Testimonials

At Swinburne University of Technology, we are proud to support the WATTLE program and its mission to encourage the participation of women in the professional and academic areas of the tertiary education sector.  This program, whose founders were all from Swinburne, aligns with our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and we have seen first-hand the positive impact it has had on the careers and growth of women in our community. I wholeheartedly endorse WATTLE and encourage all universities to get behind this important initiative.”

Professor Pascale Quester

Vice-Chancellor and President of Swinburne University of Technology

Since its establishment just five years ago by a group of visionary academic and professional staff from the university sector, the WATTLE program has been an invaluable source of inspiration, support and networking for many aspiring female university leaders.  Using a highly interactive approach and attracting leading contributors from higher education and industry, WATTLE really tunes in to the needs of its participants. Those supported by the University of the Sunshine Coast have found the experience to be highly influential in planning their leadership journeys and enhancing their leadership skills, as well as creating a valuable new network of colleagues.  A huge thanks to the WATTLE committee for all their work in providing this unique resource and I hope that with continuing support from our universities, it will continue to make an impact in strengthening the representation of women in senior levels of leadership across the sector.”

Professor Helen Bartlett

Vice-Chancellor and President, University of the Sunshine Coast Australia

La Trobe University is proud to be a founding member of the WATTLE program. WATTLE has supported a number of our female staff to develop leadership capabilities and build networks and connections that have helped them to advance their careers. I cannot speak highly enough of WATTLE. Since 2018, La Trobe has supported 16 women to participate in the program. Two of these women have gone on to roles outside the University, while 12 of the 14 participants who have stayed at La Trobe have been promoted to higher level positions at the University. This extraordinary success rate is a testament to the effectiveness of the program in helping to address the underrepresentation of women in senior leadership positions at Australian universities. La Trobe will continue to participate in WATTLE and support its work to bring together female leaders to design and develop programs that support the leadership development needs and aspirations of women across the sector. I encourage any university that is serious about gender equity to participate in WATTLE.”

Professor John Dewar AO

Vice-Chancellor, La Trobe University

WATTLE IS UNIQUE. By offering a leadership program tailormade for women in Australian academia, it meets an important need: fostering the next generation of leaders and ensuring they have the skills to champion organisation-wide change towards equity, diversity and inclusion. By working with WATTLE, academic institutions build their capacity to create system-wide change and contribute to the SAGE/Athena Swan program.”

Dr Janin Bredehoeft

Chief Executive Officer
Science in Australia Gender Equity
(SAGE) Ltd