A full recap of our Meet the C-Suite Brisbane Event

The Meet the C-Suite event, powered by QUT Entrepreneurship, brought together aspiring professionals and Brisbane’s top tech executives for a series of group mentoring sessions. These sessions provided an invaluable chance for participants to gain insights from seasoned leaders, helping to shape their career trajectories. Throughout the night, one theme resonated clearly: the importance of mentorship in career growth.

The Value of Mentorship in Career Growth

Mentorship is more than just receiving advice; it’s about having a trusted guide to help you navigate your career path, identify opportunities, and avoid potential pitfalls. A good mentor can accelerate your growth by offering perspectives shaped by experience and offering the support needed to thrive.

Angela Jones, CIDO at Workcover QLD, spoke to this directly:

“There’s no secret sauce to building high-performing teams, but having a vision creates connection, clarity, and kindness.”

This kind of vision and connection is what great mentors can help cultivate in rising professionals. Through shared experiences, mentors can help mentees recognise that they don’t have to fit a mould to be successful. Angela encouraged participants to not count themselves out for roles, even if they felt underqualified.

Thriving in a Relatable Environment

In any career, the culture of your workplace can greatly impact your personal and professional well-being. Angela Ryan, CIO at Auto & General, reinforced the idea that since so much of our confidence comes from our jobs, it’s important to find an environment that understands and supports this.

“For better or worse, we get a certain amount of confidence from our jobs. It’s important that the culture of the workplace understands that.”

Workplace environments that foster trust, transparency, and inclusivity allow individuals to thrive. Leaders like Tracy Whitelaw, CDO at LGAQ, emphasised the importance of building relationships to create these environments. Her approach of connecting with each team member through regular coffee catchups exemplifies how strong relationships foster a thriving work culture.

“At my level of responsibility, my job is about relationships. Clear is kind—be direct when giving feedback.”

Growing Your Career and Building Confidence

Mentorship also plays a key role in building confidence. Often, we may doubt our qualifications for certain roles, as Angela Jones mentioned, but mentors help challenge those doubts. Offering clarity on where strengths lie and how they can be applied, mentors can propel individuals into new opportunities.

Karishma Darr, CIO at CleanCo, reminded attendees of the importance of taking risks in their careers:

“Sometimes you feel like you are failing, but you have to take the risk to make it work.”

This sentiment was echoed by Dr. Joni Sytsma, CTO at iLAuNCH, who offered a unique perspective on failure:

“Failure is what success smells like.”

Both leaders encouraged participants to see failure not as a deterrent but as a stepping stone to growth. This shift in mindset is essential for career advancement, and mentors can play a vital role in fostering this outlook.

Leading with Transparency and Trust

Several of the mentors spoke to the importance of transparency, direct communication, and building trust in teams. Remona Murugan, Head of Technology Platforms at Rio Tinto, emphasised that clear and direct feedback is essential for cultivating trust within teams. For her, storytelling is a key tool when leading teams and connecting with stakeholders.

“Transparency and clear, direct feedback create trust.”

Remona also shared her strategies for balancing professional demands with personal commitments, such as dedicating thinking time and prioritising family dinners—an important reminder that success also involves setting boundaries. “Dinner with family is non-negotiable.”

Leaders like Wendie Lee, CPO at Flight Centre Travel Group, echoed these thoughts, emphasising the importance of asserting your worth, while managing expectations clearly.

“Know your worth and fight for it. When you can’t employ people into your team, you must develop your team, or your team won’t be set up for success.”

Her advice to ask for what you want also struck a chord. She encouraged participants to speak up for their needs, as leaders may not always know them unless explicitly communicated. “Ask for what you want—your leader doesn’t know if you don’t ask.”

Career Growth Requires Intentional Leadership

The mentoring sessions also provided deep insights into intentional leadership. Juliet Alabaster, COO at BEDA, highlighted the importance of continuous professional development, particularly focusing on honing soft skills to enhance leadership effectiveness.

“Soft skills are important. Being able to flex is key.”

Alexa Kane, CCO at Felix also shared advice on becoming more data-driven and commercially focused in leadership roles. Her emphasis on observing before stepping in to offer insights and ideas encourages intentional, thoughtful leadership.

“Being data-driven and commercially focused is critical, particularly when presenting insights.”

