In partnership with Alo Enlightened Women Inc., Deakin’s Leadership Futures Hub supported the co-development and co-delivery of EmpowerHer: Leadership Beyond Barrier program to support the career thinking and advancement of senior women leaders in the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA) of the Australian Public Service sector.
Throughout a two-day program hosted in Canberra on 15-16 April, 2025, fifteen DOHA senior women leaders from diverse culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background, gathered to share their leadership journey and experiences.
Designed and facilitated by Dr. Fannie Wu, director of Leadership Futures Hub, the program focuses on upskilling participants’ capabilities to advance to Executive Level 2 based on The Integrated Leadership System framework provided by Australian Public Service Commission. The framework highlights 5 areas of capability, including strategic thinking, achieving results, cultivating productive relationship, exemplifying professional proficiency and integrity, and effective communication.
EmpowerHer program was supported by inspiring keynote speakers and panelists across sectors, including Steven Asnicar (CEO of Diversity Australia), Xiaoyan Lu (Chief Strategist in Digital Uplift to the Auditor-General), Alana Lundy (Chief Information and Information Security Officer in Department of Social Services), Nu Nu Win (Assistant Secretary of Commonwealth Treasury), and Mike Webb (Assistant Secretary of Australian Bureau of Statistics).
Participants highlighted the value and positive experiences they gained from the program:
“I thoroughly enjoyed the EmpowerHer seminar.”
“Thank you very much for the very inspiring, engaging and tailored Empower Her program for CALD women.”
“I really did value the time I spent at the conference very much – it was a great experience.”
“Thank you once again to Lubna, Fannie and the volunteers for all the hard work involved in creating such a wonderful experience for us. I know the amount of effort these things take and we really did get a lot out of it.”
In 2024, supported by the ACT Women’s Participation Grant Program, Alo Enlightened Women Inc. initiated a collaboration to work with Dr. Fannie Wu and successfully initiated the pilot run of the program. With a strategic focus on promoting career success and leadership capabilities of women leaders from CALD background, the program continues to adapt to the diverse needs of different participants and the emerging leadership challenges across sectors.
A/Prof. Lubna Alam, the President and co-founder of Alo Enlightened Women Inc., says, “Women continue to face persistent pay gaps and remain underrepresented in leadership roles across both the private and public sectors. Those from diverse backgrounds often encounter additional barriers, including limited access to mentors, sponsors, and professional networks – factors that significantly delay their progression into leadership positions. Following the success of our inaugural 2023 conference, “See It to Be It,” Alo has committed to addressing these inequities by developing a targeted leadership program designed to empower and elevate diverse women into positions of influence.”
Dr. Fannie Wu added that promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in leadership takes much more than individuals’ continuous learning and skill development; it requires consideration and change in policies, systems, and interventions in both organisations and the society. She also emphasised that this partnership with Alo represents a valuable platform to engage experts and academics. The program will spark further collaboration between Leadership Futures Hub, Alo and organisations across sectors for promote capabilities of existing and emerging leaders.