In late February, Qantas International CEO Simon Hickey launched the 2013 Women@Qantas Mentoring Program at which 24 talented senior women were recognised for their abilities and value to the organisation.
Managed by McCarthy Mentoring for the past four years, the mentoring program demonstrates the importance Qantas Group places on recognising, promoting and developing its female talent. In last year’s cohort, the 24 high potential women were chosen from Sydney, Melbourne, London and Auckland to receive support in their careers and transition into leadership roles. Of those, 63% have been promoted since commencing and with 31.5% of senior roles occupied by women and a third of its executive team, Qantas is close to meeting its goal of 35% women in senior roles by 2015.
Key benefits listed by the 2012 cohort included greater confidence, improved motivation, clearer career direction, developed leadership skills and a better management approach.
The program is part of the Qantas Talent & Diversity initiative.
Please see below a short video of the 2013 launch event. The film includes extracts of the speeches by Qantas International CEO Simon Hickey, Executive Manager of Qantas Freight, Lisa Brock and Sophie McCarthy. It also includes a panel discussion on the first hand experiences of past mentees.
Women at Qantas 2013 Mentoring Program from Tessa Sexton on Vimeo.
