Elaine Canty AM

Elaine Canty offers some sage advice. Be brave - step out of your comfort zone and take a risk.

The Hawthorn woman has taken up many opportunities and some of her major career decisions have been "calculated risks" as she likes to call them. "I'm not foolhardy," she said. "But you have to be courageous."

Elaine has a long list of achievements of which she can be justifiably proud. She was the first female sports broadcaster on ABC radio and television, first woman to anchor a national Olympic Games coverage for ABC, and the first and only woman to sit on the AFL Tribunal. Her busy schedule is testament to her admission that she finds it "hard to say no".

"I am a sucker for a person who is dedicated and passionate, whose heart is in the right place and just needs a bit of help," she said.

Apart from her ground-breaking work in sports media, she has also used her skills and her profile to help many organisations. She has been a strong and purposeful advocate for women's health for many years and on the boards of the Royal Women's Hospital and VicHealth. As the Chairwoman of the hospital's Community Advisory Committee she has played a leading role in hospital policy.

Along the way, she has crossed paths with some inspirational women, including Dr Catherine Hamlin who works in Ethiopia providing free reconstructive surgery to women with fistulas and the Greek Minister for Sport, former actress Melina Mercouri. Elaine admires both women for being strong, selfless and doing jobs that influence nations. "I admire people who have passion, whether dramatic passion, or the passion that comes with dedication," she said.