Twitter Australia Managing Director Suzy Nicoletti explains how Australian business leaders can achieve success

Broadly speaking, business remains male-dominated, and women are thus placed at a disadvantage from the outset. This holds true in the tech industry particularly, despite the talent and intellect women can provide.

Given this gender imbalance, the achievements of women in this field are all the more impressive. Suzy Nicoletti is one such high achiever, having served as Twitter Australia’s Managing Director since 2016, though she says they’re "only just getting started".

"Our purpose is to serve the public conversation by making sure we are the best place for people to see what’s happening," she says.

"We work with a lot of different brands and content providers in the market to bring rich content to the platform, and to ensure those partners feel at the heart of the conversation."

As befits the Managing Director of such a collaboratively-minded company, Suzy also believes one’s career is empowered by working alongside others.

One of the most crucial resources for any professional, she says, is a diverse network of colleagues and friends that can offer advice, provide different perspectives and challenge the way you think about your career.

It’s an equally important attitude within Twitter Australia. "Working in technology, every day is different, and it requires a collaborative team approach to ensure we are able to support each other and thrive as a business," says Suzy.

"People are hired to thrive in their core role, but as the business evolves there is a need to work together and get involved in multiple aspects of the operation to ensure we keep growing."

At the same time, Suzy believes business leaders in Australia need to adopt a keen sense of individuality and strength of conviction. It’s a lesson she learned courtesy of Meg Whitman, Quibi CEO, who spoke publicly during a visit to the country.

"She spoke candidly about the need for Australian multinational leaders to avoid waiting for permission from HQ and be bolder by nature," Suzy recalls. "It gave me the confidence to define our business more in line with the local market needs."

Suzy has undeniably taken that lesson to heart; she describes herself as ambitious and determined. The achievements she’s made in building up both Twitter and Google in Australia lend weight to her description.

But boldness and ambition don’t define everything she does; Suzy takes time to relax, by swimming in the ocean or the pool, and as proof that she never fails to take a lighter view of things, she says not a day goes by where she fails to laugh.

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