Biography
Sarah was raised on Sydney's northern beaches before establishing herself as one of Australia's top international models, living in New York for over 14 years. Her notable achievements include major contracts with L'Oreal, Revlon, Estee Lauder, and Ralph Lauren, as well as leading campaigns for Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent. She also became a global face for Revlon. In the US, Sarah appeared regularly on television shows such as Friends, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, MTV, VH1, and E! Entertainment, and starred in Universal Films' "Head Over Heels."
After returning to Australia, Sarah gained recognition as a television presenter, hosting The Today Show for four months and co-hosting The Project. In 2008, through her production company Room 329 Productions, she signed a multi-year agreement with FOXTEL as host and Executive Producer of Australia's Next Top Model. Over three seasons, it became FOXTEL's highest-rating non-sports program. The series won the ASTRA Award for Most Outstanding Light Entertainment Program in 2010 and for Most Outstanding Reality Program in 2011. Sarah herself won the ASTRA Award for Favourite Female Personality in 2011. Room 329 Productions also created a series of four one-hour documentary specials for FOXTEL titled Sarah Murdoch presents: Pride of Australia, celebrating unsung Australian heroes. Additionally, Sarah received the Cosmopolitan Magazine Award for Television Personality and the Madison Magazine award for Style Icon.
As a brand ambassador, Sarah worked with Bonds for over 11 years, successfully developing and promoting a profitable women's line. In 2011, she became Brand Ambassador for Vaalia Yoghurt, a health and wellness brand partnered with the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.
Sarah is deeply committed to community work. Starting in 1997, she became involved with the National Breast Cancer Foundation of Australia (NBCF) and was named Patron in 2001. Under her involvement, fundraising rose from about $1 million annually to $17.5 million in 2012, totaling $137 million raised. She spoke at the National Press Club about the foundation's work in 2006 and 2008. Her passionate advocacy inspired NBCF to establish the Inaugural Advocacy for Breast Cancer Research Award, which she received in 2011 after 10 years as Patron. She also chairs NBCF's Women's Advisory Network, which accelerates research through Register4, a national online register with over 30,000 members.
Since 2000, Sarah has served as Ambassador for the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Australia's largest child health research institute, and is a member of its Development Board, focusing on raising awareness and research funding.
In 2003, she received the Celebrity Advocacy Award from Research Australia and the InStyle Magazine Award for Charity/Community.
Appointed International Ambassador for The Australian Ballet in 2004, Sarah has been a board director since 2006 and currently serves as Deputy Chairman.
In 2006, she co-authored Birth Skills with Juju Sundin, a guide educating women about childbirth. In 2009, Sarah was appointed to the Federal Government's National Body Image Advisory Group to address self-esteem issues among Australian youth.
In April 2013, Sarah joined the board of the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY), a non-profit that unites researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to apply the best evidence for the benefit of young Australians. She also serves on an advisory board with Global Access Partners focused on Early Childhood Education.
Sarah is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
She currently resides in Sydney, Australia, with her husband Lachlan and their children Kalan, Aidan, and Aerin.