Final Thoughts

The Women in Digital Meet the C-Suite event was a powerful reminder of the importance of mentorship, not just for professional development but for personal growth. The insights shared by the Brisbane tech executives provided invaluable guidance on building relationships, taking risks, thriving in supportive environments, and navigating the path to leadership.
This event was a testament to the power of community and mentorship in shaping future leaders. We’re excited to see how these conversations will inspire career growth and create lasting impacts within our community.

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Whether you’re looking to expand your circle, score your next promotion, build professional recognition, return to the workforce, make a pivot in your career, or shape the future for women in digital or more broadly, the future of technology… we want to help YOU achieve your goals with the support of our welcoming community.

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The Juggle Is Real: Insights from Our Perth Event on Finding Balance

Women in Digital made its debut in Perth in August, and what an incredible evening it was! Hosted at The Melbourne Hotel, the event brought together some of Western Australia’s most inspiring female digital leaders to discuss a challenge facing many of us: finding balance in our personal and professional lives.

The panel, powered by our new corporate members auDA and delivered in collaboration with WiTWA, featured insights from Esther Anderson (Founder and Digital Strategist at Teck Design & Marketing), Bec Nguyen (Founder and Director at Upbeat Digital), and Tina Ambrose (Co-Chair at Women in Technology WA Inc.). Moderated by Andrew McCallum, the discussion was as enlightening as it was empowering, offering attendees practical advice and a sense of solidarity in their shared experiences.

Our Top Three Takeaways:

💡 Have Empathy for Yourself

One of the most resonant messages of the evening was the importance of self-compassion. In a world that often demands perfection, it’s easy to be hard on ourselves when we fall short. The panellists reminded us that it’s okay to acknowledge our limits and to treat ourselves with the same kindness we would extend to a friend. Balance starts from within, and that means prioritising our well-being just as much as our responsibilities.

💡 No One Size Fits All When It Comes to Balance

The quest for balance is deeply personal, and what works for one person might not work for another. The panellists shared their unique approaches to managing the many demands of life, emphasising that there’s no universal formula. Whether it’s structuring your day differently, seeking support, or redefining success on your terms, the key is to find what works best for you.

💡 When It Does Come Time to Stop or Take a Break, Don’t Let Work Into Your Safe Space

In our daily lives, the lines between work and personal life can easily blur. The panellists stressed the importance of protecting your personal time and space from work intrusions. Whether it is setting boundaries with your devices or creating a physical space where work is off-limits, maintaining this separation is crucial for recharging and preserving your mental health.

The evening wasn’t just about listening—it was about connecting. The energy in the room was palpable, and it was clear that everyone left feeling a little more empowered and inspired.

Looking Ahead

This event was just the beginning of our journey in Perth. As we continue to grow, we’re excited to bring more opportunities for connection, learning, and support to women in digital across Australia. Stay tuned for more events, and if you missed this one, don’t worry—there are plenty more chances to get involved.

Thank you to everyone who attended, and a special thank you to our panellists and partners, auDA and WiTWA, for making this event possible.

Here’s to finding balance, together.

Join us at our upcoming ‘How To Negotiate A Pay Rise’ webinar

To help you gain invaluable knowledge and strategies to confidently navigate the negotiation process and advocate for your worth, Alex Hanlon from Fair Pay Negotiations will be helping us master negotiation strategies for a successful outcome. Alex is a seasoned executive who brings in depth experience of complex problem solving, strategy development, crisis management and recovery.

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At Women in Digital, we are fierce advocates for connecting, educating, and empowering women to give them the skills and support they need to thrive in the tech industry. We are very lucky to not be alone in this mission and another great organisation trying to build up women (and software) is She Codes. We were beyond ecstatic to be able to attend their She Codes Plus Brisbane Showcase last month. Keep reading to learn a little more about She Codes and some of our key takeaways from the night.

Facts are facts. Despite national conversations about diversity in tech, women are still largely misrepresented in the tech industry. According to ARN, only a fifth of Australia’s IT graduates are women! While yes, diversity statistics are slowly improving, clearly, there is still a long way to go and this is why we love to support organisations such as She Codes.

In late 2020, we had the incredible opportunity to attend the She Codes Plus Showcase at Lightspace in Brisbane. If you haven’t heard of She Codes, you’re missing out! She Codes is on a mission to teach women coding skills, get women into technical careers, and build communities of like-minded women. Their vision is to increase diversity in tech by inspiring 100,000 women across Australia by 2025 and this is absolutely something we at Women in Digital can get behind.

