SA Women in Leadership Summit 2025

Join Liquid Learning for this kick-off session as we prepare for two days of incredible speakers, senior leaders, expert deep-dives and unmissable panel discussions!

Starting her career as a paediatrician, Emma McCahon has over 20 years' experience in senior executive roles in the healthcare sector, and is now CEO of Central Adelaide LHD. For our opening keynote, Emma shares insights from her remarkable journey and a vision of leadership that leans into the expertise and experience of her people, requiring courage, connection, trust and collaboration. Learn practical strategies to leading with empathy and partnership, and inspire the people around you to achieve their goals.

- Coaching your team - Understand the GROW model

- Help your team develop clear, actionable plans and commitments

- Leading alongside your team to create deeper engagement and trust

Throughout your career there are pivotal moments, ignition points that spark innovation and inspiration and propel us on the path towards leadership. But how do you recognise them? How can you create them? In this session Tanya reflects on her own defining moments from over years of experience in leadership roles.

- Uncover how to engage with different energy styles to empower your teams

- Leverage self-directed learning

- Reflect on unique career pathways

Mix and mingle with your fellow leaders over a cup of coffee and light refreshments.

To effectively influence others, leaders must connect, build trust, and create supportive learning environments, and emotional intelligence is the foundational skill for building this capability.  With a firm grasp and understanding of your emotions, you will in turn be able to make more effective personal and professional decisions. In this interactive session, Jane will draw on applied positive psychology and neuroscience and explore actionable techniques to achieve your goals.

- Develop strategies to build high-quality and psychologically safe connections 

- Explore how to understand different perspectives to build trust 

- Strengthen your ability to positively influence others 

Strategic thinking is key to thriving as a leader, something that Linda Brown knows better than most. President of Torrens University, internationally recognised pioneering and forward-thinking leader, Linda brings her entrepreneurial edge to the complex challenges of heading up Australia’s fastest-growing university, as well as her own personal integrity as a leader. In this session Linda demonstrates how strategic thinking helps her anticipate change, drive innovation, and create a bold vision for the future.

- Achieve organisational transformation through innovative thinking

- Examine how to identify opportunities for improvement

- Uncover ways to improve your strategic leadership

Enjoy a midday lunch break. A time to refresh, refuel, and prepare for a full afternoon of immersive learning and inspiration.

Leaders often have to navigate unique career pathways and take bold steps to overcome obstacles. As women, in particular, we sometimes downplay our strengths and will put off applying for roles that we don't feel qualified for. So how can you make the right decision when it comes to career progression? In this session, our panellists reflect on the opportunities and risks that have shaped their career journeys, and the unexpected lessons they have learnt along the way.

- Embracing challenges as opportunities for growth

- Leaning into your authentic leadership style

- Being open to continuous learning 

Moving across industries or making a change in your career can be a steep learning curve. For Melanie, moving from engineering leadership into the rail industry, offered her fresh challenges and new networks to grow as a leader. Join her as she explores the strategies that allowed her to remain adaptive and agile on her progression to leadership and the insights she's gained over her 25-year career.

- Grow and adapt your skills across industries

- Recognise the significance of mentors and support networks

- Lead with agility to adapt to change

A quick break to refresh and continue building your network with fellow leaders. Enjoy a light refreshment before finishing day one.

Shaping your own space as a leader is not always easy to achieve, particularly in traditional and predominately male-led industries. As a senior leader that drives strategy and growth at Elders, Kiim addresses how to grow as a leader and overcome the barriers that women often face within these sectors. As we round out Day 1, Kiim reveals the skills she has leveraged to drive her significant career progression, from arriving to Australia as a migrant, to seizing opportunities with confidence.

- Breaking ground in predominately male led industries

- Uncovering your own leadership style

- Embracing challenges and seizing opportunities

Join us for our end of day one networking. Enjoy canapés and drinks whilst getting to know your peers further, build ongoing relationships, and share your highlights of the day.

Welcome back for Day Two - there's a lot to digest from our amazing speakers and action modules so far!

Recap the key learnings and takeaways from Day One, and prep an action plan to maximise your event experience over our jam-packed second day!

Effective leadership is about actively engaging and empowering diverse teams, tapping into their collective intelligence and creativity to drive meaningful business and community outcomes. In this session, Jessica shares proven strategies that create trust, cultivate open communication, and align teams around a shared purpose.

- Building strong, impactful relationships

- Harnessing the power of diverse expertise

- Working collaboratively to drive outcomes

As the inaugural commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People, April leads the work that promotes the rights, development and wellbeing of Aboriginal children and young people within South Australia.  A proud Mirning and Kokatha woman, April is recognised as a leading advocate for change, and is a 2024 SA Australian of the Year Nominee. Today April shares her powerful story, and 30 years' experience leading meaningful change and community engagement.

- Leading with purpose and influence

- Prioritising community-centric leadership and engagement

- Driving reform and meaningful change

Mix and mingle with your fellow leaders over a cup of coffee and light refreshments.

As leaders we all face challenging situations that we have to navigate at work and in life. These periods of change and adversity demand resilience, but what if you feel stuck or confused about how to help others through their own times of need? Rebecca delves into practical strategies to shift your thinking and behaviour during tough times, applying her surviving to thriving model. She will share professional and personal insights from her own lived experiences of having breast cancer and psychological, evidence-based strategies you can out into action.

- Examine the 6 practical mind-set shifts to help yourself and others navigate challenges

- Learn practical tips on how to shift your thinking and behaviour to thrive in life 

- Recognise the impact of building supportive behaviours

Jodeen Carney began her career in the NT, where she worked as a lawyer, politician, departmental Chief Executive, before making the move to SA where she is now the Commissioner for Equal Opportunity. Along the way she has represented Australia on the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians network, was a member and Convenor of the Women's Advisory Council in NT, and was a founding member of the Central Australian Women's Legal Service. In this session, Jodeen draws on key insights from her own leadership journey, and explores how she navigated challenges to build inclusion and advance women's leadership.

- Facilitating positive change and growth in women’s leadership

- Valuing different perspectives while building inclusive and productive work cultures

- Unlocking individual's potential

Enjoy a midday lunch break. A time to refresh, refuel, and prepare for a full afternoon of immersive learning and inspiration.

The landscape of work is changing as a result of ongoing societal and technological shifts. From hybrid work environments to new digital technologies and innovations, leaders need to be able to navigate new expectations and shifting needs. But how do you stay adaptive, build trust and drive productivity in this new world of work? This panel of SA leaders will delve into key trends shaping today's workforce, and explore practical strategies to enhance team engagement.

- Navigate different expectations and opportunities of flexible working 

- Examine new leadership approaches and skill sets 

- Lean into your unique strengths as a leader to navigate change  

A quick break to refresh and continue building your network with fellow leaders.

Hayley is a dedicated community leader, recognised in the 2023 South Australian Women’s Honour Roll. As a council member for the Veterans Advisory Council and Founder of Defence Kidz, she advocates for ADF’s and veteran’s children’s positive mental health and support. Join this conversation with Hayley as she explores her innovative journey, and how to empower and educate those around you as you lead.

- Understand how to put innovative ideas into action

- Be inspired by community change-makers

- Lead authentically and with impact

We wrap up our inspirational and jam packed two days with this interactive action planning session. This is your chance to table any topic or trend for a final group discussion. Reflecting on the inspiring stories that have been shared, discussing your key learnings with your peers, and creating your action plan for moving forward.

- Reflect on your key learnings from the Summit

- Identify opportunities for career progression and growth

- Create an action plan for your leadership journey

Develop self-awareness and authenticity

- Lead authentically through values-based leadership

- Identify personal strengths and potential de-railers as a leader

- Optimise your leadership style for your organisation

High level communication, influence, and negotiation skills

- Manage emotions for effective, assertive communication

- Develop your “conversational intelligence”

- Prepare for and successfully navigate difficult conversations 

Develop self and others with reflective leadership

- Recognise the benefits of reflection

- Develop skills for effective reflective practice

- Apply reflection to enhance organisational culture

Strategic career progression

- Create a personal leadership plan

- Build relationships for professional opportunities

- Manage personal branding and visibility effectively

Strategies to accelerate team performance

- Leverage team dynamics to optimise performance

- Challenge, support, and empower others to excel 

- Develop strategies to manage uncooperative team members

Drive change and innovation

- Recognise and overcome obstacles to change

- Trust your instincts, embrace risks, and push boundaries

- Create a culture of positive change 

Remain productive in a crisis

- Build resilience to thrive under pressure

- Support your team and engage others to deliver

- Provide and accept feedback after crisis

Action planning for leadership

- Plan approaches for short and long-term goals

- Identify and understand personal and organisational challenges

- Share approaches to move your career forward