The She Leads Conference brings emerging and established women and non-binary leaders together with some of Australia’s most inspiring, diverse and accomplished women and non-binary leaders.
The conference is YWCA Canberra’s premier event, held annually in Canberra. Since its inception in 2014, the She Leads Conference has built a community of more than 830 women and non-binary people to develop their leadership journeys and identities, share their experiences, and explore the impacts of gender on their families, communities and work lives.
Watch this space for more details or subscribe to the monthly She Leads Newsletter to receive updates on She Leads events and opportunities.
Our 8th She Leads Conference returned to Canberra on Friday 22 July 2022 at the Kambri Cultural Centre, ANU. Over 270 women, men, and non-binary people attended the event.
Our 2022 theme was Dauntless and celebrated dauntless women and gender diverse people rising up, showing courage and being advocates for change.
The night prior to the conference we had a networking event that provided attendees with the opportunity to meet like-minded people prior to attending the conference and network with our speakers.
On the day of the conference, we had an engaging program of keynote speeches, panels and seminars. Leadership was explored through the prism of finding it within ourselves and being dauntless. The event explored leading through change, despite uncertainty; the pursuit of equality and values-based leadership even through adversity; and caring for positive mental health in ourselves and our teams.
The conference was emceed by Sarah Ison and keynote speakers included Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert, Veronica Gorrie, Bec Brideson, and Dr Clara Tuck Meng Soo.
Our panel discussions centred on three different concepts ‘Managing the unknown: How to stay the course in times of uncertainty’, ‘Stoking the fire: Staying determined despite setbacks’, and ‘Breaking the cycle of burnout’. Panellists included Sally Flannery, Néha Madhok, Debbie Kilroy OAM, Catherine Coles, Esha Oberoi, Rachelle Towart OAM, Bernadette Carbin, Lisa Samuel, Shalailah Medhora, Val Dempsey, Aminata Conteh-Biger, Debra Parker, Amy Remeikis, and Angie Ford.
In the afternoon we had three streams of seminars available, ‘Managing for positive mental health’ facilitated by Nadia Pessarossi, ‘Becoming an adaptive leader through change’ facilitated by Luciana Todd and ‘How to build your leadership identity on a foundation of values’ facilitated by Frances Crimmins, Penny Dakin, and Liz Ritchie.
Conference attendee feedback included:
Learn more about the 2022 She Leads Conference:
Our highly anticipated 2021 She Leads Conference returned to Canberra on Friday 23 July, following a short hiatus due to COVID-19 in the previous year.
2021 marked the 7th year that YWCA Canberra has hosted this event and this year it was held at the Kambri Cultural Centre, ANU. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing, we had a maximum of 400 people attending the event with a waitlist.
Our 2021 theme was Power – Have it. Own it. Challenge it.
The night prior to the conference we had a networking event that provided attendees with the opportunity to meet like-minded people prior to attending the conference.
On the day of the conference, we had a packed program of keynote speeches, panels, seminars and networking session. Leadership was explored through the lens of Power and equipped attendees with skills, strategies and concepts to take back their professional and personal lives. By learning how to deconstruct and reconstruct notions of power and gaining an understanding of how power influences our systems and structures, attendees discovered how power can be used to the benefit of themselves and those they lead.
The Conference was emceed by Chris Ryan and keynote speakers included Dr Mehreen Faruqi, Cath Grassick, Nina Funnell and Amy Thunig.
With panel discussions centred on three different concepts ‘Breaking up the boys’ club: finding individual power within male-dominated spaces’, ‘Standing in the way of control: letting go of problems and things out of your control to create healthier outcomes’, and ‘Tipping the scale: readdressing power imbalances.’ Our panellists included Karen Middleton, Jo Farrell, Marissa McDowell, Olivia Thornto, Zakia Patel, Nipuni Wijewickrema, Celeste Trione (aka Mae Q Sqwheel), Nicole Short, Sally Gobson, Dixie Crawford, Misha Scubert, Caroline McDonald and Joanne Fenton.
This year we also had a VIP ‘Power Play’ lunch event where VIP guests were joined by leaders for the Canberra community to do a speed networking and mentoring style session. Leaders included Caroline McDonald, Holly Komorowski, Leanne Castley, Paula Goodwin and Frances Crimmins.
In the afternoon we had three streams of seminars available and were ‘Navigating difficult conversations’ facilitated by Nadia Pessarossi, ‘How to communicate effectively for productive outcomes’ facilitated by Llewella Jago and ‘Leading inclusively and authentically with self-reflection and purpose’ facilitated by Frances Crimmins.
Conference attendee feedback included:
Learn more about the 2021 She Leads Conference:
Throughout a full day of speakers and activities, around 400 attendees explored the theme Thrive which focused on providing the elements, skills and understanding necessary for us to thrive in our communities, families and workplaces.
Attendees were able to critically engage with key concepts surrounding learning how to fail and bounce back, the importance of self-care, acknowledging when you’ve made a mistake, and if you don’t see something make it for yourself.
The conference was emceed by Jan Fran and keynote speakers included Yumi Stynes, Deborah Cheetham AO, Debby Blakey and Marina Go. Panel discussions centred on two different concepts ‘What are your limits’ and ‘Great Expectations’. Our panellists included Karlie Noon, Zakia Patel, Commander Kelly Haywood, Tarla Lambert, Kemiso Matlho, Hannah Wandel, Nakari Thorpe, Kemi Nekvapil and Clare Moore.
Attendees rated the conference highly, with 100 per cent of attendees rating it as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ and 98 per cent of respondents indicating that they would attend the conference next year. Furthermore, 99 per cent stated that they were likely to recommend the conference to other women.
Our conference attendees said:
Learn more about the 2019 She Leads Conference:
Throughout a full day of speakers and workshops, we explored the theme Rise, which focused on how women grow powerful by acknowledging individual successes and building up the collective. This theme was continuously emphasised throughout the day by each of the uplifting speakers and panellists who reiterated the importance of women supporting women across all platforms and stages of life.
Attendees were able to critically engage with key concepts surrounding acknowledging their own hard work and not simply dismissing it as luck, what it takes to be a good leader, and the importance of not only receiving however providing mentorship to other women.
The conference was emceed by Meschel Laurie and keynote speakers included Jamila Rizvi, Nas Campanella and Mary Delahunty. Panel discussions centred on two concepts: ‘Leading and Lifting’ and ‘Creating structural change to rise’. Our panellists included Dr Vanessa Lee, Natalie Walker, Bridget Clinch, Dr Raji Ambikairajah, Professor Marian Sawer, Dr Jessa Rogers and Corporal Laura Power. Our panel facilitators were Angela Priestley and Michele Fonseca.
Attendees rated the conference highly, with 100 per cent of attendees rating it as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ and 89 per cent of respondents indicating that they would attend the conference next year. Furthermore, 98 per cent stated that they were likely to recommend the conference to other women.
Our conference attendees said:
Learn more about the 2018 She Leads Conference:
Despite all the gains women have made in obtaining formal leadership positions, the reality for many Australian women is that they are still locked out of decision making and leadership roles. Further, the significant leadership contributions by women within their family and community are often unrecognised and undervalued.
This ideology formed the theme for the conference: Challenge. The theme was woven through keynote and panel discussions, and saw attendees discover and discuss all the challenges they face in everyday life and potential solutions.
The conference was emceed by Tracey Spicer, and keynote speakers included Clementine Ford, Michelle Deshong, Nakkiah Lui, and Drisana Levitzke-Gray. Panel discussions centred on two different concepts of challenge: Challenging the System and The Challenge of Changing Gears. Panellists included Shen Narayanasamy, Elise Burgess, Christine Castley, Alex Sloan, Captain Stephanie Steel, Myfanwy Galloway, and Summer Edwards, and panel facilitator were Caterina Giorgi and Angela Preistley.
Attendees rated the conference highly, with 92 per cent rating the Conference as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’, 91 per cent stating they would recommend the conference to other women, and 84 per cent of respondents indicated that they would attend the conference next year.
Our conference attendees said:
Learn more about the 2017 She Leads Conference:
As well as crafting an engaging and stimulating conference program, our objectives were that as a result of the conference, women would gain:
The theme for the 2016 conference was Transform, which was intertwined through all aspects of the event, including keynote speeches, networking opportunities, workshops, panels, and masterclasses.
The conference was emceed by Jane Caro, and keynote speakers included Marita Cheng, Indira Naidoo, Captain Jenny Daetz, and Lucy Perry. Panellists included Renee Carr, Carly Findlay, Kerrie Tim, Yen Eriksen, Amber Beavis, Tanya Dannock, Jeanette Purkis, Amanda Whitley, Philippa Moss, and Rita Joyan, and were facilitated by Caterina Giorgi, Ginger Gorman, and Zoya Patel. Breakout workshops were facilitated by Suzi Skinner, Heather Reid, and Rita Joyan.
Attendees rated the 2016 conference highly with 99.5 per cent rating the conference as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’, 97 per cent stating they would recommend the conference to other women, and 95 per cent of respondents indicated that as a result of the conference they felt more motivated to pursue their leadership goals.
Our conference attendees said:
Learn more about the 2016 She Leads Conference:
The conference was an intergenerational event, and women of all ages and at all stages of their leadership journeys attended. The event combined education and skills development, an abundance of networking opportunities, and a mix of stimulating talks and workshops with some of Australia’s most renowned women leaders.
The emcee was Tracey Spicer and keynote speakers included Stephanie Lorenzo, Yamini Naidu, Clare Bowditch, and Professor Gillian Triggs. Panellists included Kate Carnell AO, Nipuni Wijewickrema, Emma Bennison, Tjanara Goreng Goreng, Rebecca Skinner, Dai Le, Hala Batainah, Stephanie Foster, and Jessica May. Masterclasses were run by Jacqueline Jago, Dr Sarah Pearson, and Angela Priestley.
Attendees rated the Conference highly, with 98 per cent of evaluation respondents rating the conference overall as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’, and 93 per cent stating that they would recommend the conference to other women.
Our conference attendees said:
Learn more about the 2015 She Leads Conference:
The conference provided women leaders and those aspiring to leadership with the opportunity to develop the skills, knowledge and networks to accelerate their leadership journeys, and focused on the theme Learning, Collaboration, Leadership.
The day was emceed by Susan Brennan and featured a keynote speech by Anne Summers. Panellists included Khadija Gbla, Casey Keed, Lauren Anderson, Virginia Haussegger, Carmel McGregor, Yolanda Vega, Helen Conway, and Caroline Lambert. Workshops were facilitated by Suzi Skinner, Di van Meegen, and Julie McKay.
Attendees rated the conference highly, with 98 per cent of evaluation respondents rating the conference overall as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’, and 96 per cent stating that they would recommend the conference to other women.
Our conference attendees said:
Learn more about the 2014 She Leads Conference:
