Armidale’s Nenneh Lahai has completed a leadership program aimed at strengthening women’s representation in senior roles across the social services sector.
Dr Lahai, from the New England Family Support Service, was among the first five recipients of the Harrison-Church Women’s Leadership Scholarship, a partnership between the NSW Council of Social Service (NCOSS) and Chief Executive Women (CEW).
The fully funded scholarship aims to build leadership capability in the social services sector and address the gender pay gap between male and female senior leaders in the not-for-profit sector.
Dr Lahai said the program provided a rare opportunity to step back and reflect on her leadership style and values while learning from other women leaders across the sector.
“Throughout my career, I have consistently observed structural barriers that impede women’s progression into leadership roles. In the social services sector, there’s a paradox that while the workforce is predominantly occupied by women – leadership positions are not, and that is disproportionate to the industry.
“To further compound that, women from migrant and refugee backgrounds have further barriers. We have the language, and the credential recognition, but cultural expectations limit access to leadership pathways. I have witnessed talented women in my community – like advocates, organisers and changemakers – whose contributions go unrecognised simply because they lack formal qualification or work in this space.
“What I have learned is that these barriers are not inevitable. Through opportunities, such as the Harrison-Church scholarship, women like me who are from regional areas especially, get the chance to strengthen their leadership skills and capabilities. This has a great knock-on effect as we take these learnings and new skills back to our workplaces and back to our sector, benefiting everyone.”
NCOSS CEO Cara Varian said she was thrilled the first five scholarship recipients had completed the leadership course and would become part of the next generation of women leaders.
“Nenneh’s participation shows why it is so important that women working in regional social services have access to the same high-quality leadership development opportunities as their metropolitan counterparts.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for leadership development for women in small-medium social service sector organisations, offering high-quality professional learning without the need to take critical funding from the organisations they work in.
“To meet the future needs of our sector, we must prioritise developing our leaders and this program provides the opportunity for women leaders to step back from their day-to-day responsibilities, re-evaluate their goals and develop professionally through collaboration with leaders from other industries to maximise their impact.”
The scholarship will provide places in CEW’s Leaders Program for 15 women in leadership roles over three years, with five participants selected each year.
The program is funded through a philanthropic donation made possible by a legacy from Chris Harrison-Church.
Chief Executive Women will contribute 50 per cent of course fees to help more women access the program.
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