Kerry Sanderson rose to prominence in late 1991 when she took over the role of CEO of Fremantle Ports. This was not her first big role she had spent 17 years in the Department of Treasury and four more at the Department of Transport but it was certainly a high-profile appointment.

At the time, many people in business and government circles argued that Kerry had been handed a poisoned chalice. Fremantle Ports had suffered a financial loss of more than AU$70million in the previous year, container handling efficiency was nearly as low as staff morale, and ew believed the unionised workforce could be dealt with successfully. Staff were resigned to a bleak future for the port of Fremantle, and the people of Western Australia cringed with embarrassment over the port’s reputation.

However, the appointment proved to be a masterstroke by the then Minister for Transport, Pam Beggs. It signalled change was going to happen and that management were committed to finding solutions to long-standing problems using a more cooperative approach.

In addition to being the inaugural inductee to the Lloyd’s List Maritime Hall of Fame, Kerry was the Telstra Western Australian Business Woman of the Year in 1996 as also awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Western Australia in 2005.