The benefits of diverse leadership can be felt far and wide, and yet, across Australia, women in leadership remain significantly underrepresented, particularly in male-dominated industries like infrastructure, engineering, energy and law.
While organisations often encourage women to be ambitious in their careers, internal support structures don’t always leave the door open for access to leadership opportunities.
Even with strong qualifications, findings from the Women’s Agenda & Cultivate National Survey (October 2024) showed 43 per cent of women found a lack of clear options prevents their next promotion, and 36 per cent do not have clarity on their next career move.
This critical gap results in a loss of diverse leadership, untapped capability and stalled organisational progress.
For organisations looking to fill this gap, the role of sponsorship cannot be overlooked.
Unlike mentorship, which focuses on advice, sponsorship is an organisational tool focused on advocacy. It shifts not just individual careers, but culture and leadership equity at scale.
For many high-performing women, sponsorship has been the catalyst for their career growth, and yet survey findings show not enough organisations offer mentorship or sponsorship support. Sixty-three per cent of respondents said this was the case, and 62 per cent have never been sponsored before.
The Willow Program
One groundbreaking initiative working to shift the dial is Cultivate Sponsorship’s Willow Program. It’s a targeted, evidence-informed approach using sponsorship to advance women’s leadership opportunities.
There’s a clear premise that underlies this mission: when women are provided with structured sponsorship, visibility, and development opportunities, they grow confident leaders and their growth catalyses broader cultural change within their organisations.
“I was introduced to senior leaders I wouldn’t have met otherwise. Now I’m in the room where decisions happen,” said one sponsee about her access to opportunities.
Another sponsee reported the program made her want to stay and grow at her organisation when she’d previously been considering leaving.
“This [program] gave me tools to lead without burning out,” said another sponsee, adding that she feels “more in control” of her career and energy.
The program runs over seven months and offers resources like one-on-one sponsor sponsee partnerships, microlearning modules and reflective tools, career clarity planning, activities that build leadership skills and organisational visibility and real-time feedback and ongoing impact measurement.
The relationship between the sponsor and sponsee is a cornerstone of the program, with one of the sponsees saying: “We still catch up regularly. The relationship became one of the most valuable parts of my career”.
Workplace relationships such as this are invaluable and give women the support they need to gain clarity on where they want their careers to go. Not to mention the fact that as sponsors advocate for emerging talent, they also reflect on their own leadership legacy amid the deep conversations that arise from these relationships.
“I didn’t know what was next,” said a 2023 sponsee. “Now I have a plan, and the confidence to go after it.”
While one of the sponsors said: “My legacy is in the quality of the people I’ve helped rise and Willow reminded me of that.”
The far-reaching impacts of sponsorship from the groundbreaking Willow Program will be released in Cultivate Sponsorship’s new 2025 Social Impact Framework. In line with this significant milestone, Cultivate Sponsorship is hosting a webinar on 16 June 12pm-1pm to highlight the framework and its benefits. Register for the event here.
Ripple effects
While businesses who invest in the resources Willow offers are commendable supporting the advancement of women, the ripple effects are far greater. Advancing women in leadership builds inclusion, strengthens internal pipelines and shifts culture to reflect the diverse future of all leaders in Australia.
These far-reaching impacts are extremely measurable, and Cultivate Sponsorship’s Social Impact Framework, scheduled to be released this month, highlights this and more.
Drawing on program data, participant feedback and industry research, the report examines the challenges women face in accessing leadership opportunities and the role sponsorship plays in overcoming these barriers.
Organisations that invest in sponsorship report higher retention of high-performing female talent, increased internal promotions, a more inclusive leadership culture and a stronger reputation across clients, stakeholders and industries.
The program is also continuously improved based on this feedback, as leadership modules are revised if fewer than 80 per cent of participants report career clarity. Feedback from sponsors and participants on all areas of the program are taken into account as well, delivering on its promise to evolve to the needs of people and industries.
Willow’s outcomes align closely with the Social and Governance pillars of ESG, and directly support organisations committed to long-term, inclusive growth.
Sponsorship offers a rare space for reflection and redefinition of what leadership means within organisations. It’s a win for everyone: sponsors, sponsees, organisations and broader social impact.
“I realised there’s no magic trick to leadership, just presence, advocacy and courage,” said an ANZ Sponsor in the program. “That’s what I want to model now”.
The far-reaching Impacts of sponsorship from the groundbreaking Willow Program have been released in Cultivate Sponsorship’s new 2025 Social Impact Framework. In line with this significant milestone, Cultivate Sponsorship is hosting a webinar on 16 June 12pm-1pm to highlight the framework and its benefits. Register for the event here.