Program Overview
HARNESS YOUR POTENTIAL, MAKE A DIFFERENCE
What makes NAWO’s mentoring program different?
Designed specifically for women and allies working in Operations, the program personally matches mentees with experienced leaders and role models drawn from within the NAWO member base to ensure a best match between mentees’ objectives and the skills and experience of our volunteer mentors.
- For mentees NAWO’s mentoring program is an investment in your future. They provide a forum for you to learn from inspiring leaders, grow your knowledge and build your network.
- For organisations, NAWO’s mentoring program helps you nurture and grow your valuable talent, giving them access to external mentors – either 1:1 or as part of a Mentoring Circle – through a series of structured sessions that have the potential to profoundly impact their future careers.
- Our mentors are volunteers who generously give back and share their time, experience and social capital to help other women and allies create positive change. Volunteering as a mentor gives you great value too, gaining insights from working with individuals from businesses outside of your own, and the experience enables you to lead with a more inclusive lens.
The value of this approach speaks loud and clear, with record numbers signing up for each cohort.
NAWO Mentoring Program: Terms & Conditions
Regardless of gender, the NAWO Mentoring Program fosters personal development and growth and connects mentees and mentors with a wide network of alumni and industry leaders. Through this and the valuable insights and tools it provides to promote inclusion and gender balance, the program has been proven to support actionable change across entire organisations and their systems.
Mentoring Options
The original NAWO Mentoring Program provides women in Operations with resources, support and guidance to help them navigate existing barriers and thrive in their careers – and within historically male-oriented industries, functions and disciplines.
In particular, previous participants have:
- valued the opportunity to learn from other and more senior women and men
- felt better able to identify and pursue clearer career goals
- had increased confidence
- gained connections and meaningful networks
- valued having a safe space to share and workshop challenging situations
- developed business relationships that have continued long beyond the formal program itself.
1:1 Mentoring (Virtual)
$750 including GST for NAWO members
Participate in four individual mentoring sessions with a hand-matched mentor to support your desired personal and professional growth. 1:1 Mentoring is available to all NAWO members, regardless of experience or seniority. No matter what level or function within an operational business, you are welcome to register. We look forward to supporting you with your career goals.
Mentoring Circles (Virtual)
$750 including GST for NAWO members
If you aspire to an executive position in operations within the next 2-5 years, this program is designed to help you get there. Take part in a series of seven group sessions with a peer network of 4-6 women from different operational businesses. Mentoring Circles are operationally focused. Each session is facilitated by senior operational leaders with considerable operations experience.
NAWO's Gender Equality Men
For men who are looking to become even better gender equality allies in the workplace or want to support gender balance in the industry but don’t know how the NAWO GEM (Gender Equality Men) Mentoring Program is for you.
Delivered by mentors, who are experienced leaders from operational businesses, they volunteer their time to contribute to building a strong pipeline of diverse talent to achieve gender-balanced workplaces.
Gender Equality Men – GEM (Virtual)
$750 including GST for NAWO members
This mentoring program is designed to equip men from operations with the tools and resources they need to enhance their inclusive leadership capability and champion gender balance, equity and inclusion within their organisations and broader circles of influence. Running from February to July 2025, it includes seven 45-minute information sessions, followed by seven 90-minute mentoring sessions led by highly experienced operations leaders from our network.
To find out more sign up for one of our info sessions now.
Join these free online sessions to learn more about participating in NAWO’s Mentoring Program.
GEM (Gender Equality Men) Program Information Session
Hear current participant, Paul Feasey, Bega, share his experiences of the GEM Program.
Watch the replay Read the articleWant to be mentored?
Rewatch the mentee information sessionThinking of becoming a mentor?
Mentor information session replayNAWO's Mentoring Alumni
Along with the 1,200+ individuals who have participated in our outstanding Mentoring Program over its 12-year history, you also get access to an exclusive alumni network, thanks to the generous support of Premium Member Amazon Australia.
Want to get involved with the Mentoring Alumni Network?
If you’re a NAWO mentoring alumni member, join us in the LinkedIn NAWO Mentoring Alumni Lounge. Read more about it here.
The initiative aims to foster ongoing conversation and connection among Alumni and provide continuing support via exclusive alumni-only opportunities. It also helps share and showcase the impact and success of the NAWO Mentoring Program on participants.
End-of-Year Mentoring Alumni Celebration
Held in November, the end-of-year event celebrates everyone’s achievements. To get a taste, watch the replay from 2024 held in Melbourne at Amazon CBD.
Highlights included:
– A Welcome to Country from Uncle Bill Nicholson from the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.
– NAWOxTalk presentation from our 2024 competition winner Shelley Haslett.
– The presentation of the highly anticipated Conor O’Malley Mentor of the Year Award.
What our mentors and mentees say
I think it is important that all people have a good mentor, not just specifically operational women. No one person has all the answers, nor the ability to come up with the answers in isolation all the time. A career is a marathon and like all athletes one needs a support crew.
Kartini Oei Aviation Business Development Lead – Asia Pacific, Air BP
NAWO’s Mentoring program helped to shape me into the leader that I am today.
