"When I was growing up, both my mother and father, the common message was: girls can do anything. They always said, 'dream big'."
It was her father who initially led her towards the path of being a finance professional.
He was a project manager at a construction firm and introduced her to the accountant at his firm.
"She encouraged me to go down the accounting route."
Whooley liked the idea of accounting, as she saw it as leading to many different options.
Getting into a career involving numbers was also sparked by her love of maths and sciences at school.
Whooley studied at the Manukau Institute of Technology. When she began the course, she was one of only a few women students. She did the first two years full-time and then a further two years part-time. By the end, she says, the male:female ratio was around 50:50.
From there she moved into a role with Fletcher Construction.
"Most of my career I have worked in property. I love property, I am passionate about property. Every development is different."
During her time at Fletcher she worked with Paul Duffy, who was also one of the founders of DNZ - the former name of Stride Property.
It was only when the whole team was made redundant that she left. At the time she was eight months pregnant.
Whooley took just three months away from work to have her son, then came back for another 18 months to finish off the job.
Her start at DNZ came after she saw a newspaper advertisement for the job. The advert didn't say who the company was, or that her former boss Duffy was in charge of it.
But she took one look at it and thought, "that is my job".
Whooley started as a finance manager in 2002, before becoming the chief accountant.
She then helped list the company on the NZX in 2010, following a very public scrap between shareholders who blocked Duffy from being paid out millions of dollars for the management contract.
For five months in the lead-up to the listing, Whooley admits to working seven days a week - although she did take Mothers' Day off.
"My husband Dennis and son Daniel have always been so supportive.
"My story is probably a little bit different to other women in that I have had a lot of support all the way through my career.
"I've had great mentors and leaders and colleagues who have supported my career development, and particularly I have had wonderful support from my family."
And she believes that is key to getting more women rising up through the ranks.
"In order for women to progress up an organisation, they need to make sure they have the right support around them and support starting in their personal life but also professionally as well, so they need to align themselves with inspirational leaders, mentors and coaches - somebody that they can connect with."
That doesn't always have to be another woman. Whooley says most of her biggest supporters have been men.
But she says it is also up to women to step out and step up.
"I think it is really important for women to put themselves out there and attend functions and seminars where they can meet people who are not only in their own industry, but also may be dealing with the same issues as them.
"It's about getting connections and support around them."
Whooley cites examples of how Stride has supported her to do this, for example, releasing her last year to attend a Global Women breakthrough leadership course.
"I have now got contacts with 28 other women leaders in New Zealand."
The course also helped her connect with the next generation of women coming through.
"One of our challenges on the course was to come up with a community event.
"We decided there was a gap in the market where 18 to 25-year-old women had limited or no support in the last years of finishing school and starting in their career."
So they teamed up with the YWCA to host an event.
"It was amazing to see these young women and how nervous they were coming in, the morning."
As part of that she mentoring one of the young women who is aspiring to be a CFO.
The job itself is far more encompassing that just crunching the numbers.
Whooley oversaw the re-branding of the organisation from DNZ to Stride in 2015 and her role also includes overseeing the company's human resources.
Since listing, the company has increased from 40 to 100 people.
Last year she stepped up to become the co-chief executive while the company searched for a replacement boss.
But she says her ambition is to remain a CFO. "My ambition has always been to be the best CFO I can be."
Jennifer Whooley
•
Job:
Chief financial officer, Stride Property
•
Grew up:
In Auckland
•
Studied:
Accounting at the Manukau Institute of Technology
•
Worked for:
Fletcher Construction, then moved to Stride Property
•
Family:
Married with one son
•
Last book read:
Wayfinding Leadership: Groundbreaking Wisdom for Developing Leaders
by Dr Chellie Spiller, Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, John Panoho
•
Last movie watched:
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
•
Last overseas holiday:
Fiji – relaxing in the sun
