Founder of HerCanberra, Amanda Whitley is one of Canberra’s best-known entrepreneurs and the University of Canberra alumna.

The former Narrandera woman provides huge inspiration with her innovative outlook, resilience and hard work.

Amanda is a woman who has learnt to adapt to the ebbs and flows of the media industry where change is inevitable and resilience, innovation and hard work are mandatory.

She did her work experience at the Narrandera Argus while attending Narrandera High School and is the daughter of Margaret Whitley and the late Michael Whitley, a returned ex-serviceman and former president of the Narrandera Exservicemen’s Club.

Amanda juggles family commitments with a burgeoning business.

It was during a difficult period when her second-born daughter Sophia was premature and she could no longer work as a communications director at the Australian Public Service that she began volunteering with a small-but-growing website, and formed an online friendship with the site’s editor Mia Freedman.

That website was Mamamia, which expanded in recent years, evolving into Australia’s largest independent women’s media group.

Amanda was ready for new challenges and realised Canberra did not have an online community for women and so HerCanberra was born.

By 2011, HerCanberra was operating out of Amanda’s home, creating an inclusive digital community for women in Canberra.

The online magazine focused on a wide range of issues impacting women quickly found a previously untapped market.

HerCanberra grew into one of Canberra’s leading lifestyle media brands and when COVID-19 changed the media landscape in 2020 Amanda drew on both her upbringing and experience to come up with a practical solution.

Business at HerCanberra was booming until the pandemic struck this year, forcing HerCanberra mainstays such as event promotions to be curtailed. This resulted in a significant downturn in the business, as it did most media organisations at this time.

Amanda stepped back from the day-to-day running to take up a position as the Deputy Information coordinator for the ACT Government’s COVID-19 response, managing the public information campaigns, social media channels and website.

Her decision to work outside HerCanberra ensured the survival of the business, with the website continuing with an audience that relies on its content more than ever in these uncertain times.

“I feel incredibly fortunate I have been given an opportunity to step into an important role which allows me to give back to my community in a different way, while relieving financial pressure on the business and also giving the HerCanberra team a chance to put their own stamp on the brand.”

Growing up in the small country town of Narrandera she always wanted to write for magazines, but didn’t get the required score to get into journalism.

Not to be deterred she began studying a degree in General Communications, moving to Public Relations at the end of her first year.

After looking at several universities that had Communication courses, she decided on the University of Canberra and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, specialising in Public Relations.

Her first job out of university was at a fashion and PR agency in Sydney, promoting high profile brands such as Ray-Ban and Redkenbut it wasn’t for her and she ended up moving to Griffith to be nearer to her family after her father was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Amanda became a driving force in marketing with Riverina Citrus, an organisation that represented around 450 citrus growers.

She ran national marketing campaigns, lobbied politicians, and effectively ensured the product was being sold in supermarkets around Australia.

This five-year period proved to be pivotal, as she entered the next phase of her life as an Australian Public Service Communications Director back in Canberra, before embarking on the journey that would lead to one of the most successful media stories to emerge from the ACT – HerCanberra.

The success of HerCanberra has brought many accolades for Amanda. She was awarded the title of ACT Woman of the Year in 2016 and was named one of the ‘100 Years, 100 Great Women’ by UN Australia, for making a difference to Canberra.