WILD for STEM

We are thrilled to celebrate the incredible achievements of the WILD Program and honour the remarkable Class of 2024! This exceptional group of women in STEM has not only brought immense value to the program but has also deeply inspired one another. Throughout the year, they’ve built strong connections, offered unwavering support, and approached every challenge with enthusiasm and resilience. From navigating professional hurdles to sharing personal triumphs, their camaraderie has been a shining example of the power of community. Completing the WILD Program while balancing both personal and professional responsibilities is no small feat. It speaks to the leadership, dedication, and strength that each of these women embodies. As we reflect on this year’s success, we are reminded of the critical importance of empowering women in STEM. The WILD Program is designed to create a space where women can connect, learn, and grow—and the Class of 2024 has truly lived this mission, inspiring us all with their hard work and commitment. We look forward with great excitement to what the future holds for these extraordinary women and the continued impact they will make! With thanks to the WILD Program's major partners Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Brandon Capital, and other valued supporters MinterEllison, FPA Patent Attorneys and Australian Institute of Company Directors.   Dr Astha Singh GAICD Bek Christensen Catherine Phillips Clare Berry Elvira C. Emma Doherty Esther Onyango PhD, GAICD Heather Loane Hima Tk Jillian Formentin Karen Richter Katie Bashant Day Klara Verbyla Laura Kearney Leanne Hobbs Martine Keenan Mary-Ann Rennie Noelia Nebot, Ph.D Premila Paiva Robyn Waltl Rolee Kumar Sarah Zhang GAICD Tara Croft Theresa Eyssens ☁️Tracy Bongiorno GAICD Vela Georgiev Verity Normington FGSAust. GAICD   #wildforstem #wildprogram #stemwomen #stemleadership #empower #connect #learn #grow #classof2024 #congratulations

🚀 Calling on forward-thinking organisations in agriculture, tech, engineering, manufacturing, healthcare, biotech, energy, mining…and more! 🚀 Are you ready to drive real change in the diversity of C-suites and boardrooms across Australia’s STEM industries? Join us in shaping the future of leadership by hosting a WILD Board X Observer! WILD Board X is your opportunity to: ✅ Demonstrate genuine commitment to diversity and inclusion. ✅ Access fresh perspectives and insights from exceptional, board-ready female STEM leaders. ✅ Strengthen your succession planning and innovation strategy. By hosting a custom-matched Board X Observer, you'll be part of an immersive 12-month board observership program that empowers talented female leaders while enhancing your board’s strategic edge. Proudly supported by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, the Board X program is designed to create lasting impact for both observers and participating boards. Join our growing community of Host Boards to create a future of more diverse and innovative STEM leadership for Australia. 🌟 🔗 Interested in joining this movement? Contact anna@wildforstem.com to learn more. Transport Accident Commission (TAC) Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) Medicines Australia Brandon Capital ANDHealth Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) Canopus Currus Biologics Pty Ltd Vaxxas Additive Assurance Nourish Ingredients Pollinate Group ElectraLith GlyTherix Ltd MTPConnect #WILDforSTEM #BoardX #DiversityInSTEM #STEMLeadership #Innovation #FutureofSTEM #Inclusion #WomenInLeadership #STEMWomen #BoardLeadership

Meet Niharika Anand, our remarkable new STEM leader and the latest participant in the Board X Program! She has recently been matched with Transport Accident Commission (TAC) for her 12-month observership. Niharika stands out as an astute leader in health technology, with a proven record of spearheading growth and innovation across the APAC region. Her strategic acumen at TriNetX, marked by surpassing sales targets and pioneering market entries, is complemented by her adept operational leadership at IQVIA in growing the clinical trials business within ANZ. Niharika’s impressive educational portfolio, featuring an Honours degree in Neuroscience and an MBA, underpins her expertise, driving healthcare advancements. Her knowledge of privacy, security, real-world data, and healthcare technologies makes her a visionary approach to healthcare solutions and positions her at the forefront of leadership. Board X Observers bring fresh perspectives and insights to boards, provide opportunities for succession planning and cultural change, and allow organisations to play a role in creating a diverse pool of board directors for the future. Read more here - https://lnkd.in/gCt4CSYV #wildforstem #boardxprogram #boardobserver #stem #stemwomen #stemleaders #stemboards #stemdiversity

