On target: From banks to guns, Cheryl Dixon takes aim at Boards.

Women on Boards: Leader, directors & subject matter experts in conversation with Claire Braund

When independent Non-Executive Director Cheryl Dixon is asked what Board she is on, her answer is often met with raised eyebrows.

With just under three decades of sales leadership and operational experience with NAB, and now a senior executive heading up PEXA - an Australian online property exchange network which supports the property industry as it transitions towards digital conveyancing - Cheryl’s first Board role with the Queensland Rifle Association came as a surprise to her as well as those around her.

While she admits to being a massive sports fan - “I could sit and watch sport seven days a week,” - she was never into firearms and doesn’t shoot.

But as she tells Claire in this podcast, two years ago she jumped at the chance to join the Board - becoming the Board’s first independent NED in the organisations’ 160-year history.

“The club has a mountain of history and it’s been quite a journey,” says Cheryl, of her role in helping modernise the organisation.

In this podcast Cheryl - who started at NAB straight after high school - talks about how on-the-job knowledge and experience gained in her professional career has translated into the boardroom, particularly around the issues of governance, structure, organisational reputation and member participation.

“You can be 12 or 112 in target shooting, and people also have very different views on guns.”

She also talks to Claire about her Board future, how her professional career complements her Board work, and what she’s learned from Women on Boards about joining sports boards.

As she says: “I’ve never said no to any opportunity that comes around.. It’s about getting on the front foot and controlling your own destiny.”

LinkedIn: Cheyl Dixon | Claire Braund (host)

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