Three leaders of the public sector have been nominated as finalists in the 2015 Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards.

The awards highlight the incredible efforts of women in top jobs around the country, and the men and women that support their drive.

VicHealth CEO Jerril Rechter, World Health Organization Civil Registration and Vital Statistics leader Anneke Schmider and general manager at Airservices Australia’s Learning Academy Linda Spurr are in the running for the Emerging Leader in the Public Sector award.

Winners will be announced on February 25.

Jerril Rechter has most recently been recognised for leading VicHealth through the introduction of its 10-year plan; the Action Agenda for Health Promotion.

The agenda seeks long-term health gains across the population through regular physical activity, preventing harm from tobacco, alcohol and boosting mental wellbeing.

Ms Rechter’s drive for consultation and collaboration within VicHealth’s 80-strong team has been vital for the successful implementation of the new strategic direction.

Rechter’s creative background has been highlighted as a key factor in a leadership style that promotes innovation, well-being and collaboration within the state government organisation.

Anneke Schmider has spent over 18 months leading the development of the World Health Organization’s global agenda to improve results in women’s and children’s health through civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS).

She has been central to the first ever global plan for improving investment in CRVS development, helping set global targets for results, and working on an investment program for the proposed Global Financing Facility for Women and Children.

Coming from roles with Queensland Treasury and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Ms Schmider has taken tool learned in Australia and applied them in a regional and global context.

Linda Spurr has led reform at the government-owned corporation Airservices Australia’s Learning Academy. Colleagues say she has facilitated improvement and innovation amid heavy demand, new workforce requirements, fiscal constraints and regulatory shifts.

Reports say that under Spurr’s management, the academy has seen a 62 per cent increase in training throughput, a 9 per cent cut in unit training costs, awards for training excellence and a 25 per cent increase in overall staff engagement.

Winners will be announced at a luncheon on the 26th of February in Sydney, which is set to be a celebration of the outstanding female talent available in Australia as well as a useful networking opportunity for connecting finalists, winners, judges and like-minded women.