Ambition redefined: Mary Georgievski

Mary Georgievski has spent her nearly 30-year career championing women in leadership, by living it, shaping it and, importantly, proving that strong female leaders can inspire change at every level of business.

As General Manager – Photo Imaging at Fujifilm Australia, she is sharply aware that success is less about climbing the corporate ladder and more about paving the way for others to follow.

"Together, as modern female business leaders, we’re laying the groundwork for the next generation," Georgievski tells The CEO Magazine.

"It often feels like we need to be switched on 100 percent of the time. But as times change, I hope that future generations of female leaders will become more accepted, more empowered and more at home in leadership positions."

Ambition isn’t a dirty word

Georgievski’s journey as a leader hasn’t been without its hurdles. As an ambitious woman, she’s had to carefully navigate perceptions, proving her drive is not only an asset but a catalyst for progress.

"I’m a passionate person, and I think to succeed in business, you need to have passion and drive. But that can also be misinterpreted when you’re a female business leader," she points out.

And she’s not wrong. In fact, recent research reveals the high price ambitious women pay for their success, finding that almost 90 percent of businesswomen from 105 countries have experienced tall poppy syndrome, which occurs when people are attacked, resented, disliked, criticized or cut down because of their achievements and or success.

Despite what can be negative consequences, Georgievski encourages women not to back down. "Passion and drive are what keep you going – don’t ever give that up," she says.

"But make sure you balance those emotions. Knowing when to give 110 percent is key to making sure you put your best foot forward without burning yourself out."

Strength in diversity

Georgievski credits much of her strength, resilience and business prowess to her parents.

"I’ve always felt a strong sense of leadership. For me, that stems from having immigrant parents and grandparents. I led them to embrace life in Australia," she says.

"In a professional capacity, I’ve always thought leadership was about empowering individuals and teams to take accountability. By encouraging my teams to make their own decisions and come to their own conclusions, we’re able to build a plan in which everyone is invested in its success."

She says this idea of ‘empowering accountability’ is key not only to success but in fostering a culture of inclusion and support.

"It’s the biggest thing for me – when I’m working with my line managers, as well as individual team members, I want everyone to have autonomy," she explains.

"We hire smart people with good capabilities, and I don’t want to shackle them with micromanagement. I want them to make their own decisions. Then, succeed or fail, they’re invested and want each project to come out as best it can."

The right ingredients

While achieving gender equality in the workplace is the ‘right’ thing to do, that’s not the only reason to fight for it. Mounting research demonstrates it’s actually a boon for business, improving collaboration, innovation and creativity. To move the dial, Fujifilm Australia focuses on hiring smartly.

"For us, it starts with having the right group of candidates. It’s like making a cake; you need the right ingredients for it to come together in the end," Georgievski explains.

"We work incredibly hard with our HR team to ensure the selection pool is balanced and has the right mix of people who can tackle the problems of each role."

This focus on inclusion improves hiring outcomes while also fostering a culture where innovation and creativity thrive.

"We don’t get bogged down in cookie-cutter solutions of who we think we need in a role," she says. "And that often surprises us when someone comes through the door and knocks our socks off."

Focusing on what matters

Georgievski’s leadership style has been shaped by a mix of influences, from an early career manager who excelled at big-picture thinking to the leaders she’s partnered with at Fujifilm’s creative agency, McCann.

"They’ve inspired me to mix up how I approach problem-solving and mentorship," she says.

But perhaps her most powerful lessons have come from her own lived experience. In her 30s, Georgievski made the decision to take a break from work and focus on motherhood.

"Women in leadership have an incredibly personal decision to make. While some want to dive straight into their careers, others want to raise families and some want to do both," she explains.

"I made the decision to focus on being a mother to my two wonderful daughters for the first 10 years of their lives. I sometimes wonder where I’d be if I had focused on my career, but I’d never change that decision because that was very important to me – and to them.

"But in that vein, I’d encourage other women to not feel pressured to tackle it one way or another. Everyone has their own journey."