From her early years in Sri Lanka to an education in the UK and a career spanning 20 years, BRHS Executive Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer, Shireen Jahan, brings a wealth of global experience to her role.

Speaking ahead of International Women’s Day on Saturday 8 March, Shireen reflected on her journey as a woman in leadership who uses the power of numbers to drive meaningful organisational change.

Shireen’s career began at a young age. Home-schooled through secondary school, she graduated at just 16 before earning an Honours Degree in Business Administration from the University of Staffordshire at 20.

She further honed her expertise with fellowship qualifications from both the UK’s Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and, later, Australia’s Certified Practicing Accountants.

“I was always the youngest in class – female, young, and navigating environments where I had to prove myself,” Shireen said.

“At university, my peers were 18 or 19 while I was just 16. I kept my age to myself to avoid being underestimated. By the time I graduated, I was already balancing two parallel degrees, which set the pace for my career.”

Unlike many finance professionals, Shireen never worked as a pure accountant. Instead, she began her career as a business analyst, providing strategic advice to the board of an investment company.

“This meant I was exposed to high-level board reporting, analytics, and decision-making early on, which shaped my ability to think beyond numbers and drive real impact.”

Her journey took her from Sri Lanka to Australia in 2007, after meeting her Australian husband, with whom she now shares two children. Transitioning into the Australian corporate world presented an exciting challenge.

“The business culture here had a higher level of expectation. While I had been a business analyst in overseas, the skill set required in Australia was more demanding,” she said.

“But that also meant my hard work paid off in ways that pushed me further.”

Shireen’s first role in Australia was with Aveda (part of Estee Lauder Group) as a business analyst. Within a year, she was promoted to Brand Controller, overseeing financial and commercial strategy and later leading implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning and finance systems.

“That was a defining moment. I was growing rapidly and learning at an incredible pace,” she said.

From there, her career took her to senior financial leadership roles at Wesfarmers, Oakley, Luxottica, Furla, and ultimately to her first CFO role at the Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust.

Joining BRHS as CFO in October 2024 marked her first role in the health sector, bringing extensive commercial experience from both private and public sectors.

Reflecting on her career as a woman in leadership, Shireen acknowledges both the progress and the challenges that come with breaking barriers and building bridges.

“In my experience, I’ve been fortunate – gender equity has been present in the opportunities I’ve had. Every time I’ve taken a step forward, I’ve had mentors and leaders who backed me,” she said.

“But success isn’t just about hard work. It’s about how you navigate influence, perception, and the challenges that come with leadership.”

Shireen sees healthcare as an opportunity to make a tangible difference.

“The transition to BRHS has been exciting and rewarding. The impact we make here directly affects the health and wellbeing of our community – and that’s a powerful motivator,” she said.

“I love the passion and energy of my team and the commitment everyone brings to work. They just love BRHS, they love what they’re working for. When you have that, doing good work comes easily.”

Hospital work is complex, she said. “There are silver linings to the complexity. There are ways to unravel the complexities and find easier ways to do things. I find that exciting.”

Shireen believes that for young women, a career in accounting extends far beyond “bookkeeping and accounts payable”.

“It can be far broader. My role covers IT, procurement, risk, governance, health information, and even food services—it’s incredibly diverse,” she said. “If you aspire to be a CFO, you need to develop enterprise-level strategic thinking.”

Shireen said modern finance leadership is less about numbers and more about driving outcomes.

“Your superpower is understanding the numbers—how they work and what they mean—so you can influence strategic decisions and real change,” she said. “In healthcare, you have the added satisfaction of knowing your work is helping people.”