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A leadership breakfast was hosted by REINSW to allow professional women in real estate and beyond to learn how to step into leadership roles.
The Women on Boards breakfast, attended by over 60 professional women, was hosted by REINSW president Leanne Pilkington and REINSW.
The breakfast centred around a panel discussion led by Being Bold director Caroline Bolderston.
On the panel was Ms Pilkington, ex-REINSW president Christine Castle, REINSW board member Linda Rudd, non-executive director of Steadfast Group and CommInsure Anne O’Driscoll and general manager (sales strategy) of News Corp Rachel Savio.
Each of the women discussed their journey to become a board member and the value that it brought them.
Ms O’Driscoll said that she knew she could do it, it was just a case of if she wanted to and it ended up working out for her.
“Now I’m on the board of five different companies, and I think about how I can make a difference in each of those companies every day. If you want to build a board career, you must look at what you can bring,” the non-executive director said.
Ms Savio echoed those sentiments and said that events like Women on Boards were important to getting ahead.
“I joined Women on Boards and started attending industry events. I can’t overestimate the importance of networking and opening the door to new opportunities,” Ms Savio said.
Ms Pilkington said that the only thing holding women back from board positions, in her experience, was because it never occurred to them that it’s something they should do.
“I never wanted to stand out because I was always part of a male-dominated workplace and industry. I didn’t want to separate myself. But you can’t complain about a problem if you’re not willing to be part of the solution. So, instead of asking yourself ‘why?’, you should be asking ‘why not?’” the REINSW president said.
Ms Pilkington said that all women had something to offer to the boards and that this event was all about helping them take that next step.
“You will probably spend your first couple of board meetings not saying much, but you get over that very quickly. This is all about giving women the confidence to take the next step — whatever that is for them.”
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