Page 22 - Print 21 Magazine Sep-Oct 2020

Industry
Women in Print
until the patrons found a new home where Women in Print could be passionately developed and supported into the future. With that opportunity now in place, it is time for Women in Print to move to its new home.
“We will remain a dedicated partner and look forward to working with
the collective and contributing to the Women in Print Board to ensure the organisation continues to grow and evolve into the future,” Moore says.
The Real Media Collective, with Northwood at the helm, has overseen the re-launch and positioning
that now introduces international alliances, a mentor programme, additional events, resource libraries, and blogs from industry stakeholders.
Northwood says, “Everything we already love about Women in Print
– the breakfasts and major industry event panels – will remain. These are the foundations of all that we are.
“However, we want to build
from these with more regular communication, financial literacy materials to inform and empower, increased networking opportunities through the Mentor Me programme, and share our knowledge through It’s a Blog, where women from the industry can share their ideas, experiences and learnings.
“This is a great opportunity for Women in Print to evolve to the next level. We encourage anyone who hasn’t been involved to register and join the community, it’s going to be an exciting first year.”
To register with the Women
in Print community, go to the organisation’s website or follow
the social channels – LinkedIn and Instagram – @womeninprintaus. 21
starts new chapter
Women in Print, which says it is arguably the industry’s strongest diversity and inclusion programme, has relaunched itself to take Won the years ahead. Lindy Hughson reports.
omen in Print (WiP) of what was Printing Industries
has a refreshed Association of Australia – is the brand, website, newly appointed chair, supported by calendar, and team Sandy Aspinall as deputy chair. leading the way. It Heaney says, “My journey with
is also announcing a new partnership Women in Print has been a terrific
with The Real Media Collective. The group says a new look, new
management, and new focus – community, knowledge, network, and support – are driving all that WiP offers, from events to mentoring, blogs to fact sheets, training, and alliances.
Having recently registered as an independent entity, the board includes all patrons: Susan Heaney, managing director, Heaney’s Performers in Print; Sandy Aspinall from Creative Juice Recruitment; Natalie Taylor from IVE; Kirsten Taylor from Taylor'd Print in Victoria; Marisa Symrneos from SA operation Graphic Print Group; Lisa Blachut from Advance Press in Perth; and industry partners Kellie Northwood of The Real Media Collective and Sarah Moore from Visual Communications.
one, providing a great opportunity for many women in differing ways. The independent entity and new focus are things I have been championing for some time now and I am thrilled to see them come to life. I want to thank Sarah, Kellie, and all the patrons for their tireless work over the recent months to build this offering for the industry and I look forward to the year ahead.”
Visual Connections, the industry’s supplier association, has held interim management of the initiative since 2018, prior to that WiP was sponsored by Heidelberg.
Sarah Moore, business development manager for Visual Connections,
says, “We have been delighted to provide support to Women in Print with administration, sponsorship coordination, and event organisation because we and our members, genuinely believe in the value of these events and opportunities.
Above
Susan Heaney: chair of the relaunched Women in Print
Susan Heaney, the original
founder of Women in Print and no
stranger to leadership across the
industry – she sits on the Media
Super board and is a former president this was a temporary arrangement
“We always knew, however, that
Patrons Panel focuses on community and support
The Patrons Panel – the inaugural webinar of the refreshed Women in Print network – was oversubscribed and well received by all attendees. It delivered a strong message around the importance of community and support in the current Covid-19 crisis.
To set the context, Susan Heaney shared her story on how the network originated, and why it is important to the women in the print industry. Heaney said when she started working in print, she found that often she was the only woman at