Jun 16, 2026 – 5.00amAt the age of 10, Sharon Pickering, the vice chancellor of Monash University, was working in her father’s trucking business, working the phones, dispatching vehicles and running the books when her mother had to do something else.It was an early education in taking responsibility, and years later helped power her into leadership positions, where the buck stopped with her – and she was entirely comfortable with the idea.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Sally PattenBOSS editorSally Patten edits BOSS, and writes about workplace issues. She was the financial services editor and personal finance editor of the AFR, The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. She edited business news for The Times of London.Iona RennieProducerIona Rennie is a producer at The Australian Financial Review.Fetching latest articles
How the death of her husband changed this exec’s career forever
When Sharon Pickering’s husband died, she realised she needed to choose where she directed her energy, and focus on what mattered to her.
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