Empowering women: NQ Women’s Leadership Forum
The inaugural NQ Women’s Leadership Forum, taking place on November 8 in Townsville, aims to create an inclusive environment where women from various backgrounds can connect, share experiences, and empower one another.
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With a vision rooted in connection and empowerment, the inaugural NQ Women’s Leadership Forum invites attendees to explore their potential in a supportive community.
Held November 8 in Townsville, this event will feature an inspiring lineup of speakers, including Townsville women Clair Ryder, Keesha Booth, Tara Harrold, Sandra Brown and Janelle Poole, as well as Olympic medalist and Dr Jana Pittman.
NQ Women’s Leadership Forum organiser Dianne Newell said the forum aimed to ignite meaningful discussions that empower women to embrace their leadership journeys, cultivate confidence, and build lasting connections that transcend industry boundaries.
“I hope attendees will have a new sense of confidence in their own potential. Where they will make connections and know that they have support in the broader Townsville community.”
Dianne said the line-up of speakers was an inspiring one.
“Jana Pittman’s story is inspiring with her Olympic career, studying to be a doctor while also raising six children. She has an interest in women’s health. She’s very humble. I think there will be many people that will relate to her and her story,” Dianne told NQ Weekend.
“I really wanted local speakers as well that have something different to share. Both Keesha and Clair are leaders in their chosen fields and have made positive change which brings a unique perspective that deserves to be shared with others.”
Clair will share her groundbreaking work in establishing an ethical distillery, and Keesha will share her work in advocating for gender justice through sports.
Other speakers at the forum include Tara Harrold, Sandra Brown, Janelle Poole and Kieran Keyes.
“The range of speakers we have has emerging leaders, small business owners and experienced leaders. They will all have a different perspective that they will be able to share with others.”
Clair Ryder: The Essence of ‘Why’
Among the local speakers is proud Wiradjuri woman Clair Ryder and the founder of On Country Craft Distillery.
Clair’s journey has not been without obstacles, yet she perseveres, embodying the power of purpose.
“I hope to convey the power of ‘why’,” Clair explained. “Every endeavour has a ‘why’, a motivating factor and a driving reason.
“Being a leader can be incredibly tough, and there will be days when you have doubts and face overwhelming challenges, and frankly consider giving up and ask yourself ‘Why am I doing this?’.
“Having the right ‘why’ is essential to guide you through these moments, and help ensure you remain true to yourself and your mission, and don’t get lost in the chaos of life.”
Clair said she also wanted to encourage forum attendees to recognise their own strengths, and have the courage to back themselves.
“In our society, women all too often take a back seat, working to further the dreams of others and creating barriers to their own success. We easily recognise the strengths of others, but quickly downplay our own capacity.
“There are enough challenges, enough battles outside of our own minds, we don’t need to create these additional burdens. There comes a time where you need to be brave, take a chance, and bet on yourself.”
Clair’s commitment to ethical practices within her distillery signifies a larger movement towards representation and respect for First Nations people.
“I was frustrated by the lack of First Nations representation and consultation within the distilling industry. I saw an array of unethical practices, including blackwashing, unscrupulous bushtucker harvesting practices, and the harmful use of sacred plants. When I learned that there were no distilleries 100% owned and managed by First Nations women, that was the breaking point because I truly thought that we were better represented.
“I felt frustrated that I could not drive change from the outside, and my elders urged me to lead by example rather than begging others to act, so I set to work. I established On Country Craft Distillery as a grassroots business to showcase that it is possible to run an ethical distillery that serves as a nation-building enterprise to the benefit of the community. A portion of our profits go back to the community, supporting conservation and women’s empowerment projects, and everything we do is held to the highest ethical standards, caring for people, place, and culture.”
Clair addresses and challenges the negative stigma associated with First Nations people and alcohol through her business.
