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New scholarship to support women leaders in major projects

22 January 2018
Research shows building leadership pathways is critical to achieve gender diversity in companies. A new scholarship from the John Grill Centre for Project Leadership is set to support women leaders of major projects.

The John Grill Centre for Project Leadership at the University of Sydney announced a new scholarship to support women leaders of major and business-defining projects.

The 2018 Women Leaders in Projects Scholarship is open for the first time in 2018 and will cover the full course fees of the Executive Leadership in Major Projects (ELMP) program, run by the John Grill Centre.

Chief Executive Officer of the John Grill Centre, Professor Suresh Cuganesan, said the scholarship aims to support the new generation of female project leaders with the capabilities needed for project success.

“Diversity in teams, particularly among an organisation’s leadership, not only says a lot about an organisation’s values and vision but also makes good business sense,” said Professor Cuganesan.

“The John Grill Centre for Project Leadership is committed to advancing gender equity and support the career progression of women who are leading major and business-defining projects.”

A 2016 report from the United States Studies Centre found senior leadership development and building leadership pathways is critical to achieve gender diversity in companies. 

ELMP participant Trish Long said the program had a profound impact on her leadership skills and insights to leadership.

“It helped me clarify and understand the importance of defining how a “Project” fits within the larger organisational strategy,” said Ms Long.

“ELMP provided me the opportunity to reflect on my leadership styles, and how they can influence and create a collaborative culture within my team, and with other project stakeholders.

“This, along with many other aspects from the program, has helped to achieve a successful project and business outcome.”

Professor Suresh Cuganesan said the John Grill Centre is proud to offer the very first Women Leaders in Projects Scholarship.

“Our female participants of the Executive Leadership in Major Project program have made remarkable contributions to the projects they lead and developed strong links with the communities they serve,” said Professor Cuganesan.

“We couldn’t be more excited about the initial response to this new scholarship and look forward to awarding many more scholarships in the future to promote increased diversity among project leaders.” 

The 2018 Women Leaders in Projects Scholarship is open to female applicants that have completed an undergraduate degree, graduate diploma/certificate or equivalent at an institution with a minimum weighted average mark of 65. More details about eligibility are available here

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