Introducing our Rising Leadership Program - June 2025 Cohort

We are excited to introduce our 2025 Rising Leadership Program – June cohort.

These 30 passionate, experienced and dedicated Western Australian leaders represent a diverse range of sectors, industries and professions – but they all have one thing in common: their dedication to making a difference and creating positive impact with their leadership. Impact that extends beyond themselves and their immediate sphere and creates ripple effects across our community.

Congratulations to our Scholarship Recipients

We are delighted to congratulate our Scholarship recipients and thank our Scholarship Partners for their support in extending our transformational leadership development Programs to leaders in sectors who would otherwise be unable to participate.

The Lotterywest Community Leadership Scholarships were awarded to Rebecca Holcroft, Zonta House Women’s Refuge and Fiorda Kule, Umbrella Multicultural Community Care Services.

As our two Lotterywest Scholarship recipients are based in the metro area, Lotterywest generously agreed to a Leadership WA Scholarship first! To extend their Scholarship’s regional travel component to the recipient of another Scholarship.

We are excited to share that Sophie Law, the Kalgoorlie-based recipient of the Mt Burdett Foundation Scholarship, has received support for her travel and accommodation from Lotterywest. The team at Lotterywest recognised that by supporting Sophie’s travel to and from our Perth-based experiential Program, they were meeting their objectives of supporting regional participation in the Rising Leadership Program and growing leadership capability in the regions. Thus, they said yes.

This combination of Scholarship support is a wonderful demonstration of positive leadership in action and what can come from out-of-the-box thinking and asking a question. Thank you Lotterywest. Inspiring.

The Leadership WA Foundation Leadership Scholarship (Ragdoll) was jointly awarded as a partial Scholarship of 50% each, to two NFP sector leaders: Christie Boyd, Crosslinks Inc and Leani Simpson, RSPCA WA.Our gratitude is shared with both of their organisations for covering the additional 50% of their fees. Thank you Crosslinks and RSPCA WA for your vision and commitment to developing your leaders.

The LeadAbility Leadership Scholarship, supported by the Department of Communities, was awarded to Kirstie Ferguson, The Wellness Initiative.

The Mt Burdett Rural and Regional Advancement Foundation Scholarship was awarded to Sophie Law, Kalgoorlie-Boulder Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Construction Training Fund (CTF) Construction Sector Leaders Scholarships were awarded to Corinna Hipper, WA Country Builders (Regional) and Kelsey D’Rozario, DT Infrastructure (Metro).

You can discover more about our Scholarships, for both the Rising and Signature Leadership Programs, here.

We wish our June 2025 cohort an outstanding leadership development journey…and look forward to sharing their experiences and achievements with you along the way. Keep an eye on our socials!

Our June 2025 Rising cohort:

• Alison Balcombe – Principal Consultant Reviews, Department of Education
• Anteneh Tefera – Maintenance Manager, Main Roads WA
• Chelsea McKinney – CEO, Community Legal WA
• Christie Boyd – Area Manager, Crosslinks inc
• Claire Boardman – Regional Director, Life Without Barriers
• Corinna Hipper – Regional Manager, WA Country Builders
• Fiorda Kule – Multicultural Manager, Umbrella Multicultural Community Care Services Inc
• Gillian Luke – Principal Legal Officer, Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage
• Janica Lukas – Distribution Grid Strategy and Planning Manager, Western Power
• Julian Gomez – Manager, Demonstration Projects, RAC
• Kelsey D’Rozario – Senior Communications Advisor, DT Infrastructure
• Kirstie Ferguson – Founder, The Wellness Initiative
• Kristie Kent – Manager Workforce Services, Department of Finance
• Lauren Fraser – Strategic Business Manager, Western Power
• Leani Simpson – Manager People, Safety and Culture, RSPCA WA
• Meghan (Meg) Hughes – Partnerships Manager, Royal Flying Doctor Service
• Monica Bell – A/Compliance Manager, Department of Communities
• Paul Brace – Lead Business Analysis, CBH Group
• Peter (Pete) Steeger -Sergeant, WA Police Force
• Peter Kempster – Works Delivery Manager – Generation, Horizon Power
• Phillip (Phil) Hay – District Officer Avon, Department of Fire and Emergency Services
• Rebecca Holcroft – Accommodation Manager, Zonta House Women’s Refuge
• Renier Grobler – Supply and Distribution Manager, South Coastal Agencies
• Richard Solomon – A/Chief Financial Officer, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research
• Ridge Adamson – Superintendent, Contractor Management Programs, BHP
• Sarah Court – Manager Built Environment, Department of Transport
• Sathya Nimalan – Senior Finance and IT Manager, Holyoake
• Sophie Law – Business Adviser, Kalgoorlie-Boulder Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Whitney Nicholls – Coordinator Business Support, Department of Communities
• Yeung (Kelvin) Kong – Manager of Assistive Technology and Innovation, Superyou Therapy (PeopleKind Group)