SMG is Australia’s premier leadership development advisor. Since 1998, we’ve partnered with exceptional talent to elevate leadership skills and unlock organisational potential.
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Unlocking executive excellence
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Developing female talent
While many organisations invest in high-potential women, few embed an enterprise-wide strategy to accelerate female leaders.
SMG delivers individual and group female leadership programs, coaching and mentoring, coaching PODs, and talent pathways, within psychologically safe and supportive environments. Group learning is combined with tailored individual coaching, both grounded in our latest research on the core capabilities required to build a high-impact personal brand.
With senior leadership sponsorship and organisational alignment, these programs reduce isolation, unlock potential, shift mindsets, and connect a female leader’s purpose and values with organisational goals.
Hear from our mentors on program philosophy and practical tools for building brand presence.
Research informed programs
At SMG, our programs are backed by continuous research into the leadership needs of over 1,500 Australian leaders over the past five years. Six core capabilities consistently emerge—self-awareness, executive presence, influence, relationships, communication, and high-performing teams. For female leaders, building a strong personal brand is even more of a priority. Our female leadership programs uniquely address this need, combining individual and peer learning in psychologically safe environments, delivered by experienced coaches and mentors who have firsthand experience with the realities of C-suite leadership and boardroom accountability. Read our latest whitepaper.
Our research shows female talent thrives when individual needs align with enterprise-wide strategy.
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We include elements such as diagnostic tools, leadership development content on topics particularly relevant to female leaders, and forums for structured peer learning and building of networks. These are supported by proactively managed and supported career moves allowing access to crucial or pathway roles proven to accelerate progression into senior roles.
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Mentoring and sponsorship of female talent are widespread and they work; sponsorship by a (male) leader makes you 20% more likely to be promoted – although women are half as likely as men to have a sponsor. We take a structured approach to upskilling mentors, sponsors and line managers, to help them understand the specific issues female leaders face.
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A holistic set of policies and processes regularly reviewed through a gender lens is key. Ongoing review of key touchpoints such as EVP, recruitment, promotion, performance management and remuneration to ensure gender neutrality is paramount.
Core leadership capabilities such as stakeholder management, influencing and communication skills have been consistently identified by participants.
Closely linked to interpersonal impact but specifically relating to interaction with senior leaders and stakeholders. How to build confidence and impact with Executive stakeholders internally and externally.
Defining the next career steps, understanding the path ahead, and achieving agreed development goals with managers, as well as building and leveraging networks to support this aim.
How to become more efficient and deliver more value, both in the role but also through the team and – in future – at an enterprise level. This includes understanding and making the shift to enterprise leader.
Being open to new ideas and allowing oneself to be vulnerable are regularly Identified by participants in pre-program diagnostics, as are the benefits of peer connection and interaction, which would support this
Participants typically complete a wellness survey as part of our pre-program work, and elements of this, such as managing stress, workload pressure and focus, regularly emerge as themes in coaching conversations
Robyn Stubbs
Executive Coach and Mentor
Kerrie Kelly
Executive Coach and Mentor
Rebecca Pickering
Executive Coach and Mentor
Lesley Morris
Executive Coach and Mentor
Janet Horton
Executive Coach, Facilitator
Susan Ferrier
Executive Coach
Dr Gabby Ostrognay
Executive Coach, Facilitator
Lisa Geerlings
Executive Coach, Facilitator
Andrea Corcoran
Executive Coach, Facilitator
Sangeeta Leach
Executive Coach, Facilitator
Virginia Mansell
Founding Partner
Accelerating female leadership potential
3 October, 2025 15 min
Why leadership simulations matter for developing leaders
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The leadership advantage in superannuation
18 August, 2025 10 min
Executive presence in 2025: The capability leaders struggle to define
18 August, 2025 18 min
Why boards must shape the leadership development agenda
22 July, 2025 16 min
Leadership isn’t a solo act, even when it feels like one
2 July, 2025 9 min
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