How is it possible that the year has flown by so quickly!? We’re excited to share our last participant highlight for the 2024 WILD Program. Let us introduce our final three participants: Martine, Theresa, and Leanne. These exceptional STEM leaders are a wonderful addition to our growing WILD for STEM Alumni network! 👩🏻🔬👩🏾🔧👷🏽♀️👩🏼💻👩🏿⚕️ Martine Keenan Dr Martine Keenan is the Chief Innovation Officer of SYNthesis Research, a biotherapeutics company committed to unlocking the potential of breakthrough science in Australia. Additionally, she is also the Chief Operating Officer at Anaxis, who are developing breakthrough treatments for inflammatory disease. Dr Keenan is an experienced drug development scientist and life sciences executive with a 20-year international career in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining SYNthesis, Martine held various leadership positions at Eli Lilly and Epichem Pty Ltd. Her focus is to translate early research into commercial opportunities, attract investment and nurture talent in the Australian ecosystem. Theresa Eyssens ☁️ Theresa is an energetic, passionate technologist and disruptor whose North Star is helping organisations realise the power of emerging technologies to truly transform their business for sustainable business growth and sustained resiliency. Over the span of her career, she is most happy building teams of high performing successful professionals across customer success, consulting, sales and marketing. Theresa is a very engaged and involved leader who truly loves engaging with clients leveraging her ability to influence thinking and motivate clients and teams to achieve great things. Leanne Hobbs With 25+ years’ experience in the healthcare industry, Leanne has had the opportunity to contribute and lead the development and commercialisation of vaccine, pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare products both in Australian and internationally. Leanne is passionate about driving better outcomes for research translation and commercialisation in Australia through leveraging the incredible pool of industry talent in Australia and building meaningful connections to overseas expertise to enable success. Leanne holds a BSc (Hons) from University of Adelaide and Graduate Certificate (Pharmacoeconomics) from Monash University. Check out the full 2024 Cohort here - https://lnkd.in/gjwDPwPf #wildforstem #wildprogram #stemleader #stemwomen

Meet Lauren Giorgio, Board X’s newest participant who has successfully been matched with GlyTherix Ltd. Lauren is a recognised leader in the life sciences sector who has built her career at the intersect between science and business to achieve advancements in human health. As Chief Operating Officer at GPN Vaccines, Lauren has deep drug development expertise from discovery to clinical trials. She has led many research commercialisation projects from world-leading medical research institutes such as the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. Lauren is an advocate for improving diversity in STEM, having co-founded the highly successful WILD for STEM programs, and her governance experience spans local and state government, industry bodies and the not-for-profit sector. The BOARD X Program prepares exceptional STEM women like Lauren for board positions across Australia. At WILD for STEM we envision a future where STEM leadership is diverse, dynamic, and driven by women who are not just participants but pioneers. Find out more here - https://lnkd.in/gCt4CSYV #wildforstem #boardxprogram #boardobserver #stem #stemwomen #stemleaders #stemboards #stemdiversity

Introducing Dr Joy Francisco, STEM leader and participant of the 2024 Board X Program! Joy has been matched with Brandon Capital for her 12 month observership experience. Dr Joy Francisco is a champion for catalysing the translation of STEM research and clinical insights to improve health outcomes and equitable access. She is an accomplished leader in early-stage commercialisation with 15+ years’ experience in the world’s best research and clinical institutions, and life sciences investment funds. She has served on several committees and board observer capacities in government, non-profit, and publicly listed companies, and has played pivotal roles in establishing health innovation precincts in Australia. Her contributions have resulted in numerous start-ups, new products and services, collaborative partnerships, and diverse communities of innovators that make a positive impact on health and human potential. Board X Observers like Joy bring fresh perspectives and insights to boards, provide opportunities for succession planning and cultural change, and allow organisations to play a role in creating a diverse pool of board directors for the future. Read more here - https://lnkd.in/gCt4CSYV #wildforstem #boardxprogram #boardobserver #stem #stemwomen #stemleaders #stemboards #stemdiversity

As our incredible 2024 WILD Program participants near the end of their journey, we are thrilled to present our second-to-last highlight. Allow us to introduce three more outstanding WILD participants and STEM Leaders: Cat, Tracy, and Karen. Catherine Phillips has a Bachelor of Science, a Diploma of Mathematics and Statistics, and a Master of Mechanical Engineering. She currently leads Cleanaway Waste Management’s Organics division, working to increase the sustainable re-use of organic waste. Catherine is passionate about using her Engineering and commercial skills to contribute to Australia’s sustainable future, in particular bringing a focus on collaboration between STEM, business and policy makers. Outside her day job, Catherine has recently retired from playing AFLW for Essendon, serves as a director of the AFL Player’s Association and the Australian Organics Recycling Association, and is a 10-time Australian representative in Ultimate Frisbee. Tracy Bongiorno GAICD is an experienced engineering leader, passionate about building intuitive and elegant software to improve the way people live and work. She has over 15 years of experience scaling engineering teams and SaaS applications with a focus on team culture, customer experience, continuous improvement, and automation. Tracy joined Mentorloop to support their mission to make mentoring more accessible and to help make a difference in the start-up community. She has guided and mentored over a dozen engineers and engineering managers as well as participated in formal mentoring relationships Karen Richter is the Head of Cyber Security and Enterprise Information Management for Synergy, Western Australia’s largest electricity generator and retailer. Karen’s career background is in Information Technology, including developing digital strategies, implementing new systems, improving system adoption and providing project governance. She has managed consulting engagements across a range of large complex IT projects, and she holds a Masters degree in Business and Information Technology from the University of Melbourne. Early in her career Karen worked as General Manager of Human Resources for a successful software start-up based in Melbourne and has provided consultancy services in organisational change management. 👩🏻🔬👩🏾🔧👷🏽♀️👩🏼💻👩🏿⚕️ #wildforstem #wildprogram #stemleader #stemwomen

Congratulations to Kate Mahady, our latest Board X observer who has been matched with ANDHealth for her 12 month board observership experience. Kate GAICD is a Partner at FB Rice R&D Tax Consulting, part of FB Rice - Australia’s most trusted intellectual property firm. Kate has a background in Applied Physics and experience working in technology-based roles in both Australian government and in industry at a Silicon Valley based start-up. She is a passionate advocate for advancing R&D in Australia. She has consulted for over 20 years to a broad range of companies undertaking R&D from start-ups to large multinational companies, initially with KPMG and Deloitte before setting up two R&D tax consulting businesses.  Her demonstrable success in business can be attributed to her excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and she is both a collaborative team player and leader with a proven track record in managing highly effective teams. Board X is an immersive 12-month observership program that will see 50 STEM women paired with 50 boards around Australia. In addition to gaining unique insight into boardrooms nationally, participants like Kate will also receive executive coaching, training, and recruitment support. Find out more here - https://lnkd.in/gCt4CSYV #wildforstem #boardxprogram #boardobserver #stem #stemwomen #stemleaders #stemboards #stemdiversity

We're excited to share a new chapter for the WILD Program, and we invite you to be a part of it! For the first time, we’re opening the door for a limited number of companies to sponsor their own female STEM leaders in the 2025 WILD Program. Through our "pay-it-forward" sponsorship model, companies can not only nurture their own female talent but also contribute to the development of a diverse, board-ready pipeline for Australia's broader STEM ecosystem. Since 2019, our flagship WILD Program has been accelerating female STEM leaders on their leadership journeys. Thanks to the support of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Brandon Capital, the WILD Program has supported 100 outstanding women to complete the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Company Directors Course, join our flagship Leadership Retreats, gain real-world board experience and build powerful national networks of senior female STEM leaders. Sponsor a female or non-binary STEM leader from your organisation and help transform the future of STEM leadership for Australian industries. To find out more contact the team via hello@wildforstem.com. #wildforstem #wildprogram #stemleaders #stemwomen #sponsor

Meet Tariro, our latest impressive STEM leader and newest Board X Program participant! Tariro has just been matched with Pollinate Group for her 12 month observership. Tariro Makwasha is an accomplished executive strategic leader driving organisational transformation and performance improvement across public and private institutions at the C-suite level. With over 15 years of experience spearheading digital innovation, stakeholder engagement and talent development initiatives, Tariro leverages data-driven insights and emotional intelligence to deliver substantial community impact. She currently serves as the Chief Customer Strategy Officer at ICN Victoria, where she manages strategy design through to execution, focusing on customer-centric solutions and digital transformation. Her expertise in data analytics, cross-sector collaboration, and sustainable development has positioned her as a transformative leader in driving growth and innovation in complex, multi-stakeholder environments. Board X Observers just like Tariro bring fresh perspectives and insights to boards, provide opportunities for succession planning and cultural change, and allow organisations to play a role in creating a diverse pool of board directors for the future. Interested in partnering with us? Find out more here - https://lnkd.in/gCt4CSYV #wildforstem #boardxprogram #boardobserver #stem #stemwomen #stemleaders #stemboards #stemdiversity