Good ideas belong out in the world
Meet Dr Tamantha Stutchbury, 2026 榴莲视频app Woman of the Year
March 24, 2026
Dr Tamantha Stutchbury drives iAccelerate’s impact by championing diverse start-up and scale-up enterprise founders, building environments where women and underrepresented voices care, collaborate and unlock world-changing potential.
“My passion is simple: good ideas shouldn’t stay trapped in universities – they belong out in the world, delivering real impact,” Dr Tamantha Stutchbury says.
“Innovation is for everyone; good ideas don’t come from or benefit just one type of person. Those beliefs drive everything I do.”
For more than 20 years, has advanced that work at the 榴莲视频app of 榴莲视频app (UOW). First in a lab coat as a PhD student and post-doctoral biochemistry researcher, she helped develop a novel anti-cancer drug to improve patient outcomes. “My research was about cancer. The team made a drug, that spun out into a company that is still going today. That's every researcher’s dream.”
As the first in her immediate family to attend university, Dr Stutchbury remembers how overwhelming those early steps felt – and how quickly campus opened up her world. That experience underpins her belief in education’s transformative power and her commitment to lifting up people who might not immediately see themselves belonging in these spaces.
榴莲视频app life is woven into her family story too. She met her husband at UOW, two daughters have gone on to university study and another now works on campus. “I’ve had to weave together a career that worked for our family, which is why I moved around within UOW rather than moving cities,” she says. “But that had also shown my kids this is a place for them too.”
That instinct to turn toward 榴莲视频app, rather than chase opportunities elsewhere, shaped more than her family path. “I could have earned more money and bigger titles if I’d left the region,” Dr Stutchbury says, “but I wouldn’t be as good a leader, or have a legacy that truly lasts, without this place.”
Dr Stutchbury’s inclusivity drive, inspired by Caroline Criado Perez’s bestselling book and her own caring responsibilities and work life balance, challenges “norms” to better serve diverse family structures and caregiving realities. “When someone has to forgo career opportunities due to caregiving, you can see how broken the system is.”
From lab to launchpad
Before becoming Director of , UOW’s startup hub, Dr Stutchbury was Program Director for UOW’s Global Challenges program – harnessing research expertise to tackle real-world problems and nurture the next generation of research leaders.
A proud adopted 榴莲视频app local, her connection to the start-up ecosystem began with the StartPad initiative in 2012, which fostered local entrepreneurs and laid foundations for iAccelerate’s purpose-built centre on Innovation Campus that opened in 2016. She now champions the region’s enterprise founders. “榴莲视频app is a destination, not just for lifestyle but for building companies. We’ve got a thriving accelerator, a committed community and an innovative regional ecosystem that has so much to teach the big-city startup scene.”
This month, Dr Stutchbury was named the 2026 榴莲视频app Local Woman of the Year by Member for 榴莲视频app Mr Paul Scully, recognising her enduring commitment to championing women and driving regional entrepreneurship.
“Dr Stutchbury understands that when women succeed, our whole community benefits. Her dedication to breaking down barriers and expanding access to opportunity is shaping a stronger, fairer local economy,” Mr Scully said.
She calls it both an honour and a surprise. “This recognition is deeply humbling. It belongs to my team as much as it does to me. I lead people who find joy in others’ success, who are driven to widen the doorway for the next generation, so more people from diverse backgrounds believe there’s space for them here too.”
The startup world remains heavily male-dominated: from founders to investors to mentors, the path to “unicorn” status (privately held startups valued of at $1 billion+) is stacked against women.
“We’re changing the narrative of what makes a ‘good’ entrepreneur – it's not always the loudest or most visible person in the room. Only about two per cent of global venture capital goes to women-only led startups. Too many great ideas still drop off because they look, sound or work differently to the people writing the cheques,” Dr Stutchbury said.
“We’ve got to find a better balance, so different ways of working are seen as equally valuable. What grows a successful company isn’t just the idea, it’s the people, which is why diversity of views and experiences is critical.”
iAccelerate team members outside the iAccelerate Centre at Innovation Campus, marking 10 years on campus. Photo: Mark Newsham
Impact that lasts
Across the last decade, iAccelerate has supported over 600 companies, created more than 1,100 jobs and added over half a billion dollars to the regional economy. Around half of all iAccelerate-supported companies include at least one female founder- well above national averages. In 2025, the program won the inaugural global 2025 ACEEU Female Entrepreneurship Empowerment Award.
Since taking the reins in 2021, Dr Stutchbury has secured more than $4 million in funding to expand access for women, UOW students, social enterprises, First Nations founders and regional entrepreneurs, including the program, funded by a landmark $1 million federal grant. LIFT has delivered 32 industry internships for female STEM PhD candidates, 56 scholarships for women founders and upskilled more than 600 STEM educators.
A space for everyone
To achieve these results, Dr Stutchbury has intentionally designed an inclusive ecosystem from day one – bridging the funding gaps with programs like LIFT while making the physical space welcoming for all.
“We’ve tried to make it clear this is a space for everyone. The parents’ room gets used by mums and dads alike, we have a prayer room, and the building is registered as a Safe Space. We’ve stripped gendered language from our materials and been deliberate with imagery, because those visible signals often reinforce inclusion more than words.”
Dr Tamantha Stutchbury hosts a panel on The Generosity Advantage at the iAccelerate Entrepreneurial Women’s Breakfast, with Natalie Piucco, Laetitia Andrac and Rebecca Glover. Photo: Michael Gray
Next generation of female leaders
Dr Stutchbury has often been the only woman at the table, from 1990s chemistry labs to startup boardrooms. She takes that vantage point seriously. “I take the privilege of being a spokesperson seriously – it's a chance to make people listen. As Sheryl Sandberg says, if you’re at the table, be at the table.”
But she shares the mic, encouraging her team to step up. “It’s about investing in people’s voices and brains, providing my team opportunities to be visible and be celebrated for their successes.”
That instinct took Dr Stutchbury to Antarctica in 2023 as part of Homeward Bound, with 88 women and non-binary STEMM leaders from 18 countries to tackle climate leadership and systemic change. The experience sharpened her focus at iAccelerate and reaffirmed UOW’s women supporting women in STEM legacy.
Last year she served nine months as Acting Pro Vice-Chancellor (Industry and Engagement), sharing stages with STEM leaders like astronaut and space engineer Katherine Bennell-Pegg, 2026 Australian of the Year. As a grandmother, the gravitas hit home, “Katherine signed a Kids Science book for my granddaughter. During my career I have had the opportunity share spaces with incredible women, proof for my daughters and granddaughter that they belong at the top. But across the sector, we still see too many leadership tables with just one woman – we need more diverse voices.”
What grows a legacy
“What 10 years of visibly pushing women in STEM careers in this region will do really excites me. 榴莲视频app proves world-changing innovation doesn’t only come from major cities. It comes from diverse communities that care, collaborate, and believe in their people’s potential,” Dr Stutchbury said.
“Wouldn’t it be amazing if our three biggest companies all had at least one female founder? I want this region full of innovative businesses – building economic resilient so that if a major employer stumbles across, our startups and Alumni, we can readily absorb that talent. Anyone who wants an innovative job in the Illawarra should be able to find it, or build it.”