Celebrating International Women's Day

In honour of International Women's Day, Radford College Collegians hosted its first-ever networking breakfast and panel discussion. The event was open to staff and students in Years 10-12 and was very well attended.

The four panellists, Renee Dockrill, Sarah Dunbar, Chloe Jaggers and Melanie Macoun, are all Radford Collegians and happily shared tales of their experience in consulting, accounting, law, nutrition, health and well-being.

Collegians Captains, Audrey Potter and Jeffrey Pei, led the panel discussion, which included questions to panellists on how they manage gender bias in the workplace and the advice they would give their younger selves.

The women spoke passionately about challenges they've faced in their careers and overcoming them. Sarah Dunbar (Class of 2003), who is a partner at Deloitte Canberra in their Finance Transformation Consulting team, encouraged students to gain experience rather than attempt to climb the corporate ladder too fast. "Your career is a marathon, not a sprint," she said.

Sarah is an advocate for women in leadership roles and enjoys coaching and mentoring team members. She spoke about how she suffered from imposter syndrome when she returned to work after being made partner while on maternity leave. She encouraged students to back themselves and surround themselves with positive influencers.

Melanie Macoun (Class of 1993) works as a physiotherapist and has founded her own coaching business to help women develop sustainable healthy habits. She agrees with Sarah's comment on positive influencers.

"Foster good relationships and friendships. Surround yourself with people who lift you up and lift them up too."

Renee Dockrill (Class of 1994) is the co-founder of Artemis Partners, a female-owned and led consulting firm. Her decision to form this firm was a result of the challenges she faced in the workplace. She teamed up with three other women to form Artemis Partners. "If they are not valuing what we're offering, let's create an environment where what we do is valued," she explained. Since making this decision, Renee has served on the board of ACT Women's Health Matters and contributes pro bono to Toora Women, which supports ACT women in crisis.

Chloe Jaggers (Class of 2015) spoke about the road that led to her role as a Senior Policy Officer for Child Safety within the Attorney-General's department. She advised students to trust their gut when making decisions about their future. "You know yourself better than anyone else."

There were words of advice that were echoed by all panellists. They all advised students to travel to broaden their horizons, to stand up for themselves and to make the most of every opportunity. "Don't keep on striving for the next thing without appreciating where you are now," Melanie recommended.

Principal Mr Christopher Bradbury spoke about the importance of events like these and the value of fostering relationships between former and current students.

Thank you to Radford Collegians Administrator, Mrs Monique Glavonjic, for her hard work in making this wonderful event possible.