Brenda Richardson is Vice President of Information Technology and Business Initiatives for Ford Motor Company (Australia and New Zealand). In this role, she is responsible for all the IT requirements for Ford, Volvo, Land Rover and Jaguar across Australia and New Zealand and provides leadership in the Asia Pacific region.

In 1985, Brenda completed a double major at the University of Tasmania in Computer Science and Mathematics, and in 1986 was awarded First Class Honours in Mathematics. She joined Ford Australia the following year and has held numerous roles within IT and Manufacturing, and Process Re-engineering functions in Australia, USA and Germany. In 1997 Brenda gained an MBA from RMIT. In 2000 she became the first Australian woman to serve on the operating committee of Ford Australia and in this capacity helps guide the business decisions for a 5000 strong workforce.

Over the past three years, Ford Australia has been implementing an aggressive program to replace all local legacy business systems with global or regional solutions. This massive program has required significant vision, management, co-ordination and change management.

Brenda also maintains a keen involvement in several community, education and youth development activities.

Brenda was born in Devonport and spent her school years in Hobart. She now lives in Melbourne with her husband and two young children ("toddlers"). She recently returned part-time to the Vice-President role after the birth of her second child.