Marcia Griffin

Business Strategy Consultant

Marcia Griffin is a highly influential business woman, corporate speaker and member of several significant boards. As Chief Executive Officer of POLA Cosmetics Australia and New Zealand, between October 1987 and December 1997, Marcia Griffin is believed to be one of the few Caucasian women in the world to have ever headed up a Japanese company.

POLA Cosmetics, unheard of in Australia before 1982, is a $3bn corporation based in Tokyo. Marcia joined the Australian franchisee who started marketing POLA in 1982, as the solitary sales person. By December 1997 she had built the company to a multi-million dollar business, with approximately 4,700 POLA consultants across Australia and New Zealand. In December 1997, Marcia sold back her share of the Pola business to the parent company to take on other challenges.

Prior to commencing with POLA Cosmetics, Marcia worked as an Economist at the Australian Wool Corporation during which time she travelled the world extensively. She has a BA (Melbourne University), Dip. Ed (Monash University), B. Commerce (Melbourne University), MBA Preliminary Year (Melbourne University).

In May 1995 Marcia won the Telstra Victorian Business Woman of the Year Award. In July 1998 she published a book about her life and business -High Heeled Success which is now in its third edition. That same year she also chaired the panel for the 1998 Arthur Anderson Business Practice Awards.

In recognition of her strategic and business expertise, Martha Griffin has held several Board positions including: the Advisory Board of Werribee Park Tourist Centre, 1996- 1998; the Board of Tourism Victoria, 1997-2000; the Queen Victoria Market, Wholesale Fish Market and the Board of Melbourne Storm, 1998-2000. As a member of the Melbourne Storm board, Martha became the second woman only (after Dawn Fraser) in Australia to hold a Rugby League board position.

Martha was also on the Board of the World Masters Games –the world’s largest participatory sporting event -held in Melbourne in October 2002-with 25,000 competing athletes.

She holds board positions with Australia’s largest printing and distribution company-PMP Limited and the Advisory Board of Holt Private Capital-a private equity group with its first investment in a book distribution business The Book House, distributing books into schools and libraries.

Marcia is a Chair with TEC-the first female Chair in Australia.TEC is an organization committed to enhancing the lives and increasing the effectiveness of CEOs. In this capacity, she works with entrepreneurs across a wide range of industries assisting them with strategic and tactical business issues.

In addition to her directorships and mentoring, Marcia is continuing her role as a speaker and is a weekly contributor to the online business magazine-www. smartcompany.com.au

In October 2008 Marcia launched a range of natural skincare products through her company griffin+row-the range is selling with huge success through 150 Target stores across Australia. In January 2009 griffin+row took the first step with their global strategy with an order from China.

Marcia was a judge for the Telstra Business Woman of the Year awards between 2004 and 2008.
She is passionate about health and fitness and has a keen sense of making life a fabulous journey.