Central Coast Women’s Leadership Program – The Opportunity Collective

Written by Michelle Meares on 19/08/2019. Posted in News.

Several local lawyers participated in the The Opportunity Collective’s Central Coast Women’s Leadership Program in 2019. On Wednesday 14 August 2019 awards were delivered by Central Coast Mayor Jane Smith and Councillor Jilly Pilon to mentors and participants upon successful completion of the program. The Opportunity Collective was started by MacMasters Beach local Suzy Miller and aims to help women achieve leadership positions and improve the economic development for women, in regional areas of Australia.

Local lawyers, Melanie Taylor from Scope Legal and Michelle Meares from Watts McCray Lawyers volunteered as mentors for the 5 month program in 2019. Ms Meares mentored Danielle Captain-Webb, an indigenous criminal lawyer from Legal Aid Gosford.

Ms Captain-Webb said of the program: “Having a mentor to springboard ideas off, motivate and encourage me through the duration of the Opportunity Collective program has been an extremely valuable experience and I would encourage everyone to learn more about/apply for the program. It also allowed me to align my ideas and goals in a clearer way and allowed me to focus on perfecting work/life/balance”

The Central Coast Women’s Leadership program has been running for 2 years on the Central Coast and pairs women in pre to middle management roles with women and men in senior leadership. The program has won NSW Business Chamber Awards and been a fantastic success. There are mentors and participants this year from the Department of Finance, Central Coast Council, Fairhaven, Mars Group, Dashing Group, Job Centre Australia, Legal Aid, Hammond Care, Gosford Private Hospital. Star 104.5, Bounce Partners, NSW Better Regulation Department, NSW Police and Uniting.

Thanks to funding support from Central Coast Council – Community Development Fund, The Opportunity Collective were able to offer five scholarship positions for Indigenous women or women from a disadvantaged background on the Central Coast in the 2019 program.

The Opportunity Collective is now running in Newcastle and Maitland and recruiting for mentors and participants in the 2020 Central Coast program. Both men and women are invited to participate as mentors with former Gosford Mayor and CEO of Newcastle Jets, Lawrie McKinna a mentor for the Women’s Leadership Program in Newcastle in 2019.

For more information contact Suzy Miller on 0435 143 199 or visit www.theopportunitycollective.org.au