Jess McDonald - Founder, High Tees

I absolutely adore Jess and you will too! After growing up in the outer suburbs of Melbourne with a lawyer Dad and a fashion designer Mum, she and her sister had a great childhood in a close-knit, creative family. after finishing school, Jess got a job at Bakers Delight where she soon became a Manager and really learned how to run a business with the support of her boss who obviously nurtured talent when he saw it. Jess had a strong urge to travel so she was in her early 20'sds when she headed to Ireland for some adventure and work experience. Then she landed a job at Lush on Grafton St (the busiest Lush store in the world!) which she absolutely loved. Her commitment to sustainability, climate action, and dedication to making change happen was a huge inspiration for her. After Dublin, she and her Irish partner (soon-to-be hubby) moved to Edinburgh where they lived for almost 5 years before returning to Australia after the GFC hit. Back in Australia, Jess was headhunted to work for Lush here, and then in Japan, where she was in charge of a massive shake-up of the 450 stores. This job was done from Australia (3 weeks on, 3 weeks off) and Jess facilitated some massive changes around remuneration and store structures. Her insights are fascinating. These days Jess is the founder of HighTees, a brilliant business focusing on women in business, politics, and STEM which is distributed all across the country. She is also a consultant through her business Agents of Innovation, where she helps consumer brands grow and manages change, and she is also a Director in her family business (a board role she has held since she was 18). This episode is proudly sponsored by our favourite drink brand, Bondi Chai Latte. To find out your nearest stockist or for more information, go to bondichai.com.au. You can check out their fab new campaign where they champion small business owners here: https://www.bondichai.com.au/meet-the-faces-of-bondi-chai To find out more about She’s The Boss, go to: https://lnkd.in/eGx6QT_S https://www.bondichai.com.au/meet-the-faces-of-bondi-chai