What is the WITH Insights Mentor Circle Program?

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The WITH Insights Mentor Circle is a mentoring program for women with career aspirations in leadership roles within the tourism and hospitality industries. WITH WA offers this 6-month program exclusively to WITH WA members only.

The WITH Insights Mentor Circle brings together accomplished leaders and women to develop their confidence, build their network and gain new skills. This is an incredible opportunity for Mentors to give back to the industry and pass on their knowledge and skills to the next generation of leaders.

Mentees are carefully matched with a Mentor who can support, upskill and empower them in their career progression into leadership roles.

WITH WA’s mission is to support the career progression of women in tourism and hospitality, which is the key motivator for the program. In addition to being matched with a suitable Mentor, Mentees are given access to WITH WA members via networking events. These events feature industry leaders sharing knowledge as well as an opportunity to meet and connect with industry peers. The program offers an opportunity to learn invaluable skills designed to assist with career progression into leadership roles in the industry.

The WITH Insights Mentor Circle program is proudly sponsored by Tourism WA, Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre, and AV Partners.

WHY WITH WA is delivering this program?

To address challenges and mitigate barriers to career progression for women with leadership aspirations.
To assist women to advance their skills and bolster the industry with empathetic, skilled, and understanding leaders.
To help women be confident and successful in their careers.
To equip our future female leaders with the key leadership and life skills they need to thrive.

Through discussion and surveys, WITH WA identified that women are confronted with roadblocks to career advancement that are specific to women in the workplace. This program enables us to help women in the industry to have support and guidance when taking their next step into leadership.

What is a Mentor Circle?

A Mentor Circle brings together a Mentor with a group of Mentees to work together through the program. The Mentor is an industry professional who will guide the small group of Mentees through the 6-month program. Mentees benefit from the Mentor’s experience and guidance as well as through connections with fellow Mentees and the creation of a peer support network.

Who can be a Mentee?

Mentees must be financial members of WITH WA with three (3) years industry experience and have demonstrated aspirations to advance into a leadership role.

Participants should be able to demonstrate that they have the drive and desire to make a difference by advancing themselves into a leadership role.

Mentees must have the capacity and availability to commit to six sessions that will be delivered each month in a circle session with Mentors and other Mentees.

Participants are encouraged to provide a letter of support from an employer or colleague. Applications for the 2024 program have closed.

Who are the Mentors?

This program brings together forward-thinking, progressive, and visionary leaders from the industry, in and around Western Australia.

The WITH WA management committee has invited Industry Mentors that will guide and support successful Mentees into the next phase of their careers over the course of the program. Our Mentors have demonstrated their knowledge and commitment first-hand in a variety of senior leadership roles. During their career, they have been confronted with the challenges that face the next generation and understand personally how to overcome career challenges to advance themselves to industry leaders. These individuals are driving industry change and leading others.

We're excited to announce our 2024 Mentors!

Meet The Mentors

Catrin Allsop

With more than 19 years' experience in the tourism industry, Catrin brings strong leadership, proven strategic implementation and effective stakeholder engagement skills to the organisation and region.

Catrin's industry representation includes Board Member of the South West Development Commission and Regional Development Australia South West, and significant involvement in key industry project areas such as product development, aviation and trails marketing as well as various collaborations with industry stakeholders in developing partnerships to increase co-operation in destination management.

Catrin holds a Bachelor of Arts (hons) in International Management and Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration.

Ali Banks

Passionate, experienced, and eager to explore the world, Ali is an inspiring force in the travel industry. With an initial career in education, her adventures as an Exchange Student and a European Tour Director ignited her passion for the travel and the tourism industry, where she's thrived for over 27 years, including part of the challenging era of Covid-19.

Ali's diverse career spans roles from Teacher, Consultant and Manager to Sales & Coaching. Having visited all 7 continents, Ali excels at sharing her first-hand destination knowledge via training and coaching travel consultants and through her involvement with Skål International (Past President of Skål International Perth 2017-2019).

During the pandemic, Ali's passion for cycling led her to advocate as Membership Manager at WestCycle.

Beyond travel, she's raised over $620,000 for cancer research with her team for Perth's Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research.

Angela Beechey

Angela’s strong communication and social skills, coupled with her logical and creative thinking, have enabled her focus on problem solving to play a key role in the successful delivery of major marketing and transformation projects around Australia.

Angela is currently the Strategic Policy Manager at the Australian Hotels Association WA, championing advocacy and policy reform for accommodation, tourism, and workforce development.

In her spare time, Angela manages a non-for-profit, Healthy Mind Menu, an industry-led initiative that recognises a key ingredient in tourism hospitality is its people. Healthy Mind Menu provides free mental health support for the industry and is creating Australia’s first industry-specific blueprint for mental health.

Carol McCracken

Carol is a travel & tourism professional who is extremely passionate about our industry. She has a wealth of knowledge and expertise with over 35 years’ experience in a variety of roles including CEO, Airport Manager and Head of Marketing & Communications in sectors including aviation, hotels, business events and corporate travel in the UK, Australia and Spain.

She is committed to influencing positive outcomes and advancing our industry. With a proven track record of strong leadership and driving excellence, she provides a blend of strategic direction, vision and capability.

Carol is a Board Director for TCWA and Visit Mandurah.

Suzy Parravicini

Suzy's a seasoned strategic manager and board executive with 25 years of knowledge gained across Australia in NSW, Tassie and WA. Developing and driving strategic results and growth across the public, private and NFP sector.

Her network spans across diverse industries. Using her entrepreneurial vision, tenacity and gift of the gab, she's gathered connections with the best people, agencies and brains trusts. It’s helped her drive award winning success.

It's possible that she currently has the best office in all of Perth! She's privileged to be the leader of a great team and custodian of an incredibly beautiful asset that belongs to the people of Western Australia, known as Araluen Botanic Park.

Tracey
Cinavas-Prosser

As Director of Client Engagement, Tracey takes care of all client facing events and activations for Business Events Perth.

With a wealth of industry knowledge spanning three decades, Tracey is well placed to showcase WA to our client base.

Tracey spent the previous four years heading up Destination Perth, promoting WA as a desirable leisure destination but has returned to her first love business events, having previously worked for Business Events Perth for eleven years in the roles of Director Stakeholders Relations and Membership Manager.

Tracey hails from Guernsey in the Channel Islands before migrating to Perth in 2004. In Guernsey, Tracey was Director of CMA Public Relations, where she headed up the events team.

Karen Priest

Karen Priest’s extensive career spans 35 years in the tourism and hospitality sector in the United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.

Karen is the Principal of Smart Talent, a boutique consultancy which provides strategic marketing solutions, recruitment, training, mentoring and advice to the tourism industry.

She has gained significant destination marketing and management experience working in senior roles with various local, regional, state, and national tourism agencies, including Tourism Australia, Tourism Western Australia, New Caledonia Tourism, Tourism South West and Mandurah and Peel Tourism Organisation.

Karen has worked in the wine industry, the caravan and camping sector, recruitment and has an extensive hotel management background. In 2012, she was the recipient of the Australian Hotels Association (Western Australia) Executive Level Manager Award.

Karen is known for developing and implementing strong growth strategies using her effective leadership, sales, marketing, communication, mentoring and presentation skills.

With her passion for tourism and striving to help individuals and businesses succeed, she is highly regarded by the industry as a specialist in her field.

Kate Sinfield

Kate's passionate about community; helping people and assisting others to live full fun adventurous lives.
She has two future plans/goals. Firstly to create work experience based programs to assist people to gain employment. Secondly to elevate the profile of working in the hospitality & tourism industry.

She's a professional company director and accountant with extensive business experience principally in the Hospitality, Hotel & Distillery industries always working closely with Tourism to enhance the visitor experience.

Kate started Sin Gin Distillery in 2016, her purpose is to help people have Good Times with Great Gin. Sin Gin is a vibrant and established gin distillery in the Swan Valley.

As a Perth hotel owner for 15 years she worked closely with industry associations, government, universities and technical colleges creating and growing training programs for hotel workers through work experience based courses. Through the programs run at The Murray Hotel 100s of people who had difficulty "getting an opportunity" have found employment, self-esteem and friends.
Kate's a board member for Not for Profit organisations and work closely with Chairs and Boards developing, implementing and evolving business strategies, contemporary corporate governance and risk management practices.

What's involved?

The WITH Insights Mentor Circle program will be structured and delivered to participants in a small group environment, and at special networking events. Participants will learn first-hand about approaches that can remove barriers for women as they progress through their careers and into leadership roles. With access to their Mentor, special guest speakers and other participants, each Mentee will graduate from the program with a career path, skills, knowledge and an established network of support and contacts to help them grow.

The themes of the program will include:

Career Path Guidance and Goal Setting
Overcoming Career Hurdles
Presenting with Courage and Influence
Networking and Personal Branding
Financial Literacy for Managers
Final Session and Graduation.

The program offers access to a network of skilled professional women who can offer career path guidance, through the sharing of personal experience and practical tips to succeed. Successful participants will join as a small group, once a month over six sessions. Delivery of the program will be via shared storytelling, and in collaboration with other industry leaders. Guest speakers will join sessions to present on some of the key business and life skills invaluable for a successful career journey.

Mentors will facilitate the sessions with Mentees in a group circle over the series to engage with other fellow Mentees and establish long-term professional connections with peers. Each participant is encouraged to grow and become empowered to advance their career.

Participants will be provided access to links and resources and opportunities to share learnings over the course of the program.

Once the registration and selection process has been completed and participants announced, the program commences in February 2024.

Available to a limited number of mentees through an application process with a fee payment towards professional development.

The WITH Insights Mentor Circle program sessions are scheduled to be held in the Perth CBD once a month for the duration of the program.

For a commitment of up to two hours per month for six months, a per person fee is charged. You could be part of the next intake of mentees to have direct access to skilled senior professionals who can open doors and help kick start your career as a leader.

Mentee program $350 fee will include:
- One-on-one time with your Mentor.
- Mentor Circle sessions featuring special guest speakers to cover key business and life skills for leaders.
- Refreshments for each session.
- Networking with industry professionals and access to WITH WA member events.

Key Dates

The Program Schedule and themes are outlined below. Please note, any of the dates below may be subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, however we commit to providing as much notification of this as possible.

A Mentor Briefing Session will be scheduled to occur in late February 2024.

13th March 2024 - Career Path Guidance and Goal setting
17th April 2024 - Overcoming Career Hurdles
15th May 2024 - Presenting with Courage and Influence
19th June 2024 - Networking and Personal Branding
17th July 2024 - Financial Literacy for Managers
14th August 2024 – Final Session and Graduation

TESTIMONIALS

'An inspiring and enlightening opportunity to learn from some industry icons and fellow aspiring female leaders. From personal branding, overcoming hurdles, financial acumen and much more, the knowledge gained from this experience is unparalleled and certain to catapult any leader forward in their career. Women supporting women is a truly special thing and it is a joy to be part of such a fantastic community. Thank you WITH!'

Kayla Flemming, Mentee 2023

'To have an opportunity to be guided and connected with some amazing leaders in our industry was too great to pass up. And it didn't disappoint! Learning how career pathways can develop, the fears and doubts we all have and the strength in a network was priceless. I have walked away with a re found passion for my industry, a pathway for my next steps and a great support network.'

Catherine Isaacs, Mentee 2023

Why should I register?

I want to become a future leader in our industry and I’m ready to take the next step in my career.
I want to develop my skills around career progression and advancement.
I am looking for support for the challenges I face in stepping up in your industry.
I am keen to increase my financial literacy to help me gain that next promotion.
I would like to learn how to become influential through public speaking and presenting.
I want to gain tips on self-branding.

2024 Mentor Program CLOSED

Registrations for the 2024 program has closed.

If you're interested in future Mentoring opportunities, become a member or join our newsletter to stay up to date.

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