Women In Leadership Summit 2026 Melbourne

Pre-Conference Workshops | 26th May

9:00 AM - 12:30 PM Your Balance Blueprint: Achieving Sustainable Success and Life Balance in Leadership:

Peak Leadership Performance: Biohacking for Feminine Leadership

3.5 Hour Workshop

What You'll Learn:

You’re sitting at the top table holding your own, because you deserve to be there but your operating system is unique. When supported adequately, this can become your edge. Discover the science-backed strategies that support high-performance leadership without sacrificing your wellbeing. This intensive workshop goes beyond traditional leadership development to explore how your biology, habits, and energy management directly impact your executive presence and decision-making capability.

You'll explore:

• The biological foundations of sustainable performance - hormones, sleep architecture, and nutrition strategies that optimize cognitive function and resilience
• Evidence-based approaches to physical wellness that enhance mental clarity and strategic thinking
• The Chocolate Bar Life framework for balancing work, rest, and renewal in high-pressure roles
• Emotional regulation techniques for maintaining composure and clarity in critical moments
• Practical boundary-setting strategies that protect your energy without compromising your influence

What You'll Walk Away With:

• A personalized performance blueprint tailored to your unique biological needs and leadership context
• Actionable biohacking strategies you can implement immediately to boost energy, focus, and resilience
• Tools for managing stress, optimising sleep, and maintaining peak cognitive function
• Practical frameworks for redefining success on your terms while maintaining your competitive edge
• A renewed commitment to leadership that's built on clarity, composure, and balance - not burnout

12:30 PM Lunch

1:30 PM Communicate with confidence and get your voice heard

Discover how to lead with confidence and credibility using GrowthEQ Leadership – a powerful new model built on a growth mindset, greater emotional intelligence, and leadership with LOVE – Listening, Openness, Values, and Empathy.

Have you ever felt unprepared or unsure in your leadership role? Do you worry about not being seen or heard – and how that might hold you back from leading with true impact and influence?

As the workplace rapidly evolves, emotional intelligence and human connection are becoming the most sought-after leadership skills. This workshop will show you how to lead with heart and resilience – strengthening trust, collaboration, and long-term impact across your team and organisation.

• Why LOVE is your ultimate leadership superpower
• How to use GrowthEQ Leadership
• Communication techniques that elevate your executive presence
• How to approach difficult conversations
• Practical ways to apply the LOVE framework

• A deeper understanding of your leadership presence – and how to use it to be seen, heard, and respected
• The clarity and confidence to communicate like a leader – no more second-guessing yourself
• Tools to handle tough conversations with emotional intelligence, courage, and clarity – so you can lead without losing connection
• The mindset and emotional fitness to lead in a rapidly changing world that demands purpose and people-first impact

Conference Day 1 | 27th May

9:00 AM Welcome to Country

Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elder

9:05 AM: Opening Remarks from Chair

Dana Lightbody is the CEO of The Leadership Institute. She is a staunch advocate of equality for women in business and believes women should be helping other women every chance they get. Dana established Konnect Learning in 2013 and the Leadership Institute in 2017. Since then she has advocated for equality for women in all aspects of her entrepreneurial and professional life – in particular by chairing and assisting the production team in the development of TLI’s Women in Leadership line of events.

SESSION 1: OPENING KEYNOTE 9:20 AM: Building the Relationships That Shape Your Rise to CEO

 Sue brings more than 25 years’ experience spanning frontline nursing through to executive leadership in public and private health services, and now as Chief Executive of Cabrini Australia, she has first-hand experience of the added pressures that come with balancing quality care, financial sustainability and sector reform in a highly regulated environment. Beginning her career as a trainee nurse and working her way through roles to COO, CEO and company director, Sue understands how invisible networks, professional credibility and strategic partnerships shape real decisions and opportunities in healthcare leadership. In this session she will draw on her leadership journey and recent work advancing healthcare models and reforms to unpack how women can build sponsorship and visibility, interpret the informal forces at play and lead with clarity and integrity in sectors where the rules are often unspoken and the impact of decisions reaches well beyond the boardroom. 

SESSION 3 12:00 PM: Power, Influence and the Invisible Rules

In this session, Angela will share what she has learned about how power really works in large scale environments, how trust and credibility are built across diverse stakeholder groups, and how women can expand their impact by broadening networks, strengthening visibility and navigating the informal dynamics that shape progression. Grounded in her extensive leadership experience and her commitment to advancing women in operations, this conversation will offer practical insight into leading with clarity, confidence and integrity when the rules are not always written down.

3:10 PM: AFTERNOON TEA

SESSION 5: CLOSING KEYNOTE Q&A 3:30 PM: Confidence, Courage and Not Taking Yourself Too Seriously

To close day one, Julia Morris joins us for a candid and entertaining fireside chat on confidence, courage, and the freedom that comes from not taking yourself too seriously. As one of Australia’s most loved comedians and television personalities, Julia has spent her career navigating high visibility, public pressure, and constant reinvention. In this conversation, she will share stories from behind the scenes of a very public life, reflecting on backing yourself, embracing imperfection, and finding confidence when certainty is nowhere to be found. Expect humour, honesty, and sharp insight, alongside moments that resonate long after the laughter fades.

4:30 PM: REFLECTION, FROM INSIGHT TO ACTION DAY CLOSE, MEET & GREET WITH JULIA AND NETWORKING DRINKS

Conference Day 2 | 28th May

9:00 AM Opening Remarks from the Chair

Dana Lightbody is the CEO of The Leadership Institute. She is a staunch advocate of equality for women in business and believes women should be helping other women every chance they get. Dana established Konnect Learning in 2013 and The Leadership Institute in 2017. Since then she has advocated for equality for women in all aspects of her entrepreneurial and professional life - in particular by chairing and assisting the production team in the development of TLI's Women in Leadership line of events.

SESSION 1 9:30 AM: Invisible Rules, Global Stage: Building Influence Across Culture, Gender and Power

In multinational organisations, the invisible rules do not stay the same. Power, hierarchy, communication and credibility can shift dramatically across functions, markets and cultures. For women leaders, that often means navigating not one set of unspoken expectations, but several at once. In this session, Alicia O’Donoghue explores what it takes to build influence across culturally diverse, male-dominated environments. Drawing on her leadership experience in strategy roles spanning global firms and industrial businesses across Asia Pacific, she will unpack how women can strengthen credibility, read complex stakeholder dynamics and lead with clarity when the rules are not always visible and rarely consistent. This session will offer practical insight into communicating across cultures, building trust across borders and holding onto your leadership identity while adapting to different environments. For women leading across regions, functions or multinational teams, it is a conversation about influence that is both strategic and deeply practical.

10:30: AM MORNING TEA

SESSION 2 11:00 AM: Trust, Influence and Executive Communication

In complex organisations, influence is rarely about title alone. As Chief of Staff at Microsoft ANZ, Lindy Dang works at the centre of executive decision making, strategic alignment, and high stakes communication. Her role requires earning trust quickly, managing competing priorities, and ensuring leaders are aligned when the pressure is on. In this practical and insight driven session, Lindy will unpack what it really takes to build credibility with senior executives, influence without formal authority, and communicate with clarity across diverse stakeholders. She will share lessons from working inside one of the world’s leading technology organisations, including how to manage up effectively, navigate power dynamics, and position yourself as a trusted strategic partner. Designed for women who want to strengthen their executive presence and expand their influence, this session offers tangible tools to communicate with confidence, exercise sound judgement, and build trust that endures beyond a single conversation.

SESSION 3: EXCLUSIVE KEYNOTE SESSION 11:50 AM: Trust, Truth and Communication in a Noisy World

On day two, Samantha Armytage joins us for a powerful session on trust, truth and communication in an age of constant noise. As one of Australia’s most respected journalists and broadcasters, Samantha has spent decades working at the centre of breaking news, public debate, and high pressure conversations. In this keynote, she will reflect on what journalism has taught her about credibility, clear communication, and staying grounded when emotions run high. Samantha will explore how leaders can build trust, ask better questions, and communicate with clarity and integrity, followed by an extended Q and A to deepen the conversation.

12:50 PM:  From Insight to Action 

1:10 PM: LUNCH

SESSION 4 2:10 PM: From Investment Banking to Impact Driven Leadership

Few leadership journeys move from global investment banks in London to the frontline of Australian in home care. Thea has progressed from business development and relationship management through to Chief Operating Officer, helping scale a premium national care provider in one of the country’s most complex and heavily regulated sectors. In this session, Thea will share what it takes to transfer corporate capability into mission led leadership, how to build commercial confidence as a woman moving across industries, and how to lead growth, teams and transformation without losing sight of impact. For women navigating career shifts, boardroom credibility or sector transitions, this conversation will offer practical insight into backing your experience, reframing your expertise and shaping a leadership path that is both commercially strong and deeply meaningful.

3:10 PM: AFTERNOON TEA

SESSION 5 3:30 PM: AI, Change and Future Proofing Your Career

Rapid technological change is reshaping how work gets done, how decisions are made, and what leadership looks like across every industry. For many women, this creates both opportunity and uncertainty. This session explores how leaders can engage with AI and change proactively, rather than reactively. Focusing on practical understanding rather than hype, the session will examine how technology is influencing roles, skills, and influence, and what women can do now to stay relevant and future ready. Designed to build confidence and clarity, this session supports leaders to navigate change with intention, make informed choices, and position themselves for long term impact in an evolving workplace.

Post-Conference Workshop | 29th May

09:00 AM - 4:00 PM

The Practical Leadership Playbook: Leading with Clarity & Courage

Step into the next level of leadership.

“I wish I had done this workshop two years ago when I started as a manager”

What You’ll Learn:

Grounded in research and tested in practice, this masterclass will help you to:

• Strengthen self-awareness and emotional regulation
  Understand your personal leadership style, manage emotional responses and build lasting resilience.
• Set clear expectations for behaviour, performance, and working relationships
  Create a culture of accountability and psychological safety through clear boundaries and shared commitments.
• Provide advanced support to your team
  Recognise and respond to what your team members need to succeed and grow and manage in challenging times.
• Deliver feedback that drives performance and development
  Learn how to give confident, constructive feedback that supports good behaviour, addresses concerns early and strengthens your team.
• Navigate brave conversations with clarity and care
  Use the Correction Continuum to prepare for and engage in the conversations that matter—early, effectively and with integrity.

“This is the first leadership program I’ve done that has given me the ‘how-to’ I needed”

What You’ll Take Away:

Grounded in research and tested in practice, this masterclass will help you to:

• A practical leadership workbook packed with tools, templates, conversation scripts, and frameworks you can use for years to come.

“Every time I need to have a brave conversation, I go back to the templates and scripts.
They give me the support and confidence I need to prepare well”

• A peer learning experience that connects you with like-minded leaders navigating similar challenges.
• The confidence and capability to immediately apply what you’ve learned in your leadership role.

“This is the most practical workshop I’ve ever attended.”