Melita Bevan Asset Support Team Leader, CHEP Australia
Being a NAWO Mentor reinforces the benefit of diverse perspectives and the learnings we each take from different experiences in operations throughout our careers.
Louise Warner Executive General Manager Fuels & Infrastructure, Caltex Australia
FAQs
Mentees
Q: Am I eligible to participate?
A: If you are a grad, early-career, mid-career or an emerging leader and work in any field of operations, you can participate in the NAWO Mentoring Program.
Industries covered include manufacturing, retail, supply chain, agriculture, transport and logistics, warehousing, wholesale trade, science and technology and utilities.
Mentees can be in any role (engineering, logistics, procurement, sales, customer service, finance, HR, general management, technical).
The NAWO Mentoring Program has options for women working in Operations, including those who are trans, gender and sexually diverse and non-binary, through its 1:1 and Mentoring Circles programs, and for men – see our GEM (Gender Equality Men) Mentoring Program and fact sheet.
Q: How will participating in NAWO's mentoring programs improve my career?
A: Mentoring involves a seasoned professional guiding a less experienced individual, providing wisdom, knowledge and support, with a focus on:
- Guidance and advice: Mentors share their experiences and insights, helping mentees make informed decisions and avoid common pitfalls.
- Skill development: Regular interactions focus on both hard and soft skills.
- Personal growth: Mentors help build confidence, self-awareness and resilience.
Q: What mentoring programs does NAWO offer?
A: For women in Operations NAWO offers:
- NAWO Mentoring Circles (7 x 90-minute sessions with a group of 4-6 women) support emerging or mid-career NAWO members who aspire to senior leadership roles and active career progression.
- The original NAWO Mentoring Program provides individual mentoring (4 x 60-minute) sessions.
- Male mentees have access to the NAWO GEM (Gender Equality Men) Mentoring Program (7 x 45-minute information sessions, 7 x 90-minute sessions) – for more information, see the GEM fact sheet.
All formats of the program are online and run between February and October 2025.
Q: I live rurally. Can I still take part?
A: Yes, this is a virtual program delivered online.
Q: Can I choose my mentor?
A: No. NAWO invests considerable time and capability in hand-matching the experience, strengths and skills of our mentors to best meet the objectives of mentees. We are confident that this process will ensure the best outcome for both parties.
Q: Will my mentor be a woman?
A: NAWO mentors are from all genders, across all formats of the program. For 1:1 mentoring, you may add a note if there is a particular gender which you would prefer (and we will do our best in the matching process to honour that request).
Q: What does it cost to participate?
A: As a NAWO member, the program fee is $750 including GST for either 1:1 or group participation. If your organisation is not a NAWO Corporate Member, you can join as an individual member (with all the broader NAWO membership benefits) for $99.
Q: How does the GEM Program differ to the regular NAWO Mentoring Program?
A: For men who want to become even better gender equality allies in the workplace or want to support gender balance in the industry but don’t know how, the NAWO GEM (Gender Equality Men) Mentoring program is for you.
The GEM Program is similar to the NAWO Mentoring Circles in that it comprises 7 x 45-minute information sessions, each of which is followed by a 90-minute group mentoring session. Similarly, the program runs February to October 2025.
Q: Who can apply to be a part of the GEM Mentoring Program?
The GEM Mentoring Program is a space for people who:
- identify as men
- work in operational industries
- are passionate about gender equality
- are committed to playing an active role in their own development
and career progression - are NAWO Members (Individual or Corporate)
- have the capacity and availability to work with their mentors for the full program
- have the support of their organisation to participate (time and/or effort).
Download our GEM Program factsheet
Download our mentee factsheet
Mentors
Q: Do I need to be a NAWO member to take part?
A: Yes. You need to be a NAWO member or affiliate to take part in the mentoring program.
Q: Do I need to be a woman to be a mentor?
A: No. Mentors for circles and 1:1 partnerships are senior leaders of any gender from the NAWO network with demonstrated operations experience.
For 1:1 mentoring, mentees may add a note if there is a particular gender which they would prefer (and we do our best in the matching process to honour that request).
Q: Can I choose my mentees?
A: No. NAWO invests considerable time and capability in the ‘matching process’ to best match mentees’ objectives with the strengths of each volunteer mentor. We are confident that this process ensures the best outcome for both parties.
Q: What is the time commitment required?
A: Mentoring Circles include 7 x 90-minute virtual facilitation sessions. 1:1 mentoring includes 4 x 60-minute virtual individual sessions, which run between February and October. In both programs, mentors are also expected to attend a launch event and offer a high level of accountability to mentees.
Q: What does it cost to get involved?
A: There is no additional cost to mentors on top of the membership fee.
Q: What sort of experience do I need?
A: You will be a consistent role model of inclusive leadership and have benefited from mentoring during your own career.
You need to be a NAWO member or affiliate, an active advocate for gender balance in operations, and have the capacity and commitment to support mentees for the full program.
You will have a natural ability to build rapport online, to listen and respond with empathy and the willingness to share from your own experience where relevant.
Q: Will I be provided with resources and guidance?
A: Yes, NAWO will support you with resources and guidance to deliver Mentoring Circles or 1:1 Mentoring.
Download our mentor factsheet