A panel featuring a group of groundbreaking and influential women will headline the Essendon Women’s Network’s Networking Lunch next month.
The event will be held at ZINC in Federation Square on Friday June 9th from 12pm-2:30pm.
Respected sports broadcaster Tiffany Cherry will lead a panel featuring Olympic Gold Medal winner Kim Brennan, award-winning journalist turned football recruiter Emma Qualye, Football Woman of the Year recipient Beverly Knight and Indigenous trailblazer Belinda Duarte.
This year’s event, Change ahead of Change will celebrate their past achievements and honour the influential women that have been and continue to be pioneers in the football industry. At the same time, they will look forward in a thought provoking discussion as to what the next steps are to ensure this exciting breakthrough continues.
The Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria also a founding member of the Essendon Women’s Network will be providing the opening address.
Date: Friday 9th June, 2017
Time: 12:00pm - 2:30pm
Venue: ZINC, Federation Square
Dress code: Business attire
Tickets available online here. For further information please phone 03 8340 2163.
The line-up
Master of Ceremonies – Tiffany Cherry
Tiffany Cherry has been a long-time supporter of the Essendon Women’s Network. Tiffany led a thought-provoking discussion at last year’s luncheon and will do so again this year with panellists Kim Brennan, Emma Quayle, Beverly Knight and Belinda Duarte. Tiffany is a well-known and respected sports broadcaster who has continued to be a voice for women in a male dominated industry over many years. Most recently Tiffany has hosted Women’s Footy, the first AFL Women’s panel show that ran concurrently with the first AFL Women’s competition.
Opening Address - The Honourable Linda Dessau, AC, Governor of Victoria
The Governor has been a passionate Essendon supporter her whole life, founding the Essendon Women’s Network in 1997. After a long and distinguished career in law Dessau became Victoria’s first female Governor in July 2015. Dessau began her career as a barrister at the Victorian bar followed by a Magistrate in multiple Courts and finally serving as a judge of the Family Court between 1995 to 2013. She was appointed to the Member of Order of Australia in 2010 for her service to the judiciary and the community. Dessau became the second woman on the AFL Commission in 2008.
Panellists
Kim Brennan
- EFC Number One Ticket Holder – 2017
- Australian World Champion and Olympic Gold Medallist in rowing
- Deputy Chairwoman of the Australian Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission
- Full time employee at Ernst and Young in their Technology Advisory Business
- Father Max Crow, played 136 AFL/VFL games for Essendon FC
Emma Quayle
- First female recruiter at an AFL Club, Quayle joined Greater Western Sydney Giants in 2017.
- Became a journalist with The Age in 1999 and has since won multiple awards for her feature writing, specialising in football and the AFL draft.
- Published two books The Draft (2008) and Nine Lives (2010).
Beverly Knight
- Football Woman of the Year recipient – 2002
- First female Essendon Football Club Director (1993 – 2010)
- Director of AFL Sportsready between 1995-2009 developing career opportunities for young men and women as well as Indigenous young people in the sport industry.
- Established Alcaston Gallery in 1989, a leading contemporary Aboriginal art gallery which incorporates Beverly’s love for Aboriginal culture. This passion has had a large role in nurturing and encouraging Aboriginal sportspeople, including Essendon great Michael Long.
Belinda Duarte
- Football Woman of the Year recipient – 2012 when she was a senior executive at Richmond Football Club.
- Inaugural director of the Korin Gamadji (grow and emerge) Institute, a training base at Richmond FC which has provided leadership development, education and training to more than 1500 Indigenous people.
- An Indigenous trail blazer, Belinda is currently CEO of Culture is Life, a not-for-profit organisation committed to the prevention of Aboriginal youth suicide.
