The nationwide professional development program has recorded the largest number yet of applicants and mentees from indie agencies in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.
It will see 39 mentees participate in this year’s IMAA Female Leaders of Tomorrow program.
The mentees – all emerging female industry leaders from IMAA member agencies and partners across NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia – were selected from a pool of applicants.
The program, now in its third intake, is designed for women who currently hold manager/director positions, with a minimum of five years’ experience in any media agency or associated discipline.
This year’s applications were judged by program facilitator, WeGrow founder, Wendy Gower, along with previous program mentors; former Audible regional general manager – head of APAC, Leanne Cartwright-Bradford, and Fractional CMO, Belinda Gruebner, across a range of criteria, including a written endorsement from agency leaders, a 90-second video application and a written submission, covering their goals, areas for development and what they will bring and give to the program.
The successful applicants will now be paired with media and marketing executives for leadership support, professional development, guidance and industry insights across online and face-to-face sessions, all facilitated by Wendy Gower.
The 2026 Female Leaders of Tomorrow mentees are: Maryellen Arkinson – Impressive; Cassandra Atherinos – Seven Network; Tania Babela – Hatched Media; Raksha Bandu – Media Republic; Mallory Cassidy – Sunny Advertising; Emily Changizi – REA Group; Gabby Corcoran – Channel Factory; Luisa Estigoy – Apparent; Clare Farrugia – Hatched Media; Tatiana Fernandez – AdMatic; Emma Fry – Southern Cross Austereo; Caitlyn Grant – This Is Flow; Sarah Halliday – BFJ Digital; Maddie Kulk – C7EVEN Communications; Adrienne Le Mura – Pivotus; Kathy Lu – Nexxen; Hannah Mannion – Yango; Aimee McCall – JCDecaux; Ella McConnell – oOh! Media; Maddie McMahon – News Australia; Esha Nandhra – QMS Media; Elaina Opare – The Media Store; Natalia Papas – News Australia; Haemund Pong – Slingshot; Alison Powell – Bishopp; Stephanie Pratt – Cummins and Partners; Katherine Rafferty – The Marketing Room; Ana Reyes – Orange Line; Alex Rhead – StackAdapt; Angie Angel Sigmin – The Speed Agency; Jemelle Silvestre – AdTorque Edge; Megan Simmonds – Network 10; Erin Stafford – Joy Agency; Vanessa Thaler – Soup Agency; Lauren Tyler – News Australia; Nicole Wagenecht – ABL Digital Media; Ramona Wardan – Equality Media; Brittany White – REA Group; Ella-Jane Williams – Unify.
“The judging process for this year’s programme was once again a testament to the incredible female talent in our industry, all seeking to accelerate their careers with support from experienced mentors. While the calibre of candidates gives us confidence in the industry’s future, it also made our decisions difficult, as we just couldn’t select everyone,” Wendy Gower said.
“I’m deeply grateful for the support and invaluable insight from my fellow judges throughout the judging process. Having both served as mentors in last year’s program, Leanne and Belinda brought a keen eye for the attributes that make for a successful mentee, which proved instrumental in our selections,” Gower added.
“Every year, we continue to be blown away by the quality of applicants for our Female Leaders of Tomorrow program. The sheer number of applicants, along with the high standard of applications, demonstrates the popularity of this initiative and its ability to deliver real-world change for both the industry and the participants,” IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan said.
“Last year, 100 per cent of mentees said they had improved in actively applying the leadership capabilities and learnings from the program to their current roles – it’s a testament to the programme’s ability to give mentees a more strategic approach to leadership, helping them develop their communication, their problem-solving skills and their individual leadership style,” Buchanan added.
“This program continues to be a vital part of the IMAA’s education and professional development offering. Since its inception, Female Leaders of Tomorrow has been designed to future-proof the independent media sector, supporting young women in their leadership aspirations and helping to address the shortage of women in senior agency roles. We’re looking forward to another successful year of the programme, and its contribution to the Australian media landscape”.
The 2026 Female Leaders of Tomorrow program mentors will be announced soon.
This year’s program commences on 3 February in Sydney, before moving to Melbourne, then Brisbane and Perth. It is supported by oOh!media, which will host the speed networking sessions in its offices.
