IWD 2023: Learn More About The Woman Owner Of This Woman-Owned Business

International Women’s Day 2023 with the theme of #EmbraceEquity.

The owner and founder of the sustainable fashion brand James&Co is a woman. That is me. Anne Hurley is my name. I have always embraced whatever steps and actions are necessary to advance the cause for women. In fact, I have no problem in labelling myself as a feminist.

Here’s just a few things I’d like to share with you about me on IWD 2023.

Women In Law In Australia

I graduated decades back as a lawyer from the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. My first career. At that time we women thought what an advancement for us because 50% of graduates from Law Schools were women and we women graduates were so confident that we were going to be shining examples of that advancement in our careers. It’s fair to say it’s not quite what we thought it would be and the advancements and successes for all of us were not easy.

I enjoyed my time as a practising lawyer and academic, including writing some text books which are still in Law School libraries and balanced (?) it with bringing 3 beautiful children into the world.

I spent some years living in Hong Kong where I was in-house lawyer for the new regulatory authority for the newly competitive telecommunications industry which led to Career No 2 (see below).

For the status of women in law in Australia from when I entered the profession – fast forward to IWD 2023 and this Nov 2022 report from the NSW College of Law (which I attended decades back for requisite practising qualifications):

• women outnumber men as graduates from Law School
• however, as women lawyers ascend the career ladder, their numbers thin significantly. Top roles predominantly held by male lawyers and sadly the gender pay gap exists

Much advancement for women in the law is needed!

Women In The Telecommunications Industry In Australia

Upon returning to Australia from Hong Kong with 3 young children and as a single mother, I was positioned in my career in the telecommunications industry. As a lawyer, a consultant, executive in large US corporation, and then CEO of an organisation established to be the self-regulatory telco industry agency.

It was a time of challenge but I helped progress the agency to the industry body Communications Alliance. I welcomed the announcement in 2010 of the National Broadband Network (NBN) and worked to get industry bodies involved with the enormous task of rolling it out and meeting its objectives.

I handed over leadership of Communications Alliance in 2010. I had a view then of participating in the industry in Australia that I saw as focussed on making the network/s deliver the digital economy and getting digital opportunities of health and education out to far-flung areas via NBN.

Sadly my view did not become reality. I advocated for many years for the ‘real NBN’ which had been decimated by the change of Government but it’s so far from what it could have been and the subject for another blog.

What is another factor worth calling out is the (under) representation of women in the telecommunications industry in Australia in 2023. There are so many reports and articles globally about this, but it seems to me that this the statement:

• taking into account all aspects of the ICT industry, women account for 40% of the workforce.

Much advancement of women in telco and ICT needed!

Post Law and Telco For Me

In 2011 as I was working on shaping my professional advancement my life delivered the most confronting of life experiences.

In May 2011 my husband (2nd husband, not father of my 3 children) died suddenly. We had been married for 6 years.

In October 2011, 5 months later, my second child – son James – died by suicide at the age of 24.

I just could not continue doing professional services whilst dealing with grief, adjusting to a new life, moving on with the loss.

Having been so committed to getting the infrastructure rolled out to support the digital economy, I decided to be part of the digital economy. That is when James&Co was born and I have been beavering away at it for 10 years for it to be successful!.

Any Messages For Women On IWD 2023?

I remain a fierce advocate for working for the advancement of women.

I have worked in professions and industries which are still way behind including wonderful people of all genders and characteristics ie including beyond the white male.

I still experience it in the business world and I see it in the generation of my children.

Onwards & upwards all the time. #EmbraceEquity