Zepto commemorated International Women's Day 2025 with a virtual fireside chat and Q&A with Lynn Kraus AM, CEO of Australian Payments Plus (AP+).
Delayed by an unlikely cyclone named Alfred, Zepto marked International Women's Day 2025 with a memorable virtual fireside chat with Lynn Kraus AM, the widely admired CEO of Australian Payments Plus (AP+).
Lynn is a prominent figure in Australian business. With her significant contributions to business, diversity and gender equality, Lynn was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia recently — no small thing — in deserved recognition of her unwavering commitment to driving positive change.
The event was the brainchild of Zepto's Emily Curlewis, a passionate advocate for women's empowerment, and was championed by the Zepto Women's Collective Emily, established in 2024. The session was expertly hosted by Suzie Slingsby in her characteristically engaging and skilled style.
The gathering provided a unique opportunity for the Zepto team to hear Lynn's personal journey, her perspectives on leadership, and her advice on fostering a more inclusive and equitable workplace.
The importance of cheerleaders
In her introduction, Emily expressed admiration for Lynn, recalling a powerful keynote Lynn delivered at a Women in Payments awards dinner a few years earlier. Emily highlighted Lynn's ability to share her experiences with "great candor and insight and advice around moments throughout her career as a woman," noting that Lynn was the first person she thought of as a speaker for the International Women’s Day event.
Emily shared a personal anecdote from a panel she’d been on that discussed female representation in the fintech community. She recalled looking up to the audience and spotting Lynn, who was “looking back, smiling and nodding.” Emily described Lynn as the “ultimate cheerleader,” emphasising the importance of having supportive figures in one's career.
Pivotal moments and backing yourself
When asked about pivotal moments in her career where a mentor or cheerleader had a significant impact, Lynn shared a powerful story about an experience early in her career. She recalled being appointed to a role where there were four incumbent men that were in that leadership team and all wanted the role. She said her mentor at the time “just laid it really all out for me and just said they all wanted the role and none of them think you're capable. They're all saying it was time for a woman. That's how they've justified themselves not getting the role”.
The mentor then delivered some game-changing advice. “She just said to me you’ve got a choice. You can believe that you weren't ready, and you got it because you are a woman, and that could become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Or you can know every day that you deserve to be in this role and you can do this,” recalled Lynn.
This experience shaped Lynn's perspective on the importance of supporting other women, a philosophy she articulated by quoting Madeleine Albright:
"There's a special place in hell for women that don't support other women."
She emphasised that those in leadership positions have a responsibility to put their hands down the so called corporate ladder, to help the next generation — a principle she strongly believes in.
“From that,” Lynn noted, “I've always tried to give that back to others,” something Emily observed first-hand from her seat on that conference panel.
Taking the non-linear path: A defining moment
Recounting a call from the company’s new CEO while Lynn was preparing to return from maternity leave at EY Australia, Suzie then directed the conversation to another pivotal moment in Lynn’s career.
The CEO proposed that Lynn take on the role of Head of People & Culture. Despite having no prior HR experience, Lynn was intrigued by the opportunity. The CEO’s reasoning was that Lynn knew what “good looked like in people”.
Lynn described this as "probably the start of me taking the not so linear path" and "one of the biggest risks I ever took, but also the kind of defining moment that set me on a different trajectory for leadership.”
Lynn shared the circumstances surrounding this career change and that her appointment was met with mixed reactions. A previous CEO was shocked, believing she was destined for an "amazing career" on her current path, while others saw the move to HR as a "fluffy role”. However, this role gave Lynn a seat at the table and, as the first female on the EY Australia leadership team, it really accelerated her on a completely different trajectory.
The importance of building great teams
Lynn highlighted a valuable lesson she learned in this role: the importance of building a strong team. She recalled an early experience where her team wanted to discuss changes to the Fair Work Act. Lynn, with characteristic humility, acknowledged her lack of knowledge in this area and instead focused on leveraging her strengths in culture and employee value proposition. “I knew my strengths. I also was well aware of weaknesses, and I built an amazing team around me and I continue to do that today,” she said.
She also drew parallels to her current position leading a payments organisation, despite having not come from a technical payments background. Lynn emphasised the importance of playing to your own strengths and not being afraid to rely on the expertise of those around you while building your own knowledge. Lynn noted that she wasn’t hired to be a payments expert but instead to drive the amalgamation of three businesses and create a unified strategy, purpose and culture. Which is exactly what she loves doing.
The critical importance of developing great culture
The conversation then shifted to the topic of organisational culture, with Suzie noting the critical importance and challenges of maintaining a strong culture at Zepto, particularly during periods of rapid growth and expansion.
Lynn responded by describing culture as an "organism" that needs to be nurtured and fed. She emphasised that every new person who joins an organisation contributes to or detracts from the existing culture. For Lynn, maintaining a strong culture comes down to the basics of “doing what you say you're going to do, following through, but being really prepared to call people out in a constructive way when they're not upholding their end of the bargain.”
Lynn underscored the importance of culture in achieving organisational success, stating, "You can have a great strategy. You can have a great vision for an organisation, but it's the culture that will determine whether or not you will succeed in delivery of that vision and strategy.”
Driving pay equity: The importance of data
Suzie then mentioned Lynn's work at an organisation, where she implemented the first-ever pay parity review. She asked Lynn for advice on maintaining pay equity as Zepto scales and grows.
Lynn emphasised the importance of having accurate data related to pay, hiring and performance. Recalling her experience, Lynn acknowledged there had been initial resistance to conducting the pay parity review, with people offering "a million excuses" for the disparities. However, she stressed that progress can only be made when these issues are brought to light and addressed directly.
Lynn shared another compelling example of the power of data, recalling an analysis she conducted years ago while working at a previous organisation on part-time employees. The data revealed that a disproportionately high percentage of part-time employees were women, and there seem to be a direct correlation between being part time with not being rated highly on the performance scale. Further analysis revealed that many of these women had previously rated highly but had taken on caring responsibilities and were now working part-time. This data highlighted that the company was still measuring inputs — not outputs — and hadn’t been able to right-size what high performance looked like in part-time roles.
Lynn highlighted the progress made at AP+ in closing the pay gap, but cautioned against complacency. She stressed the need to remain vigilant and ensure that pay equity is maintained as the company continues to grow and hire.
Lynn reiterated the importance of having accurate data on pay, performance, and other key metrics to truly understand what is happening within an organisation. She encouraged Zepto to prioritise getting the data right and using it to inform decisions and drive meaningful change.
Targets vs. quotas: A discussion on merit
Suzie then raised the topic of quotas, noting that some industries have implemented them to ensure gender balance. She asked Lynn's view on the use of quotas.
Lynn responded that she has long preferred targets over quotas, believing that targets encourage striving for excellence while quotas can lead to a compliance-based approach. She expressed concern that in some countries and organisations, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are being rolled back because they were seen as mere compliance measures. Lynn believes that Australia is in a better position because the focus has been on setting targets and driving accountability, rather than simply meeting a quota.
Lynn also acknowledged the concern that quotas can lead to individuals feeling like "the token woman." This led to a broader discussion on the concept of merit.
Lynn shared a story about a conversation with a female non-executive director and business founder some 15 years ago. In a room with male, financial services CEOs, one was particularly agitated about the promotion of women and the setting of targets, emphasising the importance of merit. Lynn’s contact quipped, "You know what, we have been promoting some mediocre men for decades. What would be wrong about getting a couple women up there?"
Lynn clarified that in no way was this person advocating for lowering standards but rather challenging the notion that all past and current appointments have been based purely on merit. She believes that most people are "deserving and worthy of a chance" and that leaders should back their people and then fairly assess their performance.
Qualities of Effective Leadership
Asked about the qualities that make someone an effective leader, Lynn emphasised the importance of being "open and transparent" and a "truly effective listener." She contrasted this with the "old command and control style of leadership," which she believes is outdated. She also highlighted the need for leaders to be honest about "what you know and what you don't know" and "empathetic to what's going on for people."
Lynn believes that the role of a leader is to "bring the best out in everyone" and that this can’t be achieved without openness, listening and a focus on helping people reach their full potential. While acknowledging the importance of delivering strategy, she emphasised that she delivers it through people. She believes in surrounding herself with great people and helping them be the best they can be.
The Role of Men in Advancing Gender Equality
Suzie then acknowledged the presence of many men on the call and asked Lynn about the role men play in advancing women's rights and gender equality.
Lynn emphasised that it is about men and women working together to solve these issues. She acknowledged that men still hold a disproportionate number of leadership roles and therefore have a crucial role to play. Lynn also spoke about the importance of male mentors and sponsors in her own career, acknowledging that she wouldn’t be where she is today without some of them.
The Closing Punch: Back Yourself!
We closed the session with Lynn sharing the advice she would share with her younger self:
"Back yourself more. And much earlier!" she exclaimed.
Since the session, Zeptonians have been buzzing about Lynn's insights.
“Lynn made a real impact,” says Emily.
“And honestly, we're beyond grateful. Lynn has inspired us to not just talk about change, but to be the change. She reminded us that leadership isn't just about titles. It's about lifting others up, challenging the status quo, and believing in ourselves, even when the path gets bumpy. And that is what true acceleration looks like,” adds Emily.
So, what now?
As Emily noted in her closing remarks, we’re going to take that energy and run with it!