Dr Catherine Norton said IT skills give a country competitive advantages by underpinning all industries and the challenge for Australia is to attract more women into IT and science careers.

Currently in Australia women make up only 20 percent of the ICT sector.

To support more women in IT, Norton is delivering a series of leadership workshops next month in Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.

The workshops, which focus on how to become a passionate leader, are part of a national program sponsored by Australian Women in Science and IT Entity (AWise) and funded by the Australian Government Office for Women.

EWise chair and creator of the controversial Screen Goddess IT Calendar, Sonja Bernhardt said Norton inspires women to find a worthy quest, develop an iron will and give back to the community.