Women in Leadership
scholarships are now open, continuing a program that has already helped many women build confidence, strengthen leadership skills and pursue opportunities they may once have thought were out of reach. Alice’s opportunity came at a significant point in her life and career a couple of years ago as a 2024 scholarship recipient. “I had [welcomed] a baby, and it would have been really easy for me to take a step back in my career and put everything on hold,” she said. “I feel having that opportunity kept me engaged in the industry still, and I felt like I came back stronger, and there’s more opportunities still.” Alice’s leadership journey was also recognised at the 2025 Hospitality Tasmania Awards for Excellence, where she was named the recipient of the Women in Leadership Award. The award celebrates women who are making a significant contribution to Tasmania’s hospitality and tourism industries through innovation, leadership and a commitment to supporting others. For Alice, the recognition was both humbling and encouraging. “It was a wonderful acknowledgement, but it also reinforced that there are so many talented women across our industry doing incredible things every day,” she said. The accolade also came during a period of significant professional growth and highlighted the impact that investing in leadership development can have, both for individuals and the businesses and communities they serve. Through the scholarship program, Alice completed training with the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), something she had long wanted to pursue but previously considered beyond reach financially and professionally. “I’d had my eye on doing the AICD training program for a while, but it was just something that was out of my reach,” she said. “The scholarship particularly upskilled me in areas like corporate governance, which is something that I’d never really been exposed to in my other roles and boards.”
Following completion of the course, Alice secured another international role and says the confidence gained through the program helped give her the foundation to pursue new opportunities. “I’ve already seen now that foundation has given me confidence to apply for new roles,” she said. “All that training and program kind of built that foundation for me and allowed me to extend myself.”
Beyond the formal training, Alice believes one of the biggest strengths of the Women in Leadership program is the connection it creates between women working across the industry. “One of the main things that I’m seeing people get out of that is confidence and connection with other women, feeling more empowered to make change and step up.”
The impact has already been tangible.
23 Tasmanian Hospitality Review June/July Edition
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