Women in Business 2025 – Our Best Yet!

Our 2025 Women in Business Event – Our Best Yet!

The Maitland Business Chamber’s annual Women in Business event was a huge success, held last Thursday at the Maitland Regional Art Gallery. This sold-out event brought together an inspiring community of professionals eager to engage in meaningful conversations, all while enjoying a delicious breakfast in the stunning upstairs gallery, hosted by Seraphine Café.

A Morning of Inspiration and Action

With the red carpet rolled out and the gallery adorned in bold red hues, the atmosphere was set to empower, uplift, and inspire. Our 2025 theme, March Forward, closely aligned with the Australian United Nations theme, highlighting the need to turn promises into action to achieve gender equality.

We opened the proceedings with a short address from Gold Major Sponsor, The Mai-Wel Group hearing from CEO, John Cleary, who spoke about the incredible women of Mai-Wel and the impact of their work. Jaime Canavan, Mai-Wel’s Community Engagement Specialist (and MBC Committee Member) shared her passionate and personal why, inspiring everyone in attendance.

A Powerful Panel Discussion

The heart of the event was an engaging panel discussion, guided by facilitator Caitlin Powell. Our distinguished panellists, Lee De Winton and Alice Thompson, shared their personal career journeys, offering invaluable insights into the steps we can all take to March Forward.

Lee De Winton, Chair of the Forum for Western Sydney Airport, reflected on her experiences in the military and her tenure on various boards. With humour and authenticity, she shared what it was like to often be the only woman in the room and reinforced the urgent need for change in board representation—especially considering that only 5% of board members in Australia are women.

Alice Thompson, CEO of the Committee for the Hunter, took us behind the scenes of political life, recounting her time as an advisor to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. She emphasised the importance of having a strong voice and the vibrancy of community, highlighting how women in the Hunter can connect and achieve together.

Facilitator Caitlin Powell then shared her own experiences with mentorship—both male and female—and the immense value it brings to career development.

We then invited our audience to participate in an interactive poll, asking:

• Who has a mentor?
• Who would like one?
• Who would like to be one?

The results were eye-opening, revealing that mentorship is something many hadn’t considered—but definitely should! The sentiment echoed throughout the event:

It takes a village to grow.

Looking Ahead to 2026

With the overwhelming success of this year’s WIB function, we are excited to make 2026 even bigger and better! The Maitland Business Chamber is committed to continuing these important conversations and driving real change.

A huge thank you to our attendees, sponsors including Mai-Wel, East Maitland Florist and Donarch Fine  Chocolate and inspiring panellists for making this event such a powerful experience.

Stay Connected

We believe that through connection, we grow. Keep an eye out for more Chamber news on mentorship and leadership education

For more information on how you can obtain formal governance training for Board Selection, contact the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Photos:  Magnetic Shots