The She Leads Conference brings emerging and established women leaders, including female-identifying and non-binary people, together with some of Australia’s most inspiring, diverse and accomplished women 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 to develop their leadership identities, share their experiences, and explore the impacts of gender on their families, communities and work lives.
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We regrettably had to cancel the 2020 She Leads Conference in line with best practices for COVID-19.
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: