Cheryl Bart

A little bit of Deja Vu ... Ex-Mallesons’ woman makes good … To celebrate the appointment of Bellevue Hill businesswoman Cheryl Bart to the board of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation we’ve dug up her telling session On the Couch 

From Justinian August 1996

Cheryl Bart is a director or ETSA Corporation, Sydney Ports Corporation and a member of the Advisory Board of PA Consulting Group.

She is also on the fundraising committee of the Bell Shakespeare Company. Ms Bart began her career as a banking and finance lawyer at Mallesons Stephen Jaques and from 1990 to 1995 was national business development director of Mallesons.

Husband Fred has been in the bedding business through his company Sleeping Giant Pty Ltd.

(Since she opened a vein on Justinian’s couch Cheryl has gone on to conquer new heights, including getting to the top of Mount Everest in 2008 with her daughter Nikki.)

Describe yourself in three words.
Versatile. Ambitious. Passionate.

What are you reading at the moment?
“Built to last – Successful Habits of Visionary Companies”, by James C Collins and Jerry I Porras.

What is your most disturbing personal obsession?
Perfection.

What do you recommend as a hangover cure?
Champagne.

What is your most glamorous physical feature?
My aura.

What words or phrases do you most overuse?
“Hello, it’s me … Absolutely … See, I told you so.”

How do you unwind?
Like a cobra.

When do you use a breath freshener?
Never.

What do you never leave home without?
Attitude and a sense of humour.

What is your luckiest item of apparel?
Motorbike helmet.

What garnish do you find hard to resist?
Aftershave.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what would you like it to be?
Me – there’s still much more to do.

What kind of fingernails do you respect?
The strong silent type.

What is your greatest regret?
None so far.

What is your proudest achievement?
My children.

What qualities do you look for in a pet?
English as a second language.

What would you change about Australia?
More women in business, politics and the arts.

What is your favourite holiday destination?
Aspen (snow), Great Ocean Road (water) or Florence (coffee).

What is the most rancid breakfast you’ve ever eaten?
Airline scrambled eggs.

How would you like to die?
Laughing.

What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Get up, get dressed and go home.

Where to now?
Up.

Close your eyes – what is your immediate emotional response to the word, “law”?
Vertigo.