Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) has announced the first-ever Queensland intake of its Female Leaders of Tomorrow programme, kicking off with a launch event in Brisbane.
The 2024/2025 programme, which follows the successful inaugural programme last year, has been offered for the first time in Brisbane this year, along with programmes in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
The Queensland offering launched with a meet and greet event at the Calile Hotel on November 12, giving this year’s inaugural Brisbane mentors and mentees a chance to meet, alongside IMAA CEO Sam Buchanan, who will run through the programme outline.
This year’s Queensland mentors are GoTransit Media Group's director of sales Kirrily Hirst, SBS' QLD state sales manager Anthea Gaffney and Inner Sanctum Sports Management co-founder and director Clare Starling.
They will be paired with mentees Sunny Advertising's Sarah McNeil, Audience Group's Angela Rogers and TFM.Digital's Madeline Begg.
The Female Leaders of Tomorrow programme offers IMAA members the opportunity to be paired with some of the industry’s leaders for mentoring and professional development.
The inaugural programme, which launched in August last year, matched 16 media industry leaders with up-and-coming agency talent in a six-month structured mentoring programme, including online and face-to-face sessions, training and meet-ups.
The pilot programme was a resounding success, with all the participants describing the programme as “life-changing,” giving them new-found leadership skills and confidence.
Buchanan is delighted to extend the Female Leaders of Tomorrow programme to Queensland as the IMAA looks to nurture and grow the careers of our future female leaders in the indie sector.
"Brisbane is home to a vibrant and growing indie media agency sector and this programme ensures that we are future proofing our talent and the industry," he said.
"I’d like to sincerely thank Kirrily, Anthea and Clare for volunteering to be our mentors this year and imparting their knowledge to our mentees."
Hirst said she is honoured to be a mentor for the Female Leaders of Tomorrow programme as it enters Queensland for the first time.
"We have so much fantastic female talent in this market, it will be a privilege to help mentor tomorrow’s leaders. I look
forward to building a great relationship with my mentee," she said.
McNeil said she is exciting to learn from some of the industry’s best leaders.
"I’m grateful to the IMAA for extending the programme to Queensland this year," she said.
"I can’t wait to build my professional connections and apply my learnings to further my career."
The programme, which is exclusively available to IMAA members and partners nationwide, is designed for individuals who currently hold manager or director positions with a minimum five years’ experience in any media agency discipline.
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