To leave a legacy of positivity and change is the dream of every business leader, and if it isn’t, it should be. Many who reach the higher levels of leadership, regardless of industry, come to understand that they have a very real opportunity to inspire those around them and create lasting change.

For some, that alone is their driver. That’s certainly the case for Founder and Managing Director Cynthia Payne, whose deep and personal connection to the sectors served by her company, Anchor Impact Group – aged care, early childhood and leadership itself – has propelled her to great heights professionally. That’s why she’s among The CEO Magazine’s Women of Influence in 2026.

“My conviction is the driving force behind Anchor Impact Group,” Payne tells The CEO Magazine. “My story has a heart and soul, and they are authenticity and impact.”

The daughter of a hard-working, blue-collar mother who migrated to Australia in the 1960s, Payne says she grew up thinking her mother deserved better.

“I recall pivotal conversations about the importance of manager behavior and the impact it can have on how someone feels,” she says. “I vowed if I were ever in a position of leadership, I would always remember that.”

Impactful leadership

After completing her MBA, Payne joined the executive ranks of a large not-for-profit. By age 33, she was the first female CEO of a private sector aged care provider.

Her experiences in that industry left her with a great desire to create an impact. The result was Anchor Impact Group, a professional services business initiative that channels Payne’s executive and board expertise and the experience of her team into achieving a greater good.

“Anchor Impact Group encompasses a diverse range of specialist brands committed to empowering excellence,” she says.

Anchor Excellence specializes in comprehensive business advisory services, particularly for residential, home care and retirement living operators; Sage Study Tours provides tailored and immersive international study tours for elder care boards, executives and management teams; Impactful Leaders focuses on building high-performance leadership by unlocking collaboration potential and organizational success.

“Our newest venture is Anchor Childcare, which is designed to enable excellent work in the early education and care sector,” Payne reveals.

“Childcare is a sector undergoing significant transformation at the governance, business operations and risk management levels. Committed to complex transformation, we empower childcare operators to rise to the changing regulatory and business landscape.”

Deep growth

Through these core brands, Anchor Impact Group is shaping the industry landscape of tomorrow with the talent of today. Payne says achieving growth has been a journey all its own.

“Growing and scaling has required a shift from being a core delivery person to enabling others to step in while remaining a key partner to the essential work,” she explains.

“I was able to make this transition by fostering deep confidence in my team and creating the right space for them to grow and flourish. Our amazing workplace and team culture is, I believe, the primary success factor for our continued growth and effectiveness in the sectors we serve.”

Anchor Impact Group’s broad remit might make success hard to picture, but Payne says it’s simply a matter of personal satisfaction.

“We’ve successfully translated our deep expertise into a unique value proposition, particularly in the high-stakes, complex turnaround work,” she points out.

“This work requires a highly specialized, targeted focus on leadership dynamics, as leadership is invariably the key driver for organizational success or failure.”

Gold standard

That hard work has resulted in an indispensable level of brand recognition.

“Hearing a client say, ‘We can’t find anyone else who can do what you and your team can do’ stands out because it confirms that we have truly found and cemented our unique position in the market,” Payne confirms.

“That’s the gold standard for any business, and it’s what I’m most proud of. It’s a direct testament to our quality and impact, and it’s a responsibility we never take lightly.”

Even the company name is a deliberate signal of intent.

“Purpose is the anchor of Anchor,” she says. “Each of our core brands possesses a clearly articulated purpose, which serves as both a compass and a filter, defining what we’ll pursue and – just as critically – what we will not.”

Payne’s journey is not just about building a successful business; it’s about demonstrating an unwavering commitment to making a tangible, positive difference in high-stakes sectors.

“We have a responsibility to cultivate the next generation of leadership,” she says. “The aspiration to drive sector-wide impact while enabling individual leadership success should be the fundamental goal for all CEOs today.”