Current and Previous Mentors

Akshi Singh

Manager in Risk Advisory, RSM

Akshi is one of our fabulous 2022 mentors, as well as being a Manager in Risk Advisory at RSM. 

Akshi believes we need more female leaders in the C-suite and this is one of her biggest reasons to want to support our Future Female Leaders. 

“I have witnessed a lot of females not being able to voice their opinions or having imposter syndrome. This program can help young females have the confidence they need to make a difference in their own careers but also in the world!”

With a genuine passion to help others, Akshi makes a brilliant mentor.

“I have learnt a lot through my career making my own mistakes and successes, and to be able to guide and shape someone and their future is so fulfilling to me.  

I want to help my mentee realise her potential. I want her to take valuable lessons from our conversations and understand that it’s okay to fail, but it’s important to get back up and keep going.”

Thank you again for your belief, passion and support in the program, Akshi!

Bec Kennedy

Economic Development Officer, City of Joondalup

Bec is a strategic economic development leader with a key focus on global engagement, innovation eco-systems and industry development. Bec is passionate about securing future talent through the development of employable skills and entrepreneurial mindset, particularly for women.

Bec was also a mentor in our 2021 program and “enjoys being inspired by the participants, mentors and leaders of the program and the connections and friendships that we make as a result. It is also exciting to see the ideas and social enterprise projects that are created by the young women on the program.”

Having been inspired and encouraged by strong leaders in her own career, combined with experience working across male dominated industries, Bec is an experienced and inspiring mentor.

Thank you Bec for your passion, support and believe in the program.

Beth Morris

Team Leader – Building Improvement, BGIS

Beth is currently the Team Leader – Building Improvement, at HFM Asset Management, a subsidiary of BGIS and is one of our fabulous mentors as part of the 2022 program. 

Beth was lucky enough to attend the final presentation night for the 2021 pilot program with her colleagues, and was blown away by the quality of the presentations. Beth noted that she could see the program clearly had a profound impact on the girls, and that is what made her jump at the opportunity to be involved this year. 

When asked about why she believes programs like this for our future leaders are so important, Beth said  “Getting training and guidance through the program at such an early stage is so valuable and will set the participants up with a solid foundation to pursue their goals in whatever area they choose after school.” 

Thank you again Beth for your belief, passion and support in the program!

Candace Ford

Project Support Officer, Western Power

Candace Ford is one of our passionate and supportive mentors as part of the 2022 program.

When asked what she loves the most about the program Candace says; “I love being able to give back to whatever causes I can, and having a teenage daughter of my own, I know that sometimes an outsider can say something just a little bit differently and they will finally be able to truly hear it.”

Acknowledging the power of some of the content taught in the Future Female Leaders program Candace also states, “I think that the whole way through my career, I would have benefitted from everything in the FFL program. Networking particularly and knowing how to communicate with different people to find answers and problem solve would have been amazing.”

Thank you Candace for your time, expertise and passion to help elevate our future female leaders.

Ciemone Rowbottam

Owner & Director, The Ciemone Group

The Future Female Leaders Program can only run with incredible partners like Ciemone Rowbottam. 

Ciemone is a dedicated, energetic, and values-driven leader; with significant diverse experience in technology start-ups, resources and energy, and allied health industries. She has successfully executed grow-to-scale initiatives and led people to transform companies and executives to achieve exceptional organisational performance with engaged employees. She is proficient in either operational executive leadership roles or in a consultancy advisory capacity.

Not only is Ciemone one of our amazing mentors, but she is also one of our subject matter experts on all things ‘design your wellbeing’. Ciemone shares her practical and implementable knowledge and guidance with participants in one of our self paced learning modules as part of the program. 

When asked why she believes the program is so important for our future leaders, Ciemone says “This type of program is vital for women, especially at 16 to know that they can achieve great things, and they can achieve their dreams if given the right tools, resources and belief in themselves.”

Ciemone believes that sharing stories, gaining perspective and supporting someone on their journey is so important to their success. 

She says about being a mentor  “I would like to give back to the community, and for myself personally again I wish I had someone to bounce business ideas off with when I was 16 years of age”.

The Future Female Leaders Program team is grateful for your support, Ciemone!

Gemma McDonnell-Mossop

Director, Payroll Edge

Gemma McDonnell-Mossop is a  self-proclaimed payroll whisperer, system wrangler and unicorn, with over 20 years experience in managing large teams and complex organisations through her business Payroll Edge. 

Gemma is also one of this year’s mentors and visionary partners. 

Gemma has been an incredible mentor who brings passion, support and practical insights to the way she coaches her mentee. 

When asked why she believes programs like the Future Female Leaders Program are so important, here’s what Gemma had to say.. 

 “I believe that for gender equity to be possible in senior leadership in the future, and to see the growth in the number of key female leaders in business, more of our young women need opportunities to learn and grow leadership skills early on. 

They need to feel encouraged and supported in their dreams and to be given the chance to get to know other role models that are helping to pave the way.”

Gemma got involved as a mentor this year as a way to give back to our next generation of leaders – for that we are incredibly grateful!

Joanne McDonald

Company Secretary and Head of Corporate Affairs, IGO

Joanne McDonald is the Head of Corporate Affairs and Company Secretary at IGO Limited. To say she has insights and knowledge to share would be an understatement. 

Having Joanne as one of our mentors this year (as well as IGO being a Visionary partner), has meant that one of our regional participants based in Esperance has been the beneficiary of Joanne’s wisdom. 

When asked why she believes the program is so important, Jo had this to say: 

 ”By the time women reach the workforce, it is often too late – we need to start early and empower young women to break biases and forge their own pathways. 

While we can’t remove the challenges that will be faced by Future Female Leaders in their entirety, we can support these young women by preparing them for the workforce and providing them with the skills, hands-on experience and know-how to succeed.”

Joanne wanted to be a mentor as she only wished something like the Future Female Leaders Program had been around for her when she was a young woman to give her the tools and confidence to believe in herself.

We are incredibly grateful to have your support in this program, Joanne as it goes from strength to strength.

Jodi Brauer

Client Relationship Manager, Australian Institute of Management WA

When asked about why she believes the Future Female Leaders Program is so important, Jodi says “It’s vital to support our upcoming female workforce early in their careers to develop their skills as effective and empathetic leaders. This often begins with a strong sense of self-awareness, the building of habits to develop resilience and flexibility and in the ability to think critically and make well-informed decisions. These critical skills and more are all key pillars of this program.” 

Jodi has been an incredible support in bringing the program to life, but in addition to the support provided through AIM WA Jodi also says “I’m excited to learn from the mentees. I attended the 2021 presentations and was astonished as to the projects and outcomes they achieved within 6 months.  Together we can all make a difference!”

Thanks again Jodi for your incredible support and helping empower our future changemakers!

Kirstin Dunn

Director/Licensee, Semple Property Group

As the Director of Semple Property Group, a residential real estate firm in the southern suburbs of Perth, Kirstin Dunn is both one of our incredible 2022 mentors, and a Change Maker partner. 

When asked why she believes the program is so important for our future female leaders, Kirstin says ”This program shows young ladies in their final years of high school the massive potential in the employment sector – it shows them to aim HIGH and the opportunities are endless.”

Kirstin also mentions “Attending the 2021 graduation and meeting the incredible ladies and seeing the amazing things that they accomplished sold it for me. I had to be a part of this”. 

We are so grateful to our amazing women in industry who are helping us drive real and meaningful change for our future female leaders.

The Future Female Leaders Program team is grateful for your support, Kirstin!

Kym Arnold

Manager, Lincolns

Kym is a Manager and Senior Accountant at Lincolns, one of our regionally based partners as part of this year’s program. 

Kym goes to extraordinary lengths to support the program, driving up from Albany on multiple occasions to be in person and support our participants to learn and grow. 

When asked why she wanted to play a mentoring role in the 2022 program, here’s what Kym had to say:

“I did mentoring during university and have recently been putting together a program for young professional women in Albany as well. 

I want to use my experiences to help young women overcome the challenges they may face in the workplace and to help them to work towards their passions and dreams. 

When I saw this program it aligned so much with what I am hoping to do for people already working and I knew it was something I wanted to be involved with. I just wish there had been something like this when I was in high school!” 

The Future Female Leaders Program team is grateful for your support, Kym!

Lezly D’Limi

Founding Director, TalentKo

Lezly is one of our fabulous Visionary Partners for this year’s 2022 program. 

In addition to that, Lezly mentors one of our regional participants located in Geraldton, where Lezly grew up. It was important to Lezly as part of this program to give back to the community in which she herself went to school.  

When asked about why she wanted to be a part of the program and mentor one of the participants, Lezly said “ I have a strong belief that the path to success requires us to borrow belief in ourselves from other people (mentors, books, podcasts) whilst we build the confidence and belief in ourselves.”  

“As a child from a broken home, I relied heavily on borrowing belief from others to pave my way in the world. I think it is important to empower young women to believe they can be anything and anyone they want in life.”

Lezly – it is inspiring women just like you that showcase to our Future Female Leaders that they CAN be anything they want in this world.

The Future Female Leaders Program team is grateful for your support, Lezly!

Moira Aynsley

Marketing and Communications Manager, Foodbank

Moira is the Marketing and Communications Manager at Foodbank WA. 

As one of our fabulous mentors in the 2022 program, Moira brings a huge amount of passion and knowledge to the participants. 

Moira says that she has been fortunate to have amazing female mentors in her life. Mentors that challenged her, advocated for her and opened doors for her – that is a large part of the reason Moira wanted to give back through the program this year.  

When asked why she believes the Future Female Leaders Program is needed, this is what Moira had to say –  

“With each generation, female leaders have had more recognition and opportunity. This program is fantastic as it is equipping our next generation with the skills they need to succeed early in their life and before they start their careers. It also recognises the importance of giving back to the community and making a real difference through its alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”

The Future Female Leaders Program team is grateful for your support, Moira!

Danielle Scotland

Project Manager, Western Power

Danielle Scotland is the Project Manager for Streetlight Maintenance at Western Power. 

Having had many positive experiences with mentors herself, is what made Danielle want to join the mentoring team in 2022. 

“My personal experience with having had people who are willing to share experiences and mentor me has shaped and made me who I am today. I hope that this is one of many opportunities I will have to give back and share my experiences which will benefit others.”

Danielle believes that programs like the Future Female Leaders Program are critical for our next generation so that they can enter their careers and lives with confidence and a capability to navigate challenges they may encounter. 

Danielle believes that “Diversity and equality, whilst developing quickly in the modern world still have gaps with varying degrees. Those who participate in the program will have a front step as they progress into the future.” 

Thank you Danielle for your continued support and belief in the power of this program.

Rebecca Maccario

Manager Strategic and Organisational Development, City of Joondalup 

Tracy Al Saidi

Director of People and Culture, CCIWA

Introducing Tracy Al Saidi – one of our 2022 mentors. Tracy is the Director of People and Culture at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA. 

With a passion for supporting our next generation of female leaders, and a raft of incredible career experiences and stories to share, Tracy makes for an inspiring mentor as part of the 2022 program. 

When asked why she wanted to be a mentor this year, Tracy said “Some of the most important influences throughout my career have been strong female role models and leaders. They played a key role in helping me to navigate at different stages of my career by sharing their lived experiences, encouragement and guidance which added tremendously to my growth.

I feel honoured to have the opportunity to share my experiences to support other female leaders as they embark on their journey.”

The Future Female Leaders Program team is grateful for your support, Tracy!