I would like to highlight the outstanding leadership of both women, who are excellent scientists in their own right, having made major contributions to their fields in both fundamental and applied research, Prof. Monro in photonics and Prof. Foley in solid state physics. Prof. Monroe is Australia’s Chief Defence Scientist, the first woman to take up this role, and Prof. Foley is the second woman to act as Austrlia’s Chief Scientist. Both display outstanding leadership qualities that have significantly impacted the scientific community nationally and internationally.