The 2023 SheSails Leadership Conference focused on professional and volunteer pathways for women in the sport of sailing and aimed to inspire those interested in beginning or furthering a career in the industry to achieve their goals.
Featuring an incredible lineup of keynote speakers from the Australian Sailing Team (AST), Team Australia Challenge (TAC), and Emirates Team New Zealand – America’s Cup team (ETNZ) the conference was scheduled to coincide with World Sailing’s global women’s sailing festival, Steering the Course 2023.
Over 450 participants joined this year’s 1.5-hour event, delivered by webinar, which is set to further the positive trajectory of female sailors, volunteers, administrators, and officials, with a diverse range of talented industry leaders on board to present.
Four-time world champion turned AST ILCA 6 coach, Carolijn Brouwer was joined by Olympic silver medallist and co-skipper of the TAC for the inaugural Women’s America’s Cup in 2024, Olivia Price as keynote speakers.
Australian Sailing was thrilled to partner with Yachting New Zealand again in 2023, and were delighted that keynote speakers Kelly Hartzell and Tanya Peart, leading engineers from the ETNZ were able to join the speaking line up.
Michelle de Blaquiere, Head of Sailing for Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron, and Nic Douglass from Adventures of a Sailor Girl @sailorgirlhq were also speakers, talking about what is happening “out and about” at various clubs and events in regards to women. Both also focussed on their pathways into finding a career in sailing in supporting roles.
