The Future of Female Leadership

Watch a video from 2019 and see what unfolded on the day (click here)!

This event is held on the 6th and 7th, with students and special guests attending on either day. 

While young women across Sydney are considering their future careers, how many:

- Think that STEM education is important for helping them to achieve their social impact goals or solve real world problems?

- Understand how their interests intersect with the STEM and the innovation sectors?

- Have heard of the Sydney Startup Hub or know what a 'startup' is?

- Know a female innovator whom they admire?

The future of work for women is changing, but we are tired of 'telling' young women about it... We want to show them! Gathering at the Sydney Startup Hub, students connect with Australia's best innovators for experiential learning that could change a future career, inspire a bold idea, or challenge an assumption. 

On the day, students arrive at the Sydney Startup hub for an offical address and welcome to the largest startup ecosystem in NSW, and home of innovation. Students participate in interactive educational workshops addressing key areas of learning from the TOI 2022 Curriculum.

Students tour the Sydney Startup Hub with community leaders from Australia's best startup incubators and accelerators. Students see how the country's most exciting new companies collaborate in dynamic and flexible working environments  supported by ecosystem partnerships and networking, creative design spaces, flat company structures and new technology infrastructure. 

In a series of interactive workshops, students: 

Work with professional development mindset and communication coaches, including Silicon Valley executives. These sessions expose students to the same techniques sought after by Australia's top business leaders, to help remove many of the mental blocks that stifle creativity and innovation. Students work on self-reflection exercises to grow their confidence and communication skills, and start to imagine themselves as leaders, excited to express their thoughts and feelings. This experience is an important segue into helping students to feel comfortable to build relationships and network with leading female innovators. 

Learn foundational business skills to assist with business and impact modelling.

Complete hands on STEM activities in design and engineering

Get an introduction to ‘sustainable’ innovation.

Engage with interactive presentations from the event's corporate sponsors– Leading women from top tier corporates who discuss how: 

- Their company is implementing strategies to increase female participation in STEM;

- They use STEM in their products and processes and why it is so important in their field of work;

- Their journey has evolved for them to become qualified leaders in this space, including their key challenges and successes;

- Students can be more involved with their company or products, including future pathways into work.

The highlight of the day is a speed mentoring lunch in which students rotate between networking sessions with a broad range of female innovation leaders. Scientists, policy makers, designers, coders, IP lawyers, storytellers and content creators, CEOs, academics, founders, investors... you name it! In these sessions, students develop vital networking skills and are exposed to a wide range of stories and perspectives that help to break down narrow stereotypes about women in STEM and their relationships with technology.  Students get to ask their burning questions around careers, subject selection, future study, ethical concerns and professional development skills, and get authentic and considered answers from women they respect.