2019 Hills Original | Rebecca James | Class of 1992

Rebecca graduated from Hills Grammar with outstanding results and commenced a Law degree at Sydney University. It was not long before she realised her real passion was for Business and Marketing.

By the age of 22 Rebecca co-founded Sydney’s largest independent digital advertising and customer experience agency and at 27 she was the youngest Managing Director in her field.As Chief Marketing Officer for ME, she led the Product and Customer Experience teams, and oversaw ME’s very successful external and internal rebranding project. During her time at ME, Rebecca was voted #12 in the top 50 CMOs in Australia.Hills Grammar\'s 1992 Vice-Captain, cites the foundation of her success was, in part, due to her time at Hills Grammar where ‘Creativity was the currency of the day’ and her passion for the Humanities was nurtured by extraordinary teaching.

In 2018 Rebecca, as CEO of Flexigroup, became one of only 14 women to head ASX listed companies - a reflection of her ability to lead with empathy, strength and creativity.

Rebecca’s achievements in the world of Business makes her a most worthy recipient of the Hills Original Alumni Award.

There is no doubt about Rebecca’s extraordinary career, however, it is her very warm and sincere acceptance speech that we wish to share with our readers. Here is an excerpt;

The school played such an integral role in shaping me, that to be honoured in this way is incredibly humbling.  I was privileged to attend the school from 1987-1992, and even then, I knew that it was a special time to be attending Hills Grammar. Creativity was the currency of the day – an era where the humanities reigned supreme with some incredible teachers who shaped and left a lasting imprint on me, along with so many of the skills and qualities which I rely on every day. So, I would like to use this opportunity to pass on a few of the life lessons, that they instilled in me, as my way of saying thank you to them and honouring them in some small way. The first of these lessons is to be brave enough to swim against the tide. Mr Richard Baines made ‘you do you’ a movement long before it was an Instagram catch cry. So to say that Mr Baines ‘taught’ English, does not do him justice. He instilled a passion for creativity and storytelling, where conformity was the enemy of the day. Above all else, he encouraged bravery. Bravery of thought. To be brave enough to try something new, even if it to ultimately fail. You had to be brave enough to express your opinion in every single class. It was through Mr Baines that I found my voice, both written and spoken – and I don’t think I\'ve stopped using it since! With Richard Baines encouraging you to have your own point of view, it was Jan Brady who instilled in me the ability to use that point of view and construct it into a compelling argument; people will only really remember three things. Have a power opening. It needs to be with conviction, a truly compelling thought. Back it up with three reasons why you believe you’re right, then you’re done. It’s a technique that I’ve used in creating ads, the way I have discussions with the board today, and it’s probably even helped me win a few debates with my partner Adam at home.

You can view Rebecca's speech here