May 2019 saw the completion of our third Entry to the C-Suite^® cohort. Two years in from our initial launch in September 2017, we are extremely proud of the accomplishments and progress made by our participants and sponsors thus far.

Each cohort has brought together a diverse group of women – high potential senior managers across multiple industries with vast experience and knowledge. And whilst their backgrounds have been unique, they have all shared a common objective: to achieve gender equity in their organisations and fields.

Having an impact on gender equity outcomes and Paying-it-forward are key elements of Entry to the C-Suite^®.

The finale activity asks participants to consider how they will pay forward their learnings in order to have a positive impact in their organisation and community, and promote gender equity in WA.

Cohort 3 championed this challenge: a mentoring and leadership program in partnership with Murdoch University.

From a pool of bright Murdoch University students, seven female students from varying faculties were selected to engage in a unique experience: to shadow a Cohort 3 participant in their respective organisation for a day.

Students sat in on team and leadership meetings, wore high-vis gear and hardhats, saw functioning robots and experienced first-hand the endless possibilities that lay ahead of them.

As examples, in BHP Billiton, Murdoch student Jessica Haddad stayed in Port Hedland for an evening to have a full day onsite at the Nelson Point Operation.

In CBH, student Jade Fowler was led by Paula Shepherd and she saw first-hand CBH’s entire supply chain from grower to customer of CBH. She saw how the grain was processed, to its exportation from one of their dedicated port terminals in Fremantle.

Great feedback was received from the mentees. Each mentor, with the support of their organisations, went out of their way to provide a unique experience for each student. With the immense success of this mentoring program – and with an endless pool of eager femal students – we hope that this may become an established program of the future within Murdoch.