Profile from down under: Sunita Gloster

The CEO of Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA), Sunita Gloster, talks to Australia's B&T magazine about her international career, what it takes to lead a team and why they think she's so tall.

Leadership is creating an inspiring vision...
And then motivating, developing and empowering your team to deliver the vision. For me, it's building talent, developing people, generating a culture and an environment for people to flourish and lead. Get the leadership part right then regardless of the goals or, if and how the goals change, you will have the right team on the bus to get you there.

I was born in Bombay and raised in Australia...
I've enjoyed a 20-plus year career in advertising in Adelaide and Sydney, and included an 11-year stint in London. The highlights were being global business development director for Lowe and then the COO for M&C Saatchi Europe. I met my husband when I was 16 and in 2010 we returned from London to Sydney, with three kids in tow.

My proudest career achievements are...
For two years running, 2003 and 2005, Management Today in the UK voted me one of the Top 35 business women under 35 in the UK. It was an incredible group of women and I'd only been in the UK for five years so I was very humbled to have been recognised in such awesome company.

My ultimate career goal is...
To always work in a job that makes me happy, healthy and feel like I'm making a difference.

My staff would say I am...
Loyal. Direct. Generous. Perfectionist. Tall.

David Minear was my first boss...
He was the MD of Y&R Adelaide back in the 80s and 90s; a formidable Australian agency for little old Adelaide. He was my idol then as a newbie and is still my mentor today. He is now chairman of the Adelaide Fringe Festival amongst an assortment of other professional and creative pursuits. David created an amazing culture at that agency that still lingers in the hearts and minds of people that did a stint there. As a leader he developed other leaders, and he continues to do that for me today, more than 20 years later.

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