IMAA launches inaugural Queensland 2024/25 Female Leaders of Tomorrow mentoring programme

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Sam Buchanan: ‘Brisbane is home to a vibrant and growing indie media agency sector and this programme ensures that we are future proofing our talent and the industry.’

Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) has launched the inaugural Queensland intake of its Female Leaders of Tomorrow 2024/2025 programme following the successful inaugural programme in Sydney last year.

Kicking off with a launch event in Brisbane, the independent media agency industry body is being offered for the first time in Brisbane this year, along with programmes in Melbourne and Perth.

The Queensland offering launched with a meet and greet event at the Calile Hotel on November 12, giving this year’s inaugural Brisbane mentors and mentees a chance to meet alongside IMAA CEO Sam Buchanan, who will run through the programme outline.

Joining as mentors are Kirrily Hirst, director of sales – agency and direct at GoTransit Media Group, Anthea Gaffney, QLD state sales manager at SBS, and Clare Starling, co-founder and director at Inner Sanctum Sports Management.

They will be paired with mentees Sarah McNeil from Sunny Advertising, Angela Rogers from Audience Group and Madeline Begg from TFM.Digital.

The Female Leaders of Tomorrow programme offers IMAA members the opportunity to be paired with some of the industry’s top leaders for mentoring and professional development.

The inaugural programme, which launched in August last year, matched 16 media industry leaders with up-and-coming agency talent in a six-month structured mentoring programme, including online and face-to-face sessions, training and meet-ups.

IMAA Female Leaders of Tomorrow QLD mentors and mentees

Participants described the programme as “life-changing,” giving them new-found leadership skills and confidence.

“We are so delighted to extend the Female Leaders of Tomorrow programme to Queensland as we look to nurture and grow the careers of our future female leaders in the indie sector,” Sam Buchanan, IMAA CEO, said.

“Brisbane is home to a vibrant and growing indie media agency sector and this programme ensures that we are future proofing our talent and the industry. I’d like to sincerely thank Kirrily, Anthea and Clare for volunteering to be our mentors this year and imparting their knowledge to our mentees.”

Kirrily Hirst said: “It’s an absolute honour for me personally to be a mentor for the Female Leaders of Tomorrow programme as it enters Queensland for the first time. We have so much fantastic female talent in this market, it will be a privilege to help mentor tomorrow’s leaders. I look forward to building a great relationship with my mentee.”

Mentee Sarah McNeil said: “This is such an exciting opportunity for me to learn from our industry’s best leaders and I’m grateful to the IMAA for extending the programme to Queensland this year. I can’t wait to build my professional connections and apply my learnings to further my career.”

The Female Leaders of Tomorrow programme is exclusively available to IMAA members and partners nationwide. It is designed for individuals who currently hold manager/director positions, with a minimum five years’ experience in any media agency discipline.

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