Run in partnership with BHP, the She Codes Plus program is a six-month part-time course that focuses on supercharging the tech careers of women. This showcase was an opportunity to celebrate their achievement, share their portfolios and connect them with other professionals in tech including recruiters, hiring managers and potential industry mentors.

We were thrilled to attend this fantastic event and celebrate the 2020 graduating class. We were equaly excited to listen to a range of fabulous panellists including Sammy Herbert, Peta Ellis, Emily Taylor, Rene Chappel and Sorcha Abel (who was also the 2020 Women in Digital Awards Technical Leader of the Year – go Sorcha! See all our winners here). These women are five powerhouse leaders with an accumulative 78 years in the industry (woah!). They are also key role models for young women in tech. If there’s anything we’ve learned at Women in Digital, it’s that ‘you can’t be what you can see’ which is why showcasing these role models in this industry are so important.

Here are our key takeaways from the SheCodes panel discussion…

Connect with your network around you

You might have heard the saying that ‘your network is your net worth’ and it’s true! Although it may not be your all-time favourite activity, I think we can all agree that networking is a key skill for any professional. Building a network filled with strong, quality relationships is just as important. So if you find yourself wanting to level-up your networking game, start small and try ‘nudging’ one person a day. Watch over time as good things happen!

Be okay with not knowing all the answers

As much as we wish we could be experts in everything, that is never going to be a realistic goal. But that’s okay. This is your opportunity to ask questions, collaborate with others and build connections with other professionals in areas you may be unfamiliar with. However, if this is not your vibe, another way you can learn is by simply throwing yourself in the deep-end! What better way to learn than through experience?

Value your experience

Your experience is unique to you and to be honest, it is more than a lot of people have! Though many people follow similar career paths, it is highly unlikely your pathway is identical to any other individual and you, therefore, you have different (and meaningful) insights to bring to the table. So make your experience and career journey be your unique point of difference and flaunt it!

Find a mentor to support you through the journey

This all goes back to the importance of your network. Finding a mentor to guide you or simply offer advice throughout your career plays a key role in your network. Whether that’s a former teacher, past employer, or maybe someone you have looked up to in your industry, it’s always worth reaching out. Most people are more than happy to provide some form of mentorship and share their experiences with you.

Appreciate it’s not going to be amazing immediately – it’s a journey

The idea of a linear career is long gone. Hey, we’re not saying that you won’t thrive immediately at the beginning of your career journey (some people do!). But in the 21st century, most people will find that their career pathways become ‘squiggly’ rather than straightforward. This means it is important to accept and embrace that there is more than one way to achieve what you want in your career. You can read our insights from the Women in Digital Squiggly Careers Panel here.

Imposter syndrome is something we hear a lot of women in digital struggle with and a narrative we desperately want to change! Here are the She Codes Showcase panel’s top tips on beating imposter syndrome:

Go to meetups – once you’re there, doors will open

Can you tell we love networking? Guilty as charged! But we can’t stress this enough and neither could the SheCodes panel… whatever your experience or background, it is so important for women in digital to take opportunities to connect with others in your industry. If a door opens, assume inclusion, (don’t talk yourself out of it) and walk right through. You never know what might happen! Especially in the tech space, there are more and more networking and professional development events popping up for you to enjoy. We recommend challenging yourself to attend at least one event a month and bringing a friend to back you up if you’re nervous.

Personify your negative persona and tell it to go away

No one likes a ‘negative Nancy’. If you take anything away from this blog, let it be this! A lot of people have a nagging voice in their head that feeds on and metastases any feelings of inadequacy and failure. Does this sound like you? Go ahead and visualise this voice as a personification of your negativity. Name it, picture it, and every time you catch [insert name of inner critique here] being a voice of irrational negativity, just tell it to bug off! Don’t be your own worst enemy!

Go to your crew to gas you up

We are all social creatures. Whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, we naturally crave communication in some capacity (some more than others, of course). This is why finding your work crew may very well be the secret to both personal and collective success. If you need a boost after a rough day or just need some general motivation, connect with your crew and have them refuel your drive – sometimes you just need to let someone else be your cheerleader (we all know you are always being a cheerleader for someone!)

