Susan Toft of The Laundry Lady has taken home third place in the Woman in Tech Award at the 2026 Women Changing the World Global Awards.
This year’s awards saw over 1,500 nominations from 97 countries, highlighting the extraordinary global impact of women leading change across industries and communities.
These Awards celebrate and recognise women achieving outstanding success in areas such as sustainability, humanitarian work, leadership, advocacy, education, health and innovation.
The awards are designed to recognise the growing number of women who are leading the way in making the world a better place for us all and to inspire other women to make a difference.
Susan Toft is the Founder and CEO of The Laundry Lady, the world’s first online marketplace for laundry services, connecting busy individuals and businesses with home-based contractors.
Bringing valuable time back to families and businesses
With 25 years of experience in international marketing, project management, and business development, Susan launched The Laundry Lady in 2012 as a solution to work-life balance challenges.
Under her leadership, the company has grown to an eight-figure business with over 450 Laundry Partners across Australia, New Zealand and Canada, powered by proprietary platform, TimeBoss®.
“This work is so important because it transforms the service economy by creating flexible work opportunities that fit around people’s lives rather than forcing lives to fit around work,” Susan says of Laundry Lady’s trailblazing model.
“The Laundry Lady has built an ecosystem where busy families and businesses get their time back, while everyday people, particularly mothers and caregivers, can earn meaningful income from home,” she says.
Canadian expansion lays foundation for UK push
Susan was awarded gold in the Woman in Tech category as part of the North Americas Awards in Vancouver in November 2025, before being named among the global finalist cohort.
The Laundry Lady launched into the Canadian market in late 2025, with the UK following in mid-2026, marking a significant milestone for the Queensland innovation.
Both expansions required meaningful adaptation of the TimeBoss® platform to meet new regulatory environments, regional geographies, and cultural nuances, demonstrating the true scalability of the technology underpinning the business.
“Launching into New Zealand, Canada and very shortly, the UK, is proof that world-class innovation doesn’t require a capital city postcode,” says Susan, who operates a Head Office from the Sunshine Coast.
“We built TimeBoss® to be scalable from day one, but taking it global has been the ultimate test of that vision. Every market teaches us something new, and we bring those lessons back into the platform for the benefit of every Laundry Partner and customer across our entire network.”
The Global Women Changing the World Awards were held in Paris on April 24.
The complete list of winners can be found at: wcwawards.com
For more information on the Women Changing the World Awards visit: https://wcwawards.com/
