What do you get when you take the managing director of Twitter Australia, the CEO of Sportsgirl, the founder of OzHarvest, the COO of Maserati ANZ and 11 other successful Australian executives and put them in a room together?

This year’s esteemed panel of judges (featured image) for The CEO Magazine’s 2019 Executive of the Year Awards.

Returning for its eighth year on Thursday 14 November, the 2019 Executive of the Year Awards has a judging panel that will, for the first time, be well-balanced between male and female judges to assist gender parity recognition – and an increase in female applications is high on the agenda.

The CEO Magazine content director, Susan Armstrong said: “Last year, just a third of all applications received were made by women, which simply isn’t good enough.

“What’s more, only 17 per cent of applications for the top award – CEO of the Year – came from female executives.

“This year, we’re aiming for a 50/50 split across all categories.

“There are so many incredibly talented, successful female executives in Australia and Awards like ours provide the perfect platform for them to not just be recognised for their exceptional contributions but to be rewarded.”

Armstrong added: “At the current rate of change, it will take more than 200 years for women to reach economic parity in business.

“At The CEO Magazine, we’re not prepared to wait that long.”

The CEO Magazine’s Executive of the Year Awards is one of the most prestigious events on the Australian corporate calendar.

The night has become synonymous with shining a spotlight on the achievements of the individuals who make this country’s top companies great and this year’s judging panel reflects just that.