Following a successful corporate career as a Research Economist at the Australian Wool Corporation, combined with twelve years of university life, Marcia took on a start-up role with Pola Cosmetics. Pola, a billion-dollar Japanese company, was an unknown brand in Australia and Marcia was the sole salesperson who started the franchise locally. Through sheer persistence and learning the art of selling and sales training, Marcia built a multi-million-dollar business across Australia and New Zealand with 4700 sales consultants.
As CEO of Pola, Marcia became the first Victorian Telstra Businesswoman of the Year in 1995. She was also a keynote speaker at the Arthur Andersen Enterprise Best Business Practices Symposium in Chicago in the same year. In 1997 Marcia authored High Heeled Success to encourage women to achieve to their highest level and to record the how’s and why’s of building a successful business. In that year she also sold back her share of the business to the Japanese company and decided to take on other challenges including founding with a partner, griffin+row, a range of skincare based on an aboriginal medicinal plant extract. She has since sold the business, but the range continues to sell online.
