entrepreneur and business woman in the Goulburn Valley area.
Ms Crow began clothing alteration service Wear Repair based in Shepparton in 2014.
She also began Wendy Crow Landscapes, a business based around “solutions for difficult gardens, complete garden design, renovation and restoration and creative plant selection”.
Ms Crow is a board member of the Shepparton Chamber and CBD Committee, and has been a part of the Goulburn Valley community for more than 40 years, moving to Shepparton from Melbourne in 1976.
She previously taught at Wanganui High School based on Parkside Drive in Shepparton.
In 1997, Ms Crow graduated with a horticulture degree from Burnley College.
Ms Crow is a board member of the Greater Shepparton Business Network, which aims to provide a forum for all business within Greater Shepparton to network, collaborate, share insights, successes and concerns.
SOOZ GALL
Sooz Gall is an inspirational farming entrepreneur in the Goulburn Valley.
Ms Gall runs Faithfull’s Creek Pastoral Company – a sheep farm in Euroa in the heart of the Strathbogie Shire Council.
Ms Gall runs the farm with her husband Jim Gall, and they represent the fifth generations of the Gall family to farm at Euroa.
Passionate about agriculture, Ms Gall is a female leader in a male dominated industry.
CARMEL JOHNSON
Carmel Johnson is one of the pre-eminent female business leaders in the Goulburn Valley.
She has led major projects and fundraising campaigns on behalf of the Greater Shepparton community for the past three decades.
Ms Johnson ran hospital fundraisers in the Goulburn Valley for 30 years, and was also the director of Goulburn Valley Health Foundation for 10 years.
The inspirational woman is an enthusiastic advocate for the region and is actively involved in numerous organisations including serving in the inaugural role as Chair of the SheppARTon Festival.
One Shepparton local described her as a “powerhouse woman”.
Ms Johnson previously had a distinguished teaching career and is currently the head of development at the Shepparton Art Museum.
She has been part of the fabric of the Goulburn Valley community for over 40 years, having moved from Melbourne in 1979.
ANNE MCEVOY
Anne McEvoy is one of the pre-eminent female business leaders in the Goulburn Valley.
Ms McEvoy has served as the Kyabram District Health Service top dog since 2019, and is their first ever female chief executive.
Ms McEvoy previously worked as the chief executive of Rochester and Elmore District Health Service.
She is known for her passion and committment to improve rural health and has spent most of her life in rural Victoria.
LISA MCKENZIE
Lisa McKenzie is one of the Goulburn Valley’s most inspirational leaders, known for being a catalyst of change in the community.
Ms McKenzie has been involved in starting a number of initiatives in the region, namely River Connect, Lift Up Scholarships, and perhaps what she is best known for, the Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project.
In 2014, she became the inaugural executive officer of Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project, a large-scale placed based movement focused on improving childhood outcomes in the Goulburn Valley.
She grew the project to a point where there are now more than 20 staff and 500 volunteers, and continues to flourish under new management.
Ms McKenzie believes “the best solutions come from within the community, and the best thing to do is ask questions”.
She has a “knack for being involved in creating things”, she said.
Ms McKenzie attributes a lot of her success to her journalism career, where she worked at mastheads such as the Geelong Advertiser and Weekly Times.
When asked what kickstarted her philantrophic career, she said “I’ve always been a curious person … As a journalist I documented information … I wanted to be involved in creating solutions”.
Ms McKenzie is currently the chair of the Latrobe Uni Shepparton Regional Advisory Board.
She is also part of the Ladies Who Lunch Committee of the GV Health which recently raised $24,000 for female cancer and wellness.
She also founded and chaired GV Cares which helped thousands with food and support during COVID and the 2022 floods.
LINDA NIEWENHUIZEN
Linda Niewenhuizen is an inspirational leader in the Goulburn Valley region, having moved to the area nearly 20 years ago.
Originally from Maffra, she has had an extensive business career which has seen her travel across the globe.
Beginning her career with the Australian Wheat Board as an economist, she lived in the UK before relocating back to Melbourne in 2000.
Ms Niewenhuizen moved to Shepparton in 2007, and she has had roles with Goulburn Murray Water, Moira Shire Council, and is currently the deputy chair of Goulburn Murray Water, having been on the board since 2016.
Ms Niewenhuizen has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne, as well as graduate diplomas in Agribusiness and Corporations and Securities Law.
She is passionate about the careers, opportunities and ongoing innovation within Australian agriculture, and the dynamic, progressive and resilient regional communities, businesses and economies they create.
Ms Niewenhuizen is the current chief executive of the Committee for Greater Shepparton (C4GS) — a not-for-profit, member-funded advocacy organisation.
The cross-sectoral network represents more than 120 influential businesses, community organisations and statutory authorities.
JOSEPHINE SPENCER
Josephine Spencer is an integral female business leader in the Goulburn Valley community.
She is a board member, events director and secretary of the Shepparton Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and its representative on a number of other boards and organisations.
Ms Spencer has a background in staff management, operations and media and has won awards from the Pacific Australasia Newspaper Association for advertising.
Josephine Spencer is currently the head of operations at AFL Goulburn Murray, where she oversees local leagues such as the Goulburn Valley Football League.
Sport is a major part of the Goulburn Valley community, something Ms Spencer is very passionate about.
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