This year’s much anticipated Business Breakfast, held on 14 August, featured distinguished Old Girl Shemara Wikramanayake (1979), CEO of Macquarie Group. With over three decades of global financial leadership, Shemara has played a prominent role in global efforts on climate finance and is one of the first women to lead an ASX 20 company—redefining the landscape of executive leadership in Australia and around the world.
The event welcomed alumni, parents and friends of Ascham for a rich and robust conversation on leadership, resilience and the power of community. Shemara was in conversation with AOG Sophie Gilder (1991), Chair of Ascham Council of Governors and Managing Director of Blockchain and Digital Assets at Commonwealth Bank. It explored topics ranging from climate advocacy and AI innovation to diversity and early-stage investment risk.
Shemara inspired the audience with reflections on embracing complexity, accepting change—even when it’s not the change you want—and staying focused on something bigger than yourself. She spoke openly about her approach to overcoming challenges, empowering those within your team and the importance of self-direction; values familiar to all AOGs.
‘We need to be thinking about a culture that’s going to say to people: Go out there, take risks, change the world. Look for the opportunities as change happens,’ she said. ‘Resilience is accepting things that you can’t change and getting on with it. Focus on the things you can do and prioritise based on how you can make a bigger impact. And be less self-conscious. Reframe so it’s not about you. It’s about what you can do.’
Shemara’s passion for community shone through as she encouraged Old Girls to support one another and give back to the School, especially the young girls coming through. It was heartwarming to hear that she still catches up regularly with her Class of 1979 friends—proof of the enduring strength of the friendships forged at Ascham.
Discover more about Ascham Old Girls events and resources here.
Read our 14 Decades of Stories, featuring remarkable Ascham Old Girls, progressively throughout 2026. Here’s our first, featuring one of Ascham’s original nine students: Inez Bensusan.
