Julie Bishop Headlines WHO's Most Intriguing People of 2014

Julie Bishop leads WHO Magazine's annual list of the Most Intriguing People of 2014 - on sale now! Photo: WHO Magazine

2014 has been a formative year for Australia's Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, who headlines WHO magazine’s annual list of the Most Intriguing People of 2014.

Reflecting on the past 12 months, Bishop admits it's been a trying year: "Sexism does exist in Canberra, she concedes to WHO, but "It's how you manage it."

Still, "I wish there were more women in Cabinet," Bishop concedes.

"I think women make a great contribution to discussions; they offer a different perspective.”

Julie Bishop leads WHO Magazine's annual list of the Most Intriguing People of 2014, as featured in WHO's Best & Worst of 2014 double issue, on sale now! Photo: Peter Brew Bevan for WHO Magazine

Nevertheless, "I can’t imagine a better job than the one I have. I see myself as Australia’s relationship manager" she said.

Having spent 16 years as a federal politician, Bishop, 58, has always secretly harboured an ambition to be Australia's Foreign Minister and now she says she is "living the dream."

So what did 2014 look like for the Foreign Minister? Most memorably, Bishop lead the charge to secure a UN resolution for authorities to gain access to the Ukraine MH17 crash site in July.

"Whenever I felt the task was daunting, I would remember the conversations I had with the families of those who had died in the plane and I put myself in their shoes," says Bishop.

"I knew that whatever we had to do we would do to bring [their loved ones] home."

But away from the pressures of international diplomacy, the daughter of South Australian fruit growers says there's a lighter side to her role. "I'll be doing something serious on TV and I will get a text [from my sisters] saying, 'What is it you are wearing?'"

As for upcoming holiday plans, Bishop will return to Adelaide to spend Christmas with family.

“We allocate tasks and mine is normally to buy the chocolates. I have to get into the line at Haighs on Christmas Eve. That’s not easy; it’s a zoo.”

For more of our exclusive interview with Julie Bishop, INXS, Sonia Kruger, Rosie Batty, Sia and Alex McKinnon and more of our Most Intriguing People of 2014, be sure to pick up WHO's Best & Worst of 2014 Special Issue, on sale now!