Former Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin (left) and Virgin Australia CEO and managing director Jayne Hrdlicka will share their insights at the Women in Leadership Summit in Sydney. Photo: Supplied.
Women in Leadership Series: Navigating Difficult Conversations
Date: 10 February
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Melbourne
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Learn how to employ the strategies, tools, and frameworks for effective communication in challenging situations.
- Identify and address barriers hindering difficult conversations
- Develop practical strategies for effective communication
- Enhance conflict resolution skills, define objectives, and stay solution-focused
- Craft a personal action plan to apply your new-found skills in various real-world scenarios.
Trainer Bron Williams is an educator and author with more than 30 years’ experience in the public and private sectors. She is a gifted storyteller who turns complex ideas into understandable concepts and practical actions.
Bron knows it takes courage to let go of long-held beliefs that can hold you back, lead from behind when leadership is not recognised, and have the courageous conversations that facilitate growth and change. Bron gives you the tools and the inspiration to challenge expectations and elevate your career.
Reforming and reshaping her career not once but twice, Bron has taught a multi-grade classroom, led a school, run a Salvation Army church and welfare centre, worked with asylum seekers, and coached countless senior leaders across the public and private sectors.
Inside Look: Free webinars for public sector leaders
Date: 10 February
Time: 7 pm to 7:40 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]
Overview:
Explore various challenges holding leaders back from thriving in their roles, learning why it matters and how the gap can begin to close.
Topics include:
- The Wellbeing Gap: Balancing performance with sustainable leadership
- The Confidence Gap: Leading with clarity, courage and conviction
- The Collaboration Gap: Building partnerships that create meaningful change
- The Expert to Orchestrator Gap: Transitioning from technical expert to leadership orchestrator.
In each webinar, you’ll:
- Gain clarity on the leadership challenges unique to today’s VUCA environment
- Reflect on your own experiences and begin identifying ways to bridge the gap
- Connect with peers and explore insights that empower leadership growth.
VIC Public Sector Women in Leadership Summit 2025
Date: 10 – 14 February
Time: All day
Location: Melbourne
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Building resourceful and resilient leaders for a thriving VPS
- Gain exclusive insights from senior and established VPS leaders
- Learn to lead with confidence and resilience
- Develop strategies to embed innovation, diversity and trust
- Build your professional network and collaborate on real-world challenges.
Speakers include Commissioner for Gender Equality in the Public Sector Dr Niki Vincent; Deputy Secretary, Corrections & Justice Services, Emma Catford; Secretary, Department of Government Services, Jo de Morton; Secretary, Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, John Bradley; and Deputy Commissioner, Fire Rescue Victoria, Michelle Cowline.
Enhancing Emotional Intelligence
Date: 11 February
Time: 9 am – 12:30 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Unlock the strategies needed to cultivate self-awareness and empathy for personal growth and team success.
- Understand the impact of emotional intelligence (EI) on success
- Identify your EI strengths, growth areas, and emotional triggers
- Enhance empathy and social awareness for deeper connections
- Apply EI strategies in teams with a personalised action plan.
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.
Postgraduate Course Information Webinar – Semester 1/2025
Date: 11 February
Time: 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Location: Virtual
Email: [email protected]
This is a webinar for anyone who has applied for, or is considering applying for, our postgraduate course, which begins on 3 March, 2025 (semester 1/25).
Organisers will provide you with key information about their postgraduate course. You will also be able to ask staff any questions you have about this postgraduate course.
NT Women in Leadership Workshop
Date: 11 – 12 February
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Darwin, NT
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Enhance your effectiveness as a leader in an evolving professional landscape.
- Develop your individual leadership style
- Build confidence to lead authentically and effectively
- Learn the art of confident communication
- Enhance your ability to influence.
Trainer Catie Kirke specialises in helping individuals and teams achieve personal fulfilment and professional success, and increase their capability, outcomes and potential.
As a transformational and leadership coach, Catie consistently helps clients have greater purpose and direction, communicate more effectively, be solution-focused, and lead by example. Catie’s specialties include emotional and social intelligence, mental wellbeing, resilience and self-awareness, confidence, and a positive growth mindset.
Data Visualisation Workshop
Date: 12 – 14 February
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Use dynamic visuals to capture your audience, communicate ideas, and drive decisions.
- Create scalable, interactive, and actionable data visualisation solutions
- Collect, input, and visualise data using the latest tools
- Understand the power of visual storytelling
- Simplify information and understand the story of your data.
Trainer Felipe Rego is a leading advanced analytics and data science partner, helping teams build, manage and enhance their data science and visualisation solutions in a strategically aligned, commercially oriented and customer-centric way.
With extensive industry experience as well as analytical expertise, Felipe is often required by marketing, sales, finance, technology and strategy teams to provide support and deliver robust analytical solutions that are easy to use, understand and implement. Felipe’s unique methodology focuses on a holistic organisational approach to using data and science to improve performance and reduce costs.
Briefing and Responding to APS Decision-Makers
Date: 18 February
Time: 9 am – 5 pm
Duration: One eight-hour face-to-screen session
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
This program takes an in-depth look at decision-making and covers the skills required to design, develop and deliver a briefing. Understand the development and role of Question Time briefs, ministerial talking points for media engagements, ministerial adviser briefings, hot-issues briefings, ministerial submissions and second-reading speeches.
Experience ”real-life” briefing scenarios that simulate the high pressure and stakes of a government briefing. Learn effective briefing techniques and workshop approaches that build relationships with senior APS decision-makers, ministers and advisers.
This content has been provided by the APS Academy, with training in a virtual environment suitable for APS 5 – EL 2.
Crafting Quality New Policy Proposals
Date: 18 February
Time: 9 am – 5 pm
Duration: One eight-hour face-to-face session
Location: Australian Capital Territory – MoAD (Old Parliament House)
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
This program is aimed at employees seeking to understand the key processes and considerations for preparing a new policy proposal.
This content has been provided by the APS Academy, with training suitable for all staff.
Navigating Difficult Conversations
Date: 18 February
Time: 9 am – 12:30 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Strategies, tools, and frameworks for effective communication in challenging situations.
- Identify and address barriers hindering difficult conversations
- Develop practical strategies for effective communication
- Enhance conflict resolution skills, define objectives, and stay solution-focused
- Craft a personal action plan to apply your new-found skills in various real-world scenarios.
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.
Women in Leadership Summit 2025
Date: 18 – 19 February
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Dockside Darling Harbour, Sydney
Email: [email protected]
This event will be held at multiple venues, in person and online, about the original trailblazers – women who paved the way. Be part of the most inspiring Women in Leadership Summit in Australia, which has been tailor-made to inspire women to become remarkable leaders. Connect with, and learn from, an accomplished lineup of trailblazing women who are paving the way in various industries.
Featuring the most inspiring women in their own right to grace the national and world stage, alongside an impressive lineup of senior executive women in leadership in Australia, this summit promises to be an unmissable experience.
The highlight session is with Virgin Australia CEO and managing director Jayne Hrdlicka. Jayne was the first woman to become CEO of Virgin Australia, taking the helm of the airline during one of the biggest aviation challenges in recent history. The global pandemic offered a uniquely defining moment for Jayne to become a more efficient leader, adapt to uncertainty and learn to do things differently.
Other speakers include AFL executive general manager of football Laura Kane, Microsoft executive general manager Australia and New Zealand Jo Dooley, Flybuys CEO Anna Lee, and Ernst & Young Oceania deputy CEO Jenelle McMaster.
Taking place across seven Australian capital cities, this summit is the biggest ever organised by The Hatchery. Join these original trailblazers:
- The world’s youngest person to serve as a head of government, former New Zealand prime minister, Dame Jacinda Ardern
- The first woman to serve as Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop
- Australia’s most decorated Olympian, six-time gold medallist Emma McKeon.
This summit is a unique opportunity to be inspired by these women, follow in their footsteps and find the path to your own success. Immerse yourself in empowering stories and lived experience, be guided by their practical advice and engage in critical and timely topics that will resonate with women and all leaders.
APS 5-6 High-Performance & Leadership Workshop
Date: 18 – 19 February
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: 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.
