The organisation began in Victoria in 1985 as an offshoot of Women Chiefs of Enterprises International (WCEI), or (Les Femmes Chefs D'Enterprises Mondiales, or FCEM), which was founded in Paris, France, in 1945.
[2] WCEI asked Barbara Cail AO, then the publisher of Portfolio Magazine, to set up a branch in New South Wales, which she did by selecting a group of 18 women.
During the first ten years, one of the most impactful objectives and achievements was to provide an annual scholarship to aspiring women leaders, usually to undertake a Master of Business Administration.
Now We Collide is engaged to rebrand the annual CEW leadership summit, with the 2023 event called "Agenda 2033", to signal what must be done to hasten the current slow pace of change to fast-track the movement towards equality for women.
Speakers at the 2023 summit included Taryn Brumfitt (2023 Australian of the Year), along with other influential leaders such as Macquarie Group CEO Shemara Wikramanayake, Coles CEO Leah Weckert, and Aboriginal engagement leader Kaylee Anderson,[5] Victorian director of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Alliance.
[15] This provides the opportunity for women working in a mid to senior executive role in the retail sector to study at the Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts, in the US.
[9] The inaugural winner of the scholarship in 2022 was Wesfarmers finance general manager Virginia Lead, with Coles GM of non-food business unit Debra Galle winning it in 2023.