Public Sector Women in Leadership Masterclass Melbourne
Take charge of the next phase of your career
You are already doing the work. Now it is time to lead on your own terms.
This focused two-day masterclass gives senior women in the public sector the tools, frameworks and confidence to step up with authority. You will define your leadership identity, sharpen your personal brand, build the communication skills to influence at every level, and leave with a concrete leadership impact plan you can act on immediately.
Facilitated by Alex O’Mara, former Deputy Secretary in the NSW Public Service with over 20 years of executive leadership across government, this is not a theoretical program. Every session connects directly to the realities of leading in a complex, high-accountability public sector environment.
Why attend
Direct access to a former NSW Deputy Secretary with over 20 years of executive leadership experience
Small-group activities that translate frameworks into practice you can apply on Monday morning
A practical toolkit of time-tested concepts and techniques, road-tested at the executive level
Build a peer network of women leaders from across the Public Service to support your ongoing growth
Alex O’Mara (She/Her)
Former Group Deputy Secretary, DPIE & Director, Sustainable Solutions Advisory
Alex is an experienced Senior Executive, Board Director and advisor with over 20 years of experience leading strategy, policy, organisational transformation and program delivery across a range of sectors including environment, infrastructure, energy,
precincts, planning, culture, place and natural resource management. Prior to undertaking a portfolio career, Alex was a Deputy Secretary in the NSW Government for over 5 years, as the Group Deputy Secretary, Place Design and Public Space and as Deputy Secretary Create NSW. Alex was also the Executive Director for Resources and Industry Policy and led Government legal teams for over 7 years in environmental and planning law.
Alex O’Mara (She/Her)
Alex is an experienced senior executive and leader who has worked across various sectors, including ESG, sustainability and natural resource management, planning, property, industry, infrastructure, building, design, culture and public space. Alex began her career in the private sector as a lawyer with Mallesons and has worked for both the NSW and Commonwealth Governments. Alex is now the Principal of Sustainable Solutions Advisory, which provides strategic advisory services relating to place, infrastructure, sustainability, ESG, leadership and business transformation.
Prior to this, as the Group Deputy Secretary of Place Design and Public Space in the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, she led 1,300 staff with an annual budget of $1.5b. Her remit was to reorient the planning system around people, place, and community. She also oversaw a $2.5b program of growth infrastructure and an annual investment of $400m in community programs. Alex led the Premier’s priorities to increase public space quality across NSW and plant one million trees across Greater Sydney.
Key benefits
Build a concrete leadership impact plan & take control of your next career move
Lead authentically & build a customer-focused, collaborative culture
Develop your leadership presence & build a compelling personal brand
Master budget management & build your financial literacy as a leader
Apply practical communication strategies to build trust & drive results
Create a performance culture that delivers consistent, measurable outcomes
Who will attend
Senior and emerging women leaders across all Australian public sector jurisdictions, in management & leadership roles including:
- Assistant Directors
- Managers
- Senior Officers
- Team Leaders
- Senior Advisors
- Senior Analysts
- Project Officers
This masterclass is also relevant for other supervisors with broader leadership requirements
Agenda
Times are shown in AEST
Welcome, introductions & establishing our group
Your leadership journey: where you stand & where you could go
- Why leadership matters in the public sector right now
- What distinguishes an effective public sector leader
- Identify your leadership style & map the gaps you need to close
- Build a proactive plan for your own leadership capability
Morning tea
Leading authentically & developing your leadership presence
- Lead with authenticity in a complex public sector environment
- Act ethically and hold your ground under pressure
- Operate as an inclusive leader
- Build your confidence and presence at the senior level
Delivering maximum impact in the workplace
- Build resilience and sustain your productivity over time
- Apply agility and focus to your most complex priorities
- Protect your capacity: practical strategies for sustainable performance
Lunch
Communication, collaboration & customer focus
- Find common ground and build the conditions for win-win outcomes
- Create trust and foster trusting environments
- Reorient the way you work towards the customer
Developing your personal brand as a leader
- Understand why your personal brand matters and how to actively shape it
- Craft your leadership narrative
Afternoon tea
Build your leadership impact plan
- Q&A and consolidation of key takeaways
- Draft your personal leadership impact plan: turn insight into action
Close of Day One
Welcome & reflections on Module One
Take ownership of your career & grow as a leader
- Map where you are now and define the steps to get where you want to go
- Be proactive: identify and pursue opportunities before they find you
- See your career in full context and find the balance that works for you
- Activate your networks and use mentors, coaches and feedback to advance
Morning tea
Lead your team to deliver quality outcomes
- Create a performance culture where your team takes ownership
- Lead for on-time, on-budget delivery and apply the tools that make it real
- Apply effective project management disciplines in a public sector context
Managing for financial performance
- Build the financial literacy to read, challenge and manage a budget confidently
- Apply proactive budget management to deliver results within constraints
Lunch
Create the conditions for innovation & success in your team
- Create the conditions for innovation and sustained team performance
- Embed diversity, inclusion and belonging as leadership practice, not policy
- Protect your team’s wellbeing and build a resilient, high-trust culture
- Drive change successfully: lead people through it, not just around it
Afternoon tea
Finalise your leadership impact plan & commit to action
- Extended Q&A and key takeaways
- Finalise your leadership impact plan
- Consolidate your learnings and map how you will apply it at work
- Define how you will measure and monitor your progress
NB: During Module Two we do a scenario exercise designed to build confidence by responding to a scenario in a safe space. Receive real time feedback and a chance to practise before you apply back in the real world.
Close of Masterclass
Pricing
Save up until 24 July
+GST
Early bird pricing
Save $700
Save up until 21 August
+GST
Early bird pricing
Save $500
Save up until 18 September
+GST
Early bird pricing
Save $300
Standard rate
+GST
Price after early bird savings
Bring your colleagues and save!
Groups of 5+ save 10%
Groups of 10+ save 20%
The facilitator was excellent and adaptable to the audience”
Senior Communications Officer, Aboriginal Housing Office, May 2026
Inspired me to take small steps now to work towards my future goals.”
Business Intelligence, NSW State Insurance Regulatory Authority, May 2026
This leadership course was delivered clearly and effectively. Alex O’Mara demonstrated strong expertise and presented concepts in a practical, easy-to-understand way. What stood out was the use of relevant, real-life examples to illustrate leadership challenges such as managing stakeholders, building trust, and navigating competing priorities. These examples made the content directly applicable to the workplace. The course was also well-supported by research and established frameworks, which added credibility and depth to the learning. Overall, a concise, practical, and insightful leadership program that I would highly recommend.”
Senior Regulatory Auditor, NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, May 2026,
Alex and this course brought great leadership content. I have done lots of leadership courses but this was great to really focus on my career path and my personal leadership brand. Very timely at this crossroads of my career.”
Principal Advisor, NSW State Insurance Regulatory Authority, May 2026
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