Facilitator Alex O’Mara will help you strategically grow key skills and be more confident in your leadership at the Public Sector Women in Leadership Masterclass at Sofitel Sydney Wentworth from 25 – 26 November. Photo: Supplied.
APS 5-6 Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving
Date: 20 – 21 November
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Practical, outcome-driven models for critical thinking and problem-solving.
- Unpack critical thinking to address everyday problems.
- Apply a structured systems thinking approach for problem analysis and solution design.
- Use creative and lateral thinking to solve complex problems.
- Overcome common roadblocks to critical thinking and problem-solving.
Trainer Kym Viant is an expert in leadership development, with a decorated and distinguished career in the Royal Australian Navy spanning more than 25 years. He has led and inspired thousands of leaders and managers, ranging from emerging talents to senior executives.
With nearly a decade dedicated to leadership consultancy, Kym has a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience in this field. Currently, he serves as the managing director of Kym Viant Consulting, where he supports leaders in both the public and private sectors.
APS 4 Essential Skills Workshop
Date: 25 – 26 November
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Your leadership journey starts here.
- Enhance your professional competence to achieve results.
- Acquire practical tools to communicate with impact and influence.
- Learn effective change management principles to support strategic direction.
- Access information about career planning and pathways in APS roles.
Trainer Mark Butz’s diverse work experience includes more than 26 years in senior positions at government agencies, complemented by voluntary participation in community sector governance. Since 2002, he has worked as a consultant, facilitator, trainer and writer.
He has been training others in communication, facilitation, leadership and conflict transformation for more than 25 years, across all states and territories of Australia, and in New Zealand, India and Nauru.
APS 5-6 High-Performance & Leadership Workshop
Date: 25 – 26 November
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Cliftons Canberra
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Develop core leadership capabilities to achieve success and excel in APS 5-6 roles and beyond.
- Identify and develop your capabilities as a confident and successful public sector leader.
- Build productive relationships and lead proficient, capable teams.
- Drive strategic change to improve procedures and meet agency goals.
- Explore career advancement opportunities within APS roles.
Trainer Liz Stephens is an experienced coach and trainer with an extensive career in the public service. Following her successful command tenure at the 1st Recruit Training Battalion, Liz established Ripple Impact, drawing on her experiences to help others be their best selves. In her ‘’day job’’, Lieutenant Colonel Stephens is a facilitator, coach and mentor at the Australian Command and Staff Course.
Public Sector Women in Leadership Masterclass Sydney
Date: 25 – 26 November
Time: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
Email: [email protected]
Take charge of the next phase of your career with a transformative program designed to enhance and accelerate your leadership development. This is a watershed moment in your career, and the skills and behaviours that you cultivate now will become the cornerstones of your senior leadership in the years to come.
Specifically designed for women in public sector leadership roles from all jurisdictions, this highly engaging two-day masterclass will give you the key tools to thrive as a senior leader and set yourself up for success for the rest of your career.
Former deputy secretary of the NSW Public Service Alex O’Mara is the facilitator. She is an experienced senior executive, board director and adviser with more than 20 years of experience leading strategy, policy, organisational transformation and program delivery across a range of sectors, including environment, infrastructure, energy, precincts, planning, culture, place and natural resource management.
Alex will take you on a journey of light-bulb moments to strategically grow key skills so that you walk away refreshed, inspired and more confident in your leadership and the path ahead.
Women of Colour Leadership Summit
Date: 26 – 27 November
Time: 9 am – 5 pm
Location: Canberra Rex Hotel & Online
Email: [email protected]
Walk away with the tools to champion equity, influence change and help build a public sector that truly reflects the richness of multicultural Australia. The 5th Public Sector Women of Colour Leadership Summit 2025 will amplify the voices and lived experiences of women of colour who are breaking barriers, leading with purpose and redefining what leadership looks like across the public sector.
This summit will explore the impact of racism, cultural load and systemic bias on leadership pathways, while offering practical strategies to navigate these challenges and thrive. Sessions will also unpack the role of allyship, power sharing and policy reform in shifting the burden of change away from those most affected.
Be inspired, break stereotypes and lead with confidence to make a lasting impact.
Speakers include:
- Yorta and Indian woman, Acting Principal Commissioner, Commission for Children and Young People Victoria, Meena Singh
- Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission, Dr Anna Cody
- Acting Deputy Commissioner, Australian Taxation Office, Usha Narain
- Communications and Engagement Manager, Climate Change Authority, Karuna Gurung
- Chief Information Officer, NSW Department of Customer Service, Aarti Joshi
- Assistant Secretary, Department of Treasury, Nu Nu Win.
8 Essential Skills for High Performance in Executive Support & Admin
Date: 26 – 27 November
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Innovation and excellence for executive support.
- Achieve proactive self-management for executive support excellence.
- Develop and maintain resilience in a high-pressure, high-volume environment.
- Manage expectations and manage up.
- Balance your workload and active career planning.
Trainer Dr Karen Whittingham is one of Australia’s leading executive management development specialists, having worked with thousands of executives to transition them into senior leadership roles quickly and effectively. She is an organisational psychologist passionate about people’s success and facilitating their careers to rise. She teaches organisational psychology at UNSW and works with ASX-listed companies and large public sector organisations to drive engagement, inclusion and performance.
Managing Performance & Difficult Conversations
Date: 26 – 27 November
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Cliftons Adelaide
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Learn essential communication and conflict resolution skills to effectively and proactively manage performance.
- Understand the risk of employee disengagement (and what it looks like).
- Provide proactive and effective performance feedback.
- Prepare for tough conversations.
- Learn essential conflict resolution skills.
VPS 5-6 High-Performance &Leadership Workshop
Date: 26 – 27 November
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Cliftons Melbourne
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Refine core skills to excel in VPS 5-6 roles and beyond.
- Identify and develop your capabilities as a confident and successful VPS leader.
- Build productive relationships and lead proficient teams.
- Drive strategic change and management to meet agency goals.
- Access information about career planning and pathways in VPS roles.
From policing the streets to coaching leaders across industries, trainer Richard Farrelly
brings more than 27 years of frontline experience to his work in leadership and culture. Having led teams in high-stakes environments, Richard knows what it takes to build trust, shape values and drive meaningful change.
At Victoria Police, he modernised organisational values and facilitated leadership programs for more than 4000 employees. Today, Richard works with leaders to strengthen communication, shift mindsets and uncover the untapped potential within teams. He has a talent for turning everyday challenges into catalysts for growth.
Public Sector APS6 to EL1: Management Essentials Workshop
Date: 26 – 27 November
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Cliftons Canberra
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Acquire essential leadership skills to strengthen the connections between strategy and results.
- Address changing expectations facing management.
- Translate strategic direction into definable outcomes.
- Define and action efficiency gain in your team.
- Align and incorporate your values into leadership vision.
Trainer Melinda Varley, the founder and principal of Moxxie Business Services and Moxxie Training Academy, is a sought-after facilitator and trainer with more than 25 years’ experience as a leader and manager in the public service, private, and not-for-profit arenas. Melinda is a qualified trainer and developer, accountant and business coach with extensive experience in facilitation, business, human resource, and financial management.
Data Literacy for Government Workshop
Date: 27 November
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Influential data literacy skills for non-data professionals.
- Understand how good data translates into effective outcomes.
- Collect and analyse robust data.
- Learn how to manipulate data and select the most appropriate medium to visualise it.
- Inform team decisions through comprehensive analysis.
Trainer Rabia Khan is a public health and data specialist with more than 20 years’ experience in the global health sector, spanning Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Rabia excels in leveraging data and evidence to enhance health outcomes and reduce disparities. She empowers individuals to drive positive change, make informed decisions, and amplify their impact through effective leadership, data utilisation, and evidence-based strategies.
