KiwiNet and Brandon Capital Partners have launched the Women in Leadership Development (WILD) Programme which seeks to advance the leadership and governance skills of women with a STEM background.
Why have we created this programme?
We believe that in order to create meaningful impact in the inclusion statistics of our science and innovation leadership teams and boards, there must be an intervention in the career pathways.
Under-represented demographics at leadership levels occur due to many different barriers, including lack of training opportunities, lack of mentorship, lack of workplace support, and both conscious and unconscious bias. The WILD Programme provides a select and distinguished group of potential leaders with the ability to:
- accelerate their learning in governance and decision-making
- become aspirational and inclusive leaders
- make life-long relationships with an exceptional peer group
- have the privilege of observing meetings of high performing boards
- be mentored by a director from their assigned board
The WILD Programme would be facilitated on an annual basis with a cohort limited to 10 potential women leaders.
Acclaim For The Australian WILD Programme
Our outlined programme is based on the WILD initiative facilitated in Australia. The first WILD Programme was facilitated in the state of Victoria and received an overwhelming response from the Australian STEM sectors in early 2019. Twenty high-calibre candidates were inducted into the programme from over 70 applicants.
Although newly established, the WILD Programme has already achieved significant positive outcomes with over 40% of the cohort experiencing career progression since the start of the Programme. The cohort has also built powerful relationships and camaraderie, with regular, ongoing communications.