BWA Boardroom Lunch: Built to Last - Foundations for SME & Family Businesses

This BWA Boardroom Lunch is designed for Business Owners, Founders & Directors of privately owned SME and family businesses.

Hosted by Lyn Hawkins - Business Women Australia and Shelley Davies, Director - Vitalis Legal, this is your chance to be part of a powerful peer-to-peer conversation that will help you avoid common pitfalls, reduce risks, and position your business for long-term success.

Behind every thriving family or privately-owned business sits a range of conversations, agreements, and decisions that power the organisation. These can bring great resources, work, and revenue. These agreements can protect people, profits, and the purpose of the enterprise. But too often, this is where the big risks lie. Unclear terms, nightmare inclusions, handshake deals, or the absence of structure altogether lead to problems and possibly the fall of the empire.

At February's Business Women Australia boardroom lunch, designed to be held at the beautiful offices of Servcorp, women managing family-run and leading privately-held businesses can enjoy a safe space to connect, learn, and share. This is your chance to be part of a powerful peer-to-peer conversation that will help you avoid common pitfalls, reduce risks, and position your business for long-term success.

Shelley Davies, a trusted commercial lawyer and Director at Vitalis Legal, will share real-world examples and practical strategies to ensure your business is protected and future-ready — without unnecessary complexity or cost.

It’s often not big blow-ups that threaten a business — it’s the quiet agreements that were never quite right, or never made at all.

What You’ll Take Away:

A healthy working lunch (dietary requirements catered for).
Great connections
Excellent sharing and insights on
How to negotiate contracts that serve your best interests
Identifying agreements you have in place that are a risk.
Awareness of the hidden risks in supplier, partner, and customer relationships
Smarter ways to structure deals without blowing out your budget
A clearer view of how to protect your business legacy and future
Real insights from other founders and directors in a trusted, private setting

Our partners at Servcorp will provide an update on their company highlights and global reach, with the offer of a tour after our roundtable lunch is finished, so stay on for this excellent experience.

About Shelley Davies

With a sharp eye for practical, cost-effective legal solutions, Shelley Davies works closely with private businesses across industries — including mining services, transport, corporate, and retail — to draft clear agreements, recover debts, and resolve disputes before they escalate.

With a background in psychology, Shelley brings a unique edge to legal problem-solving. She navigates high-stakes negotiations and regulatory hurdles with empathy and strategy, helping clients overcome legal roadblocks to growth. Shelley’s approach is commercial, collaborative, and always focused on outcomes that make sense — both legally and commercially.

About Lyn Hawkins

Lyn Hawkins is the Founder and Director of Business Women Australia (BWA), which is fast becoming one of the most influential groups for Australian women in business. Lyn is also a Consultant through Hawkins Marketing. With a career spanning over 25 years in entrepreneurship, marketing, and management, she has held senior executive roles with KPMG, Telstra, HHG Legal Group, HLB Mann Judd, and Diverse IT in addition to her own business ventures in multi-media and education. Lyn has a Bachelor of Commerce (UWA) with honours in strategic management and marketing, has taught at the University level, and has held numerous Non-Executive board roles. She is an experienced Leadership Coach and Mentor, with a Diploma (and Cert IV) in Coaching and Mentoring.

About Business Women Australia

BWA brings together business women from all sectors, industries and states;

• business owners and entrepreneurs

• executives and managers

• professionals

• women on boards

• emerging leaders

• women who desire growth and high level connections

Business Women Australia is focused on key areas of development;

• Leadership

• Business Improvement

• Personal and Professional Growth

• Connections and Friendship

Join as a member today via https://businesswomenaustralia.com.au/membership/