Ita Buttrose

Ita Buttrose became the first woman to ever edit a major metropolitan newspaper in Australia when she was appointed editor-in-chief of News Limited‘s Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph. She later became Editor-in-Chief of Fairfax Media’s Sun-Herald, having worked as a senior feature writer on Fairfax’s now defunct Sun newspaper and as publishing consultant to Fairfax magazines.

She launched ITA magazine for The Woman Who Wasn’t Born Yesterday, and hosted prime-time radio shows for Sydney’s 2UE, 2KY and 2UE. She is the author of 11 books.

Ita has championed major causes and is currently the national president of Alzheimer’s Australia. She chaired the National Advisory Committee on AIDS, was national president of Arthritis Australia and served as a director of the Australian Prostate Cancer Foundation. Ita has chaired the National Breast Cancer Centre’s Advisory Network, and is patron of the Australian Macular Degeneration Foundation.

Ita’s latest book is A Passionate Life. In this, Ita offers a new perspective on a brilliant and demanding career, writes about her new pursuits and interests, reflects on the importance of family and of female friends, and challenges some of the media attitudes to other prominent women such as Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.