WATTLE leadership program

The WATTLE (Women ATTaining LEadership) Program is a unique and carefully designed four-and-a-half-day residential program aimed at empowering women to attain senior university leadership roles.

WATTLE brings together women across the university sector to provide an intensive leadership and networking program that is designed, and run, by academic and professional women. Participants hear from industry and government executives on topics ranging from leadership and career development, sponsorship, managing change, inclusive leadership, communication, building relationships, and navigating organisational politics.

Since its foundation, WATTLE has contributed directly to the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) program, which is dedicated to improving gender representation in STEMM disciplines, however WATTLE encompasses all disciplines. In line with the aims of these programs, WATTLE addresses under-representation of women in senior levels of leadership by bringing together female leaders across the university sector.

It is owned entirely by participating universities, with all surplus funds reinvested into the program. It builds on the highly successful New Zealand Women in Leadership (NZWiL) Program that has been running for over 12 years.

2023 WATTLE Alumnae Symposium - we are one of the 15 universities involved in the program, sending two academic and two professional staff each year

What to expect

The WATTLE program empowers participants to reflect on their own careers by hearing from inspirational leaders and discussing with them the known inhibitors of career progression for women.

Key themes covered during the program include:

• setting the leadership context
• leadership and career development
• communication, leading and managing change
• leadership in action.

Participants will become members of a network of women from different disciplinary backgrounds, who through this program will get to know and trust each other and provide ongoing support.

About each program

The professional WATTLE Program is designed for professional staff at HEW 9-10 level, who aspire to be in leadership positions which involve significant budget and people responsibility for university or faculty-wide service/support divisions or units. For example, directors or managers of student administration, student services, facilities management, international, communications and marketing, student recruitment, human resources, legal services, university librarian, faculty managers, or school managers.

The academic WATTLE Program is designed for academic staff at associate professor or professor level who aspire to be in leadership positions including heads of schools or departments, associate deans, chairs of major university committees, directors of research centres or principal investigators on major research projects, and ultimately pro vice-chancellor or deputy vice-chancellor roles.

As a program partner, Federation University has reserved two places each in both the academic and professional WATTLE Programs.

Aspiring women leaders are encouraged to explore this unique opportunity or speak with the alumnae on how this program can enrich and benefit your professional growth.

Eligible staff will be notified and invited to submit their expression of interest in an upcoming the program.

Federation alumnae

The following staff have participated in the WATTLE program and are members of the WATTLE alumnae network, which comprises over 200 women. As a participant you will have access to the biennial alumnae symposium and a range of state-based networking opportunities.

Professor Birgit Loch, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Learning and Teaching and Executive Dean, Institute of Education, Arts and Community, is one of the founding members of WATTLE.