“First Nations People and Alcohol, and that has been used to exclude our people from many key conversations,” she said. “We are trying to address that through industry advocation, empowerment and representation, celebrating our cultural pride and heritage, community engagement, promoting environmental stewardship, and educational outreach. It’s a long list of interventions, but we are trying to tackle generationally ingrained racist stereotypes, and that is incredibly challenging. I use every tool at my disposal as a Social Worker, trying to enact change, but this sort of thing takes time, patience, and a whole lot of resilience.”
Keesha Booth: Leading with Authenticity
Keesha is the General Manager of the Grass Skirt Project, and will also grace the forum with her powerful insights.
As a woman of Australian and Papua New Guinean heritage, Keesha draws heavily from her cultural roots in her advocacy work.
“My heritage is the foundation of my advocacy,” she explained, showcasing how understanding identity is crucial in discussing justice and equality. “Being deeply connected to my cultural roots has shaped my understanding of justice, equity, and community. It informs the work I do with the Grass Skirt Project, particularly in how we address gender justice and create pathways for women to thrive. I believe that through honouring our histories and traditions, we can build more inclusive spaces that empower marginalised voices, especially in the realm of sports, where we often see the intersection of identity, power, and inequality.”
As a guest speaker at the forum, Keesha’s session is titled “Love, Lead & Liberate: The Power of Kick-starting Conversations for Social Change’ which will centre around the transformative potential of authenticity in leadership.
Keesha aims to inspire attendees to lead from a place of authenticity.
“I plan to explore how we can love with intention, lead from the heart, and use our personal stories to liberate both ourselves and others,” she said. “ I’ll share insights from my own journey - both professionally and personally - including the difficult trade-offs we sometimes must make to fully embrace our authentic power. Through these stories, I hope to inspire attendees to see their leadership as an extension of their true selves and as a force for meaningful change.”
Keesha’s experience of being featured in Jess Hill’s “Asking For It” series on SBS was a pivotal moment for her.
“It gave us the platform to ignite a conversation not traditionally seen by mainstream media on men discussing consent, pleasure and relationship expectations and utilising a local art studio to make this conversation for change occur was unforgettable.
“The experience deepened my commitment to exploring innovative approaches to violence prevention that are centered on healing and finding a common ground. It reinforced my belief that when we share our stories, we can spark collective action and demand systemic or social change.”
Keesha is also well-known in the community for her involvement in helping to organise Townsville’s first Youth Pride event and the Townsville Youth Human Rights Forum.
“Organising Townsville’s first Youth Pride event and the Townsville Youth Human Rights Forum was incredibly rewarding,” Keesha said. “These events created spaces where young people could feel seen, heard, and celebrated.
“One of the key outcomes was the empowerment of youth to advocate for their own rights.
“By providing them with the tools and the platform, we saw a tangible shift in their confidence and capacity to lead. Additionally, these events fostered important connections across communities, highlighting the power of solidarity and collective action in advancing human rights.”
A Collective Endeavor
The significance of the NQ Women’s Leadership Forum extends beyond individual speakers, it it embodies a community aimed at creating supporting networks.
Dianne highlighted the importance of community involvement in making the forum happen.
“The response from the local community and businesses has been overwhelmingly positive. Many local businesses have recognised the value of demonstrating their commitment towards empowering women and have actively supported the event, whether through sponsorships, promoting the forum, or providing resources to ensure its success - the support is crucial to the success.
“It demonstrates the shared commitment towards supporting women in leadership and lends credibility to the importance of the event. We only have a few remaining seats left which shows the commitment from community and businesses.”
Dianne said she would like to see the forum become an annual event.
“We’ve already had sponsors indicate that they want to be involved again next year which is encouraging. Post this event, we will ask for feedback from attendees including who they would like to see speak next year. I’ve had people contact me expressing an interest to speak next year. Once this one is done, we may open for nominations on local speakers for 2025. But we need to get through this one first, breathe a little and then make a start on planning for next year.”
Dianne said she was also planning the NQ Men’s Leadership Breakfast for the end of January. “This will focus on the stigma of men remaining silent during health matters. Wally Lewis is our keynote speaker.”
Forum tickets: peopleculturelink.com.au
Originally published as Empowering women: NQ Women’s Leadership Forum
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