Verbalising the issue

If you’re a ‘fake it til you make it’ type of person and this works for you, then go for it. But truthfully, a lot of people struggle with nerves and it’s 100% okay to 1. Feel that way and 2. Verbalise that you feel that way. Remember, your coworkers, employers, and employees are human too. Most likely, they will appreciate your honesty and be able to sympathise. Plus, sometimes it can be a great ice breaker to verbalise your nerves.

Stop looking up at the things to do, look back at all the things you have done

My guess is that a lot of people reading this are looking forward to opportunities to level-up in their career. That’s great! You’re probably ambitious and hungry to succeed and we can’t fault that. But every now and again, it’s important to also look back at things you have done, take time to reflect and appreciate your accomplishments along the way. You earned it!

You should only be comparing yourself to you

Too many people fall into the trap of comparing themselves to others. It’s an easy thing to do and we have all done it at least once (or more 😂) in our lives but as soon as you stop that, the better off you will be and likely happier in general. There’s always someone who you think knows better when reality is, someone is thinking that about you in the same way! So next time, keep that in mind. Your career journey is YOUR journey. Keep doing you and go after what YOU want!

Final Top Tips:

Keep learning – It’s okay not to know everything. Google is your friend and so are industry workshops!
Find your tribe – Who are those special people in your life that will support you and your career no matter what?
Go and pitch yourself to someone else – Take a chance and put yourself out there! If nothing else, it will become a fantastic opportunity for feedback and confidence building.
Stay mainstream and don’t specialise too early – ‘Early specialisers’ may find themselves disadvantaged because they have boxed themselves into a corner in the ever-changing modern tech world. Broad experience is key for long-term success so learn as much as you can before deep diving into one specialisation.

A huge thank you to BHP, Amazon Web Services and BDO for sponsoring these amazing community events/ initiatives. Make sure you follow She Codes on LinkedIn to stay up to date on any upcoming events and workshops!

If you yourself are looking to hire some tech superstars, seeking your next opportunity, or wanting to partner with us to support diversity in digital, get in touch! We would love to connect with you. Follow us Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin!

Insights from the WID Squiggly Careers Evening…

The following points are my squiggled down reference notes from an interesting Women In Digital International event that I attended in February 2020. The topic was Squiggly Careers with guest speakers Bernadette Stone, Zoe Caplen-Black and Karen Whiteford.

I picked upon a few common themes as I listened to these three distinguished female professionals during the course of the evening. Throughout their squiggly careers they have retained their positive attitude and embraced the change that was thrown their way. I won’t try to summarise their stories, rather expand on a few points that I found particularly interesting.

Look after people and all the rest will follow

From the outset, my handwriting couldn’t keep up with all the golden nuggets of information Bernadette shared about what was important to her as a successful leader. Her message, put quite simply; look after people and all the rest will follow. As a leader myself, I strive to surround myself with the best; people that embrace change and have a desire to keep learning. Surrounding our self with the best, as an example, could mean hiring people that are better than ourselves in the areas we need knowledge in. As I continued to listen and squiggle down note after note, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief knowing that we don’t have to feel as if we have to ‘do it all’. Whether that be in the home or in the workplace, we tend to juggle and forget to ask for help. Be kind to yourself, give yourself a break. Hiring people with strong leadership and EQ will prevail over capability sets when faced with challenging situations.

Choose values, skills and capabilities and NOT role titles

As a Program Manager by trade, I live and breathe project plans so it’s probably no surprise that I used to have a career plan in my 20s. That was until I actually hit my goal. What then? I found myself unsure of where to go from there because I was searching for a specific role title to put ‘in the plan’, yet I knew it was important to keep planning to help stay driven and focused. Bernadette, Karen and Zoe, all suggested that when career planning, stay away from choosing specific role titles and focus on what values, skills and capabilities sets you’d like to acquire, what it is that you want to achieve from the role and what you want to do, rather than exactly what it is. With that in mind, start to think about what makes you happy and what you’re good at. Do what you believe in. Do what you love. If you focus on your strengths, then you are more likely to shine. Although it’s good to have a career plan, ensure you’re continuing to scan, internally (self) and externally (market), not for the purpose of jumping ship but to validate you’re still on the right track – plans change, and so do you. If you hit a roadblock within your plan, remember that failure isn’t fatal. In fact, it can quite often be seen as an opportunity, at the very least for learning how to do things differently next time. If what you tried didn’t work, jump back in and start again. The failures will have taught you a lot and have helped define what your ‘non-negotiables’ are when looking for that next role. Don’t lose confidence with a failure. Communicate your value proposition with the value you are bringing to the next opportunity. When that time comes, ensure you are interviewing the organisations as much as they are interviewing you.

Don’t forget to acknowledge your current success (it’s not all about the next big move)

While executing this career plan, it’s important to self-reflect and remind yourself that ‘this’ is what you wanted. My husband reminds me of this often, as many years ago I wrote on my career plan that I wanted to be a project coordinator, then project manager and now a program manager. It seemed so far away at the time but before you know, through a combination of steps, you’ve reached your goal and onto the next challenge. So, remind yourself that ‘this’ is what you wanted, don’t forget to acknowledge the success rather than continuously trying to get to the next big move.

Choose a mentor that will challenge you to grow

The other person to assist with career planning is a mentor. Quoting Zoe “don’t just choose a ‘carebear’ mentor”, choose someone who will help you critically think and improve. Although it’s important to have inspiring people around you who make you feel good, choose someone who tells the truth, always pushing you to the next level. Seek diversity in guidance. This person might also be able to help you define what your non-negotiables are when looking for the next role.

Bring everyone along on the journey to diversity

Lastly, and maybe an apt way to finish the Women In Digital International event as we near International Woman’s Day, it was interesting to hear where the Q&A honed in on. There was a strong focus from the audience’s question on the importance of equality. Specifically, how can we find ways to learn from our male colleagues and leaders and involve them in diversity and equality conversations. We need their help. We can’t and shouldn’t do this alone as we have a lot to learn from each other. I felt that was an insightful way to end a jam-packed evening as Women In Digital International actually have a strong focus to include both male and females on their Board, within their speaker selections and in their event attendance. Let’s keep the diversity of thought alive by inviting your Man-bassador along to the next event!

Words by: Julia Morton

For more information on upcoming community events, follow our Women in Digital Facebook page.

Close your eyes and imagine you are in a world where you can’t travel…

One month ago, we would have said that was a ludicrous statement! Yet, one month after International Women’s Day, that reality has just been flipped on its head. For International Women’s Day 2020 a room full of Brisbane-ites enjoyed mimosas over breakfast, standing close together, networking. It doesn’t seem that long ago does it? Back then, discussing the lasting benefits of “Global Careers and Game Changing Moves” seemed like a rather normal theme for the Women In Digital Breakfast. Fast forward one month and our reality has drastically changed. When reflecting on the notes I took that day, there was a strong message from each of the panellist that can be applied to our current reality – without the need to get on a plane.

One word… resilience.

Each panellist explained how building resilience through their global careers was an outcome of their experience. Being outside the comforts of your known surrounds forces you to reach within and confront challenges. Forced to make new connections or adapting their communication styles helped these panellists because they became more tolerant and understanding when faced with adversity.

When returning home from these global adventures, they accepted that changes were inevitable and that problems weren’t insurmountable. When they were at their lowest, they dug deep and found something inside, that little bit more that gave them the determination to keep on going. This is no different from what we are facing now.

We must adapt our communication style from face to face to online methods and consider alternative ways to move forward as individuals, companies and industries. This will give us another rung in our jungle gym to build resilience. We all know there is no straight easy way to the top. Through reaching out and speaking with colleagues who we may not have engaged before, we will increase our diversity of thought. People with different backgrounds, cultures and experiences may help trigger the innovative solutions to our business problems that many are currently facing. This is particularly important when we are hiring new team members and leaders.

For right now, while we are isolated, let’s take this as an opportunity to connect with some of the people in our organisations or network that we may not have got to know before. Albeit remotely, now is the time to be learning about different ways to tackle this unchartered territory. It is ok not to know the answers or have the exact path mapped out. In fact, showcasing our vulnerability actually allows us to change the dialogue and get to know one another and find new ways to solve big problems.

Just before the Women In Digital event wrapped up for the morning, we were asked to close our eyes and think of one extra thing we could do per week to make a difference to someone in our community. Now more than ever, I encourage you to close your eyes and think of who you can reach out to, someone who may offer a different perspective or someone who may need your help.

Thank you to the event facilitator Cara Cipollone Walsh, and panel members Laura Stokes, Indi Tansey, Jenna Fitch, Marie Mortimer for sharing your insights on the day. When you spoke with us, we really didn’t know what was around the corner but your lessons around resilience are applicable, now more than ever.

Words by: Julia Morton

For more information on upcoming community events, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Inspired. Motivated. Focused. Three words summarising how I felt walking out after two days at the Liquid Learning, Women in ICT and Digital Leadership Summit 2019.

I’m Emma Judd, Group Marketing Manager at Place Design Group and I was the lucky winner of the Women in Digital LinkedIn competition, to attend this Summit from July 23 2019 to July 24 2019.

You may have seen, I took over the @womenindigital Instagram Stories for the duration of the conference and can view my stories on their highlights here.

While it was two days jam-packed with an amazing lineup of speakers, the below will give you a brief insight and share some knowledge nuggets and relatable advice I personally took from this event.

DAY 1: 23 July

On day one of the summit we heard from some fantastic speakers, with the line-up including:

Joanna Murray, Program Manager, Transformation & Innovation, Boral
Chris Locke, Chief Information Officer, Flight Centre
Deb Assheton, Expert Facilitator, The Amplify Group
Wendy Bryant, Chief Information Officer, Transport for NSW
Keli Saville, Regional Head of Data, AsiaPac, Vanguard
Niamh Collins, General Manager, Digital, HFC
Jade Carson, Director, IT Investments, Department of Education & Training
Kirsty McKay, Group Manager, Program Delivery & Digital Transformation, Coates Hire
Katie Payten, Director, Technology Assurance & Governance, Australian Securities & Investments Commission
Kylie McLean, Chief Digital Officer, Australia & New Zealand, IBM
Simon Noonan, Chief Information Officer, SportsBet

The first day, the first speaker at a conference is always exciting and generally sets the tone for what you can expect and Joanna Murray, Program Manager, Transformation & Innovation at Boral, did just that.

Setting us up for the day, Joanne asked us to reflect back to the start of our careers. Did we know what we wanted to be, and how we planned to get there? I know myself. I definitely had a plan and thought it would go a certain way but reflecting back, it was actually a very different path I’d taken. I think this is a really positive thought to reflect on, especially if you are a mentor or in a leadership role guiding your team through their career journey.

My favourite quote from Joanne’s presentation was, “Great leaders don’t think they’re great; great leaders think they’re human.”

From career reflection to career reflecting. Chris Locke, Chief Information Officer, Flight Centre, shared some great career advice which I’ve shared below:

Don’t be afraid of trying different things in different industries
Make a plan and make it happen
Be resilient, but patient
Get experience – think outside the square

This was also a lovely flow into the third speaker, Deb Assheton, Expert Facilitator, The Amplify Group, who spoke on the importance of true self-confidence, the value of vulnerability and gratitude along with self-awareness.

A nice reminder that Deb left us with was that the struggle ends where gratitude begins. Practising daily gratitude makes us 5-10% happier, and costs us nothing.

“What are you grateful for today?”

I think one of my favourite, most thought-provoking parts of the day was Wendy Bryant’s presentation. Wendy Bryant, Chief Information Officer, Transport for NSW, spoke on ‘Unconscious Bias’. To explain this, Wendy made this really relatable asking us all to discuss at our tables if there were any roles we automatically associate with a man or a woman; knowing perfectly well that both genders actually worked in that particular role. For example, when one thinks of a pilot, a doctor, a nurse or a kindergarten teacher, does one stereotype a particular gender? Needless to say, most people, by default of unconscious bias, did so.

Wendy also reflected on her time as the only woman in an IT team working with all men. She refused to be the ‘cake cutter’ at workplace celebrations, as the default was to ‘leave it to Wendy because she was the woman’. Reflecting on our own workplaces, I feel there is so much that can be consciously done or implemented to improve this default gender bias. Some ideas Wendy shared with us included:

Unconscious bias training
Focus on bias in AI – change your Siri voice to male
- I found this topic extremely interesting. Here is an article from Google that discusses it in more detail.
Specific actions on diversity in hiring processes and opportunities

Post lunch, we returned to the room for a panel discussion on ‘Whether work-life balance is possible?’. And great news – it is! And here are the panellists’ top tips for making it happen:

Find what works for you. If you play a sport or enjoy gym as an outlet – prioritise that and make a routine that works.
Plan holidays in advance and stick to them – If you’re busy, it’s easy to not plan your downtime, but time with family and friends is important. Book it in. Booking it in advance gives you something to look forward to.
Don’t hesitate to raise your hand if you need help. A great tip. Learn to delegate and ask those around you for help when needed.
Work smarter using smarter working techniques. Again something to Google, but what it comes down to is the fact that we all have 24 hours in a day. Use them wisely. The one thing money can’t buy is time.
As women in leadership, WE need to support flexibility. This is so important. If your team comes to you wanting to discuss flexible working options, be the change. Listen to their request and see what may be possible.
Flexibility in the workplace. Break down the barriers and become outcomes-based. This is such a positive and practical way to frame this thought process, as just because someone sits at their desk all day, it doesn’t mean they are being any more productive than someone working from home. Change the focus to be on outcomes, not on the number of hours sitting at a desk, and encourage flexible working arrangements.

The final two presenters for day one, Kylie McLean, Chief Digital Officer, Australia & New Zealand, IBM and Simon Noonan, Chief Information Officer, SportsBet, touched on workplace culture. Kylie really drove home the message that as leaders, it’s so important to create a culture that gets your team to thrive. This was a fantastic leeway into Simon’s Case Study around transforming workplace culture, with SportsBet as an example. Honestly, SportsBet sounds like an amazing place to work with a fantastic culture. Guided by its purpose, and underpinned by its values, SportsBet doesn’t just have its values hung on the wall; they live its values, which makes all the difference.

DAY 2: 24 July

Inspired from day one, excited for day two and it did not disappoint. The fantastic line-up of speakers included:

Stuart Harrison, Chief Information Security Officer, Medibank
Megan James, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Data Centres & President, Women in IT & Communications
Arabella Macpherson, Founder & Communications Coach, Resonate Communications
Jade Carson, Director IT Investments, Department of Education & Training
Brendan Mills, Chief Information Officer, NIB Health Funds Limited
Sarah McCullough, Head of eTech Operations, Essential Energy
Kathryn Porter, Director, Customer Experience, Cisco
Joyce Harkness, Chief Information Officer, Avant Mutual Group Limited
Kirsten Murray, Director International, Faculty of Engineering & IT, the University of Technology Sydney
Catherine Nolan, Director & Principal Coach, Gender Gap Gone

Stuart Harrison, Chief Information Security Officer, Medibank, kicked-off day two proceedings by sharing some words of wisdom about realising your leadership potential. A key theme that came through reflecting on day one was to show vulnerability. As leaders, you do need to stay strong for your team, but vulnerability is not a sign of weakness, but a sign that you are human. Showing vulnerability can often lead to building rapport and relationships with your team. A really lovely reminder for all leaders.

From the importance of vulnerability in leadership to the importance of resilience as leaders. Resilience was the topic Megan James, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Data Centres & President, Women in IT & Communications, covered in her personal career journey she shared with attendees. Megan is a very inspirational woman, and since the conference, I have shared parts of her story with many of my colleagues. They say you may not remember what people say, but you will always remember how they made you feel. In this case, I remembered what Megan said because of how it made me feel and how much it resonated. If you get the opportunity to hear Megan speak, I would highly recommend you take it and hear her story first-hand. I will share my key takeaways from Megan’s presentation below and hope you take some inspiration from this too:

Stay in your lane and stand up for what you believe in – no matter what
Always hold true to your values – above all else
Value your soft skills – emotional intelligence
Be present and always show up
Everyone has a story – so listen
Engage with people – see how you get the best out of people – allow the creative opportunity
Don’t compromise on any of the above

As leaders and mentors, it’s always useful to have references or tools to provide the best possible guidance and advice to enable meaningful conversations with your teams and mentees. Arabella Macpherson, Founder & Communications Coach, at Resonate Communications shared with us some great tips for unleashing your power as a mentor. I’ve summarised them below:

Coaching
- Ask questions
- Make suggestions
- Share experiences
Chunking
- Use chunking to open up or delve deeper into topics
Matching
- Give all of your attention
- Match 60%: physically and vocally
- Repeat words and phrases back to show acknowledgement

Towards the end of day two, the discussion changed to be more around the future of work. Jade Carson, Director of IT Investments, Department of Education & Training, spoke passionately on the topic of engaging and attracting future female leaders to IT roles.

Some ideas and strategies Jade touched on started right back at engaging young girls to show interest in IT. Whether that be at home, at school or at play. It’s also about attracting girls and women to a career in IT by changing the image/perception of tech, promoting meaningful careers and addressing the unconscious bias. On top of this, growing the focus on the culture around tech, closing the confidence gap through training and education and having strong female mentors or sponsors will help attract female IT talent. Jade concluded that we should keep a focus on culture being equitable and reflective of diversity. And that job design or redesign for flexibility is important. Overarching, she highlighted female role models across the IT industry is key.

Continuing the future of work discussion, panellists’ thoughts covered:

The importance of business and IT partnerships – with the increase in technologies in the workplace, it’s important for businesses and IT leaders to work closely for the best possible outcomes
Portfolio careers – showing depth and breadth of experience
Being location agnostic – it’s not about where you’re physically working from. With technology, you are enabled to work from anywhere. This also ties into the earlier discussion around being outcomes focused.
Gig Economy – presents great opportunities but also new challenges

And that’s a wrap! Catherine Nolan, Director & Principal Coach, at Gender Gap Gone, was our facilitator across the two-day summit and presented a great summary of the insights from across the event. A few practical tips she left us with include:

Create a Vision Board – use Pinterest or Canva to get started. If you see it, you’ll achieve it.
Create your 40-page resume – a dumping ground for YOU only. List examples as they happen so that when the time comes, you have the content and are ready to apply for that dream job.
Watch the Amy Cuddy Ted Talk – ‘Your body language may shape who you are’

There were honestly so many fantastic insights and inspirational moments over the two days. I hope this blog post shares just some of that post-summit magic with you all.

Thank you for reading.

Emma Judd

Instagram: @emajudd

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emajudd/

Do you have more insightful leadership tips? Share them in the comments below.

Celebrating the women doing incredible things in digital.

By Caitlin Ritter

Isn’t it weird how women so often struggle to advocate for themselves? There are plenty of studies acknowledging and explaining the phenomenon, but considering how incredible women are, it blows my mind every day when I hear another woman modestly downplaying herself.

That’s why I was so excited to attend the inaugural Women in Digital Awards on Friday 26 October. The awards were the perfect opportunity for women to step forward and shout their talent, achievements, passion and dedication from the rooftop.

And shout it they did.

And yet, on the night, there was not a single ego in the room. These awards were all about women supporting women, lifting them up, celebrating their success. That (along with some great wine) made sure this was a night to remember.

The people

I was a late addition to the guest list, filling in for my incredibly talented but presently overseas boss, Emma Haller, who was nominated for Leader of the Year. Because of the last-minutedness of the ticket purchase, I was ridin’ solo for the evening.

This had two unforeseen benefits: I got to meet heaps of lovely people that I otherwise might not have, and I got to do plenty of people-watching.

The peopleEveryone brought their A-game to the red carpet, and I loved the stellar line-up of nominees and guests. Notables for me included the Honourable Kate Jones, Minister for Innovation (and Minister for Tourism, as she so smoothly reminded the room) and Yasmin Grigaliunas, co-founder of World’s Biggest Garage Sale (I can’t go past a great profit-for-purpose).

Monica Bradley did an exceptional job as MC, keeping the mood high and the night flowing.

The place

A wise man once said, ‘there ain’t no party like a W Hotel party’, and I got to experience that first-hand. The gorgeous cocktail function space was lined by a balcony featuring city and river views, making it the perfect place for mingling before heading into the hotel’s full function room for dinner, wine-sipping boomerangs on Instagram, and, of course, the awards themselves.

And most importantly…the presentation

It was the meat in the sandwich. The reason why we showed up. The award presentation part of the evening had a great cadence, giving the room enough time to appreciate the nominees before moving onto the winner, and then getting on with the next category. Though I was a little heartbroken that my boss didn’t take out her category, I loved seeing all the women own their moments on stage. Make sure you check out the full list of winners in the official media release.

Above all, I was impressed by the women who were overwhelmingly knowledgeable about technology, implementation, transformation and strategy who stood up and put their name forward as leaders in their space.

It was clearer to me than ever before that women in digital are more than just a group of people who share a (very complex, multi-faceted) interest.

We’re problem solvers. We’re innovators. We’re communicators. We’re community makers. We’re leaders. We’re part of the future.

And on Friday, we were all together celebrating each other, clapping just as hard for the nominees as we did for the winners.

Our hands were numb, but our hearts were full.