Leadership that transforms you and the industry you're in.
A scholarship program for women in Tasmania and their employers.
Fully subsidised · 40 places · Hobart · Launceston · Online · Aug – Dec 2026
Made For This delivers transformation in two ways: It develops women's leadership capability through immersive self development, mentoring and peer networks; and at the same time it supports employers to make changes to workplace systems and culture to enable women's progression.
Individual development, however transformational, is not sufficient on its own. Women should not have to become more resilient simply to compensate for environments that were not designed with them in mind.
Leadership is understood here as a practice, not a position. The focus is on understanding yourself, deepening self-awareness, emotional health and adaptive capacity — and on engaging others to achieve success, acknowledging that leadership carries an obligation to communities and the wider world.
The Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPAC) has been funding the Tasmanian Women's Leadership Scholarship Grants Program with various delivery partners since 2015. It is a core component of the Tasmanian Government's Equal Means Equal strategy.
"The barriers women face are not deficits in women. They are features of workplace cultures, power structures and leadership norms — and they can be changed."
Delivered between August and December 2026 in Hobart and Launceston. The program moves from the personal to the systemic - building from within. Each module includes a guest speaker who will share their story and act as provocateur for a dynamic facilitated discussion. Participants receive a resources pack, journal notebook and can enjoy delicious food from local caterers.
Taking personal responsibility, developing emotional health, and integrating the Three Centres of Intelligence — head, heart and body — to build self-awareness. Participants explore defensive patterns and learn adaptive leadership responses.
Building relational capability through coaching conversations, feedback techniques, deep listening and collaborative decision-making. As participants bring these practices into their workplaces, they begin to shift the interpersonal norms that sustain exclusionary cultures.
Developing the capacity to identify, analyse and challenge structural barriers. Participants apply a rigorous framework for power and privilege analysis directly to the environments they work in — naming what limits women's progression and building the skills to lead change.
A special celebration event for participants and employers.
Developing capable women leaders is necessary but not enough; the environments they return to must also change.
Two structured Employer Engagement Sessions are included for CEOs, Directors and Managers. These two sessions are online: 17 September and 15 October, 2-4pm. They are leadership development experiences in their own right, and introduce the WGEA Gender Equality Diagnostic Tool to assess and address structural conditions within your organisation.
Executive sponsors within participants' organisations make an active commitment to examine and shift their own leadership culture, creating climates where collaboration thrives, modelling adaptive leadership behaviours, and advancing women's visibility — for the benefit of everyone.
The program is open to women at any career stage who are ready to invest in their development and their capacity to lead change. We are particularly seeking applications from women in industries where they are a minority of the workforce.
Women in industries where they make up most of the workforce but remain under-represented in leadership are also welcome to apply. Please make a case in your application.
Eligibility note: State government employees are not eligible to apply. Applications from Federal Government and Local Government employees will be considered.
The program actively welcomes applications from:
Each participant is matched with a mentor for the full duration of the program. Mentors offer individual support, share experience of navigating leadership in complex environments, and help participants connect their learning to real workplace challenges.
Mentors are drawn from Tasmanian and national networks, recruited in partnership with the Tasmanian Women's Council and the Global Leadership Foundation alumni network.
We are looking for experienced women leaders who have navigated male-dominated workplaces and are willing to invest in the next generation. You do not need a formal coaching background, what matters most is genuine commitment, relevant experience and the ability to listen well.
A commitment of monthly one-to-one sessions of at least 60 minutes, August–December 2026.
Attendance at a 1.5-hour online Mentor Orientation on 20 August (6–7.30pm).
A willingness to share your experience honestly, the lessons and challenges, and to support a woman who is ready to grow.
A structured intake process aligns industry context, career stage and developmental goals — so you'll be matched with a participant where the connection is likely to be meaningful for both of you.
Mentoring in this program is not a one-way relationship. Mentors consistently report that the experience deepens their own leadership thinking and reconnects them to what brought them into their field. Year-one mentors will be invited into the growing alumni network.
Peer connection is built into the design of Made For This from the start. Participants are brought together across industries and regions to build cross-sector relationships that are hard to form any other way.
Between the three face-to-face modules, facilitators will invite participants to catch up online or in-person in small self-managed groups. These are voluntary spaces for participants to share experiences, reflect on their learning, and strengthen relationships with their cohort. They will be guided with coaching questions provided as prompts for conversations. A private online platform will support ongoing connection between sessions.
Once the cohort has graduated, monthly online peer networking sessions will be offered for six months through a Community of Practice approach. These sessions support graduates and their organisations to continue the work begun in the program: consolidating learning, maintaining cross-sector connections, and applying new skills in real workplace contexts.
Facilitators remain connected to the cohort through this period, supporting follow-up evaluation and building the alumni network that will mentor the following year cohort.
Next year, the Community of Practice will be established at the program's outset and continue after graduation as an enduring peer network. Over time, the program builds a self-sustaining alumni community - a growing pipeline of women leaders across Tasmania's male-dominated industries, connected to each other and to the work of change.
Professional learning facilitator and strategist with 11 years running her own consulting business, Madfinch Pty Ltd. Former political adviser to Tasmanian Ministers and Premiers. Designed and ran the Women in Leadership Program for women in the AFL in Tasmania — the first of its kind in the country. Coach and Leadership Fellow with the Global Leadership Foundation; author of How to Train Your Political Animal.
Find out more → melindamaddock.com
Over two decades working at the intersection of leadership, gender equity, governance and evaluation. As CEO of Volunteering Tasmania, led sector-leading reform to embed gender equity as genuine organisational practice. PhD from the University of Tasmania; AICD Company Directors Course. Her consulting business, Just Beyond, designs evaluation frameworks, leads governance processes and supports organisations to secure funding.
A certified B Corp with more than 30 years of experience in individual and organisational transformation. Co-Founders Gayle Hardie and Malcolm Lazenby are authors of The Emotionally Healthy Leader and Working with Emotional Health and the Enneagram. The Foundation's methodology — that leadership and emotional health are inseparable — is at the heart of Made For This.
Find out more → globalleadershipfoundation.comleaders@womenmadeforthis.com.au
The program is free to attend. Participants are expected to cover their own travel and accommodation costs. If you are experiencing financial hardship let us know in your application.
Participants are asked to secure the commitment of their employer, ideally a CEO, Director or senior leader, to participate in the two Employer Engagement Sessions and act as your executive sponsor throughout the program.
Complete the online application form. Tell us about yourself, your industry, what brings you to this program and what you hope to contribute and gain. Applications are open until 26 July 2026.
All applications are assessed at the end of July. The panel considers readiness for development, industry context and cohort diversity.
Successful applicants will be notified by early August. You will receive details about the program, your matched mentor and next steps.
Attend the online Participant Orientation on 20 August (2–4pm) to meet your cohort, connect with your mentor, and prepare for Module 1 on 3 September.