{"id":28356,"date":"2026-03-20T12:46:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T04:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/?p=28356"},"modified":"2026-03-20T12:51:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T04:51:26","slug":"rising-with-purpose-board-chair-executive-marion-fulker-am-on-courage-resilience-and-lifting-others-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/rising-with-purpose-board-chair-executive-marion-fulker-am-on-courage-resilience-and-lifting-others-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Rising with purpose: Board Chair executive Marion Fulker AM on courage, resilience and lifting others up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This International Women\u2019s Day, Curtin Master of Business graduate and respected Western Australian leader <\/em><\/strong>Marion Fulker AM<\/em><\/strong><\/a> <\/em><\/strong>reflects on the quiet courage it takes to rebuild a life \u2014 and the strength found in using that journey to lift others.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That courage began in the 1980\u2019s \u2013 when Marion took a brave leap of faith and left an abusive relationship in search of safety and a fresh start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was in a very violent relationship in Sydney, and it seemed to me the only way I could truly be safe was to move somewhere he couldn\u2019t find me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, domestic violence was rarely spoken about openly, and many women carried their shame in silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBack then, most women didn\u2019t go to the police. You didn\u2019t tell anybody,\u201d she reflected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe still have work to do, but it\u2019s also important to recognise how far we\u2019ve come.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starting again in a new city required extraordinary strength, but Marion slowly rebuilt her life, career and confidence – proving to herself that she was capable of far more than the limitations others had placed upon her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the decades that followed, she would go on to play a significant role in shaping Perth\u2019s economic and cultural landscape, while advocating for fair, inclusive and accessible opportunities for women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But long before her leadership roles, Marion\u2019s values were shaped by the strong women who surrounded her growing up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among them was her grandmother – a quiet but formidable influence whose determination left a lasting impression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the time, her career was quite unusual,\u201d Marion said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy nan was a general manager of a credit union in the 1970s, a senior level position in the banking and finance sector which was almost unheard of.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"curtin
A young Marion with one of her biggest inspirations, her Nan, Gwenda.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Inspired by this example of independence, Marion began her career in banking before moving into the credit union sector, a path that eventually brought her to Perth to work in the emerging Information Technology (IT) industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was very male-dominated, and women like myself were mostly in support roles,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut it was still an opportunity, and I learned a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many women, Marion also experienced the challenges of balancing work and family when she welcomed her first child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the time, there was an assumption that if you became pregnant, you would simply stay home to care for your child whilst your husband went to work,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did for a while, but financial circumstances meant returning to work earlier than I hoped.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That experience deepened her understanding of the structural barriers many women face – particularly when it comes to childcare and career progression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During her time as Executive Director at the Committee for Perth<\/a>, Marion saw first-hand how these challenges limited women\u2019s opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFollowing a two-year study as to why the women of Western Australia were not participating and progressing in the workforce, a significant issue was identified in that Western Australia had the lowest per capita childcare places in the country,\u201d she said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat made it incredibly difficult for women to return to work full-time or move into leadership roles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While progress has been made over the years, Marion believes true equality still requires continued effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Australia\u2019s national gender pay gap remains significant, and many boards still lack a balance of female representation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marion has also observed the long-term consequences for women who spent decades working but still struggle with financial security later in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m reconnecting with friends who have undertaken caring roles and worked but are living just above poverty,\u201d she said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was part of the first generation of women who were told we could do anything – but the systems around us didn\u2019t always support that promise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these challenges, Marion remains hopeful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the heart of real change, she believes, is something simple yet powerful: respect.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen women are respected, truly respected as equals, they can flourish,\u201d she said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd when they flourish, society benefits as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Marion dedicates much of her time to mentoring and coaching emerging leaders – particularly young women navigating their own careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a role she finds deeply rewarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something incredibly special about women who support other women,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been fortunate to benefit from that myself, and I feel a strong responsibility to pass it forward.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Watching others grow and discover their potential is one of the most fulfilling parts of her work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"curtin
Marion supported fellow Curtin Master of Business Administration graduate, Claire Negus in her transition from executive leadership to board roles. Photo: Marion and Claire at the Curtin Bentley campus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to leadership, Marion believes courage is one of the most important qualities young women can develop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn leadership, you will make decisions that not everyone agrees with,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs women, we often feel pressure to be liked – but I believe it\u2019s more important to be respected.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Looking back on her own journey, Marion says she would offer her younger self a simple piece of advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTake every opportunity,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd if the opportunity doesn\u2019t exist – create it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marion Fulker AM<\/strong><\/a>, Non-Executive Director, Executive Coach & Mentor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graduating from Curtin with a Master of Business Administration (2009), Marion is a trusted thought leader, strategic advisor and transformational chair, with more than 20 years\u2019 experience working across a range of diverse sectors. Marion\u2019s leadership has been recognised with the Order of Australia, the John Curtin Lifetime Achievement Award and Induction into the WA Women\u2019s Hall of Fame. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This International Women\u2019s Day, Curtin Master of Business graduate and respected Western Australian leader Marion […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":162,"featured_media":28358,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","wds_primary_category":710,"footnotes":""},"categories":[710],"tags":[27,363,88],"class_list":["post-28356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-after-curtin","tag-business","tag-career-advice","tag-curtin-university-2"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/162"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28356"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28357,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28356\/revisions\/28357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}