Introducing the 2026 Williamson Community Leadership Program Participants
18/11/2025
Our Statement on 26 January
23/01/2026
Leadership Victoria and CALD2LEAD are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 CALD2LEAD Women’s Leadership Program scholarships: Yohana Jury and Kiran (Kim) Ali. This partnership supports women from culturally and linguistically diverse communities to participate in LV’s 3-day, immersive Women’s Leadership Program, building their leadership capability, confidence, and a strong network of peers.
About CALD2LEAD
CALD2LEAD is a volunteer run, not-for-profit organisation founded by Stephen Landsell, Hugh Wareham and Dennis Banfield, as a result of participating in Leadership Victoria’s 2017 Folio Community Leadership Program. It exists to open pathways for culturally and linguistically diverse women into leadership and governance through practical scholarships, mentoring, and board-readiness development.
As Dennis Banfield notes, “I wasn’t seeing enough culturally diverse women materialising onto boards.” CALD2LEAD funds access to high-calibre training and programs, fosters networks and equips leaders to step into decision making roles across sectors. And to effect change in the CALD2Lead organisation itself, each founder rotates through officer roles, recruits a successor, then steps off the board.
Meet the 2025 Recipients
Yohana Jury
Yohana is a community-minded leader whose work quietly weaves together inclusion, resilience, and service. Her contributions have been recognised with the Monash Women’s Leadership Award and a Meritorious Award from the Victorian Multicultural Commission. After restarting her life in Australia, Yohana rebuilt her career and now supports more than 90 grassroots organisations, including through Indonesian and Peranakan community networks, on topics such as parenting, disability, business, and belonging. Grounded in her Indonesian, Javanese, and Peranakan heritage, she leads with empathy, strategic storytelling, and a strong ethical compass.
“Through the Women’s Leadership Program, I hope to deepen my strategic leadership skills and build meaningful connections with other women leaders. My goal is to leverage this experience to amplify the voices of culturally diverse communities and create inclusive spaces where everyone, in particular women, feels represented and empowered.”
Kiran (Kim) Ali
Kim is a Pakistani-Australian Self-leadership and Confidence Coach. Before moving to Australia, she served as an HR Director for a multinational organisation in the Middle East, then rebuilt her career here, becoming a Career Coach at Telstra and later founding Stellar Coaching. Through the Confident Leader Program and Self-leadership Mastery Circles, she helps women navigate internal barriers and develop an authentic leadership voice. Kim also founded the She Belongs community and serves as Chief Patron of the AUSPAK Women Association, supporting CALD women affected by domestic violence. She will use the scholarship to scale confidence and leadership opportunities across Victoria.
“This journey with the Women’s Leadership Program is more than a professional step for me, it feels like coming home to a purpose I've carried my whole life. My experience bridging two cultures has shown me the critical need for diverse voices in leadership. This opportunity is a commitment to action: to using my lived experience to champion CALD women, ensuring we don't just occupy seats at the table, but that we help build tables where everyone has a voice and a true sense of belonging. Thank you Cald2Lead and Leadership Victoria, for seeing this potential in me. I carry this belief as both an honor and a sacred responsibility.”
About Leadership Victoria’s Women’s Leadership Program
The Women’s Leadership Program is a 3-day residential retreat for mid-to-senior women leaders wanting to lead with purpose, navigate complexity, and drive meaningful change. Through practical strategies and peer learning, participants will build confidence and presence, learn to influence effectively, and explore gender-based workplace challenges.
Contribute to Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Leadership
You can learn more about the scholarship criteria and support the fund through Leadership Victoria’s Cultural & Linguistically Diverse Women’s Leadership Fund, created in partnership with CALD2LEAD here.
