Women In Leadership Summit 2026 Melbourne

Pre-Conference Workshops | 27th May

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

In an era of relentless ambition and unprecedented challenges, the quest for leadership success has never been more demanding. The journey to the top is fraught with obstacles, not least of which is maintaining a harmonious balance between professional achievements and personal fulfillment. As we navigate through the complexities of the modern world, the significance of sustaining equilibrium in our lives and careers cannot be overstated.

Your Balance Blueprint is an innovative half-day masterclass designed to empower women with the strategies, tools, and insights necessary to achieve a sustainable blend of professional success and personal well-being. This workshop is more than a learning experience; it’s a transformational journey tailored to help you craft a life of equilibrium, where leadership excellence and personal satisfaction coexist harmoniously.

Key Course Takeaways:

• Master the Art of Equilibrium: Learn how to seamlessly integrate career aspirations with personal well-being to foster a fulfilling life of leadership.
• Strategies for Sustainable Success: Uncover the secrets to long-lasting achievement in your career, without sacrificing your health, relationships, or personal goals.
• Overcoming the Obstacles to Balance: Identify the common pitfalls that disrupt life balance and discover practical steps to navigate around them.
• The Blueprint to Your Best Self: Craft a personalized plan that harmonizes your professional ambitions with your personal life, ensuring you thrive in both realms.
• Mindset for Mastery: Shift your perspective to embrace a holistic approach to success, equipping you with the mindset needed to excel as a leader and individual.
• Building Resilience and Adaptability: Strengthen your capacity to handle stress, adapt to change, and recover from setbacks, all while keeping your sights set on your goals.
• Network of Empowerment: Engage in a supportive, collaborative environment with fellow women leaders, fostering connections that inspire growth and resilience.

By the conclusion of this workshop, you will leave with a comprehensive blueprint for achieving leadership success that does not compromise your personal happiness or well-being.

This session promises to be a dynamic and interactive experience, providing a safe space for women to explore, learn, and grow together, free from the constraints of judgement or organizational politics.

Join us on this enlightening journey to redefine what success looks like for women in leadership. Together, we will discover how to create a life of impact and fulfillment, proving that it is indeed possible to have it all.

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 | 28th 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 | 29th 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: Making Decisions When There Is No Right Answer

Leadership often requires making decisions in uncertainty, with incomplete information, competing priorities, and real consequences. For many women, these moments are compounded by pressure to get it right, justify choices, or manage differing expectations. This session explores how leaders can strengthen judgement, trust their decision making, and move forward without waiting for perfect clarity. Through practical insight and real examples, this session will examine how to weigh risk, manage doubt, and lead decisively when the path ahead is unclear. Designed to support confident and considered decision making, it equips women to act with clarity, accountability, and conviction even when there is no obvious right answer.

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 | 30th May

09:00 Mindful Leadership for Women Masterclass

This one-day workshop for aspiring and current female leaders will provide progressive approaches to boost self-confidence, gain influence at multiple organizational levels, live a more balanced life, and inspire other women to do the same. This program will take an “inside-out” approach to introduce the relevance and benefits of mindfulness and compassion in leadership.
The facilitator will utilize practical activities, exercises, and tools, and will incorporate case studies on how mindfulness can make a measurable impact on organisational effectiveness.

Key Benefits Of Attending:

• Lead with authenticity
• Unlock your highest potential
• Cultivate greater influence
• Build a courage mindset
• Create greater joy and meaning

By the end of the day you will have a personalised plan to build your gravitas that will have you seen as a serious contender for major role advancement/promotion/project lead/overseas secondment/board appointments. This is a collaborative and highly interactive experience for women, in a safe environment free from judgement, censure, politics or organisational power plays.