Tough journey for business leader

By Bridget Cook
DOCTOR Judith Slocombe proudly calls herself a successful businesswoman. She said, however, that her journey to be recognised as one was not easy.
Dr Slocombe spoke of her journey to become a leading business identity, while juggling nine children, at the South East Business Networks ‘Showcasing Women in Business’ breakfast last week.
Now chief executive of The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, Dr Slocombe’s career has spanned many roles including veterinarian, business owner, a senior manager and director on many boards.
She established her own veterinary diagnostic laboratory service in her home which grew to be the largest group in Australasia.
Despite her success, she said she believed women faced barriers when it came to succeeding in business.
“Some people say there are no barriers to women succeeding in this world. They’re wrong,” she said.
“I was seen first as a woman, second as a vet and third as a manager.
“If I had to leave work to do something for my children I would say I had a meeting. If a man leaves work for his wife or kids he’s seen as a hero.”
She shared with the group a number of tips she believed would help them to succeed.
She encouraged women to enrol in an MBA.
“While I was setting up my business I went around to laboratories in Melbourne,” she said.
“Every person I spoke to was a man. They treated me like a curiosity.
“I was seen as an interesting veterinary women, I wanted to be seen as a business person.”
“The MBA gave me a body of knowledge I didn’t have,” she said.
“It gave me more self-confidence and changed people’s view of me.”
She finished her talk with an anecdote that she hoped would encourage women to stand up for what they believe in.
She said she took her six youngest children to the shops one day. Her twin boys went missing and she had to advise centre management.
She said the centre was shut down and her boys were found.
She said the scare prompted her to buy hand-holders – velco strips that went around both her wrists and her children’s.
“I went for a walk one day and women stopped me and said ‘how dare you tie your children up like that’,” she said.
“Although I was embarrassed, I just thought I’m doing the right thing by my children and for their safety.”
“It’s the same in business … sometimes people stand in front of us, tell us we’re doing something wrong.
“That’s when you stop and say I’m right. Stand up for who you are and what your values are.”