Words by Leonie Marsh
“Everyone at work calls me Sums!” says local Ulladulla resident Rebecca Summers. And by work, she is referring to the global organisation Business Chicks. “Business Chicks is a community for women in business to feel connected and supported.”
Summers is their Senior Events Producer and for the past eight years, she has produced large scale events for some very high-profile guests. And her work name is highly appropriate for when you meet Rebecca she is the personification of Summer – sunny in disposition, in her smile and in her approach to life.
Rebecca moved to the South Coast three years ago with her husband Brad, who has family here (shout out to Aunt Linda and Uncle Karl). Every time the couple visited they thought about relocating permanently and they eventually made the move in late 2017 along with their dog and new baby daughter Harriet. “I was really nervous…leaving a decade in Sydney behind, and being a new mum…” But she needn’t have worried; Rebecca is thrilled with their new life on the coast and has been relieved to meet so many like-minded people. “Milton Playgroup was a key turning point for me – Harriet and I went every week – we still do! We’ve met some great friends with similar stories to ours. Everyone is so friendly and accepting.”
She also credits Business Chicks for being hugely supportive – Rebecca now works remotely for the company from Milton Work Hub and travels when required. This flexible working cemented the move for the young family. “We love that we have beautiful neighbours, all our kids play in the street and run between houses.”
Rebecca Summers grew up with two elder brothers on property just outside of Noosa and began her career working for her mother’s financial business as a teen. It was this experience of real-life working and learning from the inside that has shaped her producorial brain. When she finished high school, she headed to Sydney to take on an events internship. “As a young 20-year-old, it was kind of crazy to pack up and leave – I had no money, no job security. I rented a room for four weeks and said yes to every professional opportunity I heard about.”
Rebecca soon landed a position at Global One – her first job in Sydney, in which she was a key part of a team creating 60-70 events a year. It was during this time she met a significant new friend working in the same industry. This friend gave Rebecca the heads up on a new company called Business Chicks. “She encouraged me to apply for a role there, and though I was super nervous, I did.” The 24-year-old Summers got the job and joined the then fledgling team, “It was a significant time to join the company and I thrived off being thrown in the deep end head first.”
I love creating experiences that make people feel something and hunting down world-class thought leaders to put on our stage.”
Business Chicks is a membership-based community for businesswomen and at the time of print, they will have just celebrated their 14th Anniversary. The company produce over 100 events annually, publish a magazine called Latte and facilitate thousands of new connections every week for its members and 250K+ social media following. Summers has produced multi-city tours and large scale events for the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Dr Brene Brown, Tererai Trent, Dr Jane Goodall, Rosie Battie, Jamie Oliver, Lisa Wilkinson, Sarah Wilson and Turia Pitt. They regularly host audiences of thousands of women who attend to be inspired and motivated by the energy in the room and insights of the guest speaker. This month they’ll be touring Elizabeth Gilbert with all proceeds from the event going directly to charities supporting the bushfires.
Rebecca’s job is fast-paced, high intensity and hugely rewarding, “I love creating experiences that make people feel something and hunting down world-class thought leaders to put on our stage.”
As well as one-day events, Business Chicks offer international trips such as a week on Richard Branson’s privately-owned Necker Island and charitable endeavours like their partnership with The Hunger Project (THP). THP is a global not-for-profit committed to the sustainable end of world hunger. It has ongoing programs in Africa, Asia and Latin America, where it implements programs aimed at mobilising rural grassroots communities to achieve sustainable progress in health, education, nutrition and family income. Their mission is to end hunger by 2030.
This April, Summers and 19 other women will embark on their own trip to Ghana for THP, as part of the Business Chicks Immersion and Leadership Program. “This is an opportunity for me to learn, grow, expand my thinking and step up as a leader in partnership with some of the poorest and most marginalized women in the world. I know it will be nothing short of life-changing to learn from the women and men who are leading in their villages.”
As part of Rebecca’s journey, she pledged to raise $10,000 for the charity which she achieved in September of 2019 by creating her very own event – Wholehearted. “I started Wholehearted as a way to give back, not just to raise money for THP but also to create an experience for women that would have an impact on their lives – whether that’s a big shift or one small new idea to implement. I’m fascinated and inspired by human behaviour and how we can curate a life of purpose and meaning.”
Rebecca pulled all her skills and resources together to host 110 women (including your author) for a beautiful day of connection through an impressive line-up of speakers including Chelsea Pottenger (Psychology and Neuroscience coach) and Dixie Crawford (a Barkindji woman from Broken Hill and Brewarrina and Managing Director of Source Nation).
Held in Sydney’s Rosebery, 100% of ticket sales went directly to The Hunger Project and the day gave Rebecca a sense of just how much she can achieve through her own determination, grit and summery spirit.