Women in Energy & Resources Leadership Summit 2025

Understanding Your Communication Style

- Explore and identify personal communication styles

- Importance of self-awareness in communication

- Understand the impact of communication styles on relationships and collaboration

- Learn strategies to enhance and leverage individual communication strengths

Recognising Diverse Communication Styles

- Increase awareness of diverse communication styles

- Understand the importance of reading verbal and nonverbal communication

- Develop skills to navigate and bridge communication gaps

- Analysing real-world examples of diverse communication styles

Adapting Communication Approaches

- Develop skills to adapt communication styles based on the situation

- Enhance flexibility in communication approaches

- Master the art of powerful questioning

- Apply techniques to emphasise positive language and tone

Inclusive Communication Practice

- Explore best practices for inclusive leadership through communication

- Recognising and mitigating bias in communication

- Encouraging diverse perspectives and contributions

- Developing personalised action plans

Join Liquid Learning for this kick-off session as we prepare for two days of incredible speakers, senior leaders, expert deep-dives and unmissable panel discussions!

Successful stakeholder engagement begins with active listening, understanding diverse needs, and translating those insights into actionable steps. As CEO, Louisa knew that to drive change, she had to win stakeholder support. By communicating with purpose and clearly articulating her vision, she created alignment and achieved shared goals. In this session, Louisa will share her journey of engaging stakeholders to secure their buy-in and how she transformed organisations by leveraging their support to drive growth.

- Drive positive change by engaging and influencing key stakeholders

- Learn to identify key stakeholders and tailor your communication approach

- Strengthen negotiation skills with clear, intentional messaging

Visionary leadership is about seeing possibilities where others see challenges and inspiring teams to pursue a bold and shared purpose. In this session, Melissa will share how she has embodied this leadership style, crafting a clear vision that motivates and drives innovation. Learn how to cultivate forward-thinking leadership to guide your teams to achieve extraordinary outcomes.

- Inspire a passion for innovation

- Learn how to develop a compelling and forward-thinking vision

- Encourage your team to think outside the box

Mix and mingle with your fellow leaders over a cup of coffee and light refreshments.

As the energy and resources sector grows increasingly complex and competitive, effective leadership is more critical than ever. Drawing from her experience leading in the largest, wholly government-owned electricity company in Australia, a rapidly expanding organisation, Belinda will share actionable insights into thriving as a leader in dynamic and challenging environments.

- Cultivate the essential qualities needed to lead through change

- Recognise and overcome key barriers to success

- Build resilience and maintain focus in times of adversity

As leaders, speaking up, having difficult conversations, and leading discussions that create real value, are core parts of the everyday role. But how can leaders effectively build rapport and develop impactful communication styles, particularly when it comes to integrating or providing feedback? In this session Amy will explore strategies to facilitate open and authentic discussions, while leaning into your unique strengths.

- Be prepared to engage with various audiences, personalities and perspectives

- Learn to adjust your communication approaches 

- Overcome challenges in providing effective feedback

Enjoy a midday lunch break. A time to refresh, refuel, and prepare for a full afternoon of immersive learning and inspiration.

Understanding workplace relationships and power dynamics is key, no matter your role, from recent graduate to senior executive. Navigating these structures helps you influence others, drive projects, and make your voice heard. This panel will explore the move away from traditional hierarchies and provide insights on how to navigate modern workplace dynamics successfully.

- Identify different types of relationships at work

- Explore hierarchical vs matrix structures and the considerations for both types of organisation

- Gain strategies for mastering relationships and navigating complexities

Work-life balance is a goal, but there's no one-size-fits-all approach to managing competing priorities. Whether you call it balance or boundaries, we’re all navigating how to integrate our professional and personal lives, but sometimes the pressure to manage it all can feel overwhelming or lead to burnout. In this session, Sahra will explore what work-life integration looks like in practice, and share mindful decision-making strategies to align your actions with your top priorities.

- Set boundaries to prioritise what matters most to you

- Adjusting priorities as circumstances change

- Identifying your core values

A quick break to refresh and continue building your network with fellow leaders. Enjoy a light refreshment before finishing day one.

While we can't predict the exact technical skills that organisations will need in five years, one thing is certain - soft skills will always be in demand. In this session, Michelle will demonstrate how strong interpersonal skills are the key to positioning yourself as a leader who can effectively work across all levels of an organisation. Drawing on her experience in implementing safety systems across various sectors and on different timelines, she will show you how to hone these skills to not only create stronger workplace relationships but also open doors to greater influence and career growth.

- Understand the value of diverse viewpoints in augmenting your world view 

- Futureproof with a long-term strategic plan 

- Strengthen your collaboration and communication skills  

As day one of the conference comes to a close, take a moment to reflect on today's insights and how they can shape your journey. What key takeaways will help you move closer to your personal and professional goals?

Join us for our end of day one networking. Enjoy canapés and drinks whilst getting to know your peers further, build ongoing relationships, and share your highlights of the day.

Welcome back for Day Two - there's a lot to digest from our amazing speakers and action modules so far!

Recap the key learnings and takeaways from Day One, and prep an action plan to maximise your event experience over our jam-packed second day!

In an increasingly globalised and remote world, leading geographically dispersed teams presents both unique challenges and opportunities. In this session, Trudy will share strategies for fostering collaboration, communication, and trust across different locations, while leveraging the diverse strengths that come from a geographically varied workforce.

- Building trust and cohesion across remote and diverse teams

- Maintaining team engagement and culture in a virtual environment

- Using technology to facilitate seamless coordination and productivity

Workplace diversity isn’t just a slogan, it’s a strategic business imperative. Renate is a passionate advocate for inclusion and championed groundbreaking initiatives, including engaging the first female powerline workers and launching an electrical engineering scholarship for women. Join her as she shares powerful insights and practical strategies for balancing the scales and building a truly inclusive workforce.

- Understand the benefits and barriers of diverse teams

- Explore varied thoughts for more creative ways to solve problems

- Utilise local acts of inclusion for culture change

Mix and mingle with your fellow leaders over a cup of coffee and light refreshments.

In today’s fast-paced, interconnected world, the ability to approach challenges with a “big picture” mindset is critical for effective problem-solving as a leader. In this session, Vida will share how she successfully breaks down complex problems by understanding the broader context and considering long-term impacts. Learn how to zoom out, identify key patterns, and apply strategic thinking to find innovative solutions.

- Develop a comprehensive approach to problem-solving

- Leverage strategic thinking to generate creative solutions

- Understand long-term impacts to make informed decisions

Imagine having all the capabilities and tools at your fingertips, but still feeling held back by your own self-talk and limiting perceptions? Building these skills will often push you outside your comfort zone, and require elevated ways of thinking to approach challenges. Join Deborah as she explores how, with the right tools, you can build confidence, reshape your focus, and thrive both professionally and personally. 

- Take charge of building your confidence as a leader to influence with impact

- Reframe your thoughts and behaviours to achieve success

- Understand and leverage NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) strategies for personal growth

Enjoy a midday lunch break. A time to refresh, refuel, and prepare for a full afternoon of immersive learning and inspiration.

Navigating your career as a leader often requires taking bold steps and embracing uncertainty. For many women, the journey can be further complicated by self-doubt or hesitating to pursue roles we don’t feel 100% qualified for. So, how can you confidently decide the best path forward in your career? In this panel, leaders share their personal experiences and reflect on what they've learned from pivotal moments, calculated risks, and unexpected insights.

- Turning challenges into opportunities for growth

- Harnessing your unique leadership strengths

- Staying curious and committed to lifelong learning

A quick break to refresh and continue building your network with fellow leaders.

Great leaders don’t just set goals, they inspire action. Discover how to articulate a vision that resonates with your team, aligns with organisational objectives, and sparks sustained motivation. In this session, Sarah will share how to craft a compelling vision that moves beyond words on a page and drives real, measurable outcomes.

 - Transparent communication and collaboration

- Inspire a shared vision to guide teams through change

- Embrace change as an opportunity for growth and innovation

We wrap up our inspirational and jam packed two days with this interactive action planning session. This is your chance to table any topic or trend for a final group discussion. Reflecting on the inspiring stories that have been shared, discussing your key learnings with your peers, and creating your action plan for moving forward.

- Reflect on your key learnings from the Summit

- Identify opportunities for career progression and growth

- Create an action plan for your leadership journey

Develop self-awareness and authenticity

- Lead authentically through values-based leadership

- Identify personal strengths and potential de-railers as a leader

- Optimise your leadership style for your organisation

High level communication, influence, and negotiation skills

- Manage emotions for effective, assertive communication

- Develop your “conversational intelligence”

- Prepare for and successfully navigate difficult conversations 

Develop self and others with reflective leadership

- Recognise the benefits of reflection

- Develop skills for effective reflective practice

- Apply reflection to enhance organisational culture

Strategic career progression

- Create a personal leadership plan

- Build relationships for professional opportunities

- Manage personal branding and visibility effectively

Strategies to accelerate team performance

- Leverage team dynamics to optimise performance

- Challenge, support, and empower others to excel 

- Develop strategies to manage uncooperative team members

Drive change and innovation

- Recognise and overcome obstacles to change

- Trust your instincts, embrace risks, and push boundaries

- Create a culture of positive change 

Remain productive in a crisis

- Build resilience to thrive under pressure

- Support your team and engage others to deliver

- Provide and accept feedback after crisis

Action planning for leadership

- Plan approaches for short and long-term goals

- Identify and understand personal and organisational challenges

- Share approaches to move your career forward