Ilana Atlas

In key roles at the top of Australian firms for many years, Ilana Atlas has steered a course through times of major change at a range of large companies, including as a director of Westfield Corporation as it finalised its sale to Europe’s Unibail-Rodamco early in 2018. Starting as a tax lawyer, she spent 15 years as a partner at Mallesons Stephen Jaques (now King & Wood Mallesons) and 10 years in senior roles at Westpac before moving to a full-time boardroom career eight years ago. In 2017, she succeeded David Gonski as Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) chair. She is also a life member of Bell Shakespeare Company.

But these days Atlas could just as easily be found in the Kimberley with a network of 60 Indigenous and non-Indigenous women as part of her role as chair at Jawun, a not-for-profit that manages secondments from corporates to Indigenous communities.

The best leadership advice she’s had was about listening. “I think you can always come to a better decision if you assimilate different points of view and different facts as well. Sometimes there’s a propensity to feel you have to express a view and I have sympathy with that; I mean, people want to hear what you think. Actually sitting back and listening to the room can seem a bit counter to what one feels one should do, so sometimes it does involve self-discipline.”

The same approach goes for leading others through change: “You have to stand in the shoes of the people you’re asking to do the changing… You have to ask, ‘Why would I do that?’ I know that’s trite but it’s hard when you’re trying to implement change with a large group of people and everyone is different.”

And her main strength as a leader? “I’m an influencer, I’m very engaged and don’t do anything I don’t believe in. I like to lead from behind as much as from the front.”

In May, Atlas supported CCA board member Catherine Brenner as she stepped down as chair of AMP following revelations about the company at the banking royal commission. Some media commentary on Brenner was controversial, particularly the revealing of personal details, Atlas says, and didn’t align with her view of doing the right thing. “I did feel strongly about it. That clearly was the right time to stand up and lead.”

Rhetoric questioning the value of measures to get more women on boards was not worthy of too much discussion, she adds, but notes that finally we’re choosing people for jobs from 100 per cent of the population “and not 50 per cent”.

I’M AN INFLUENCER, I’M VERY ENGAGED AND DON’T DO ANYTHING I DON’T BELIEVE IN. I LIKE TO LEAD FROM BEHIND AS MUCH AS FROM THE FRONT.” ILANA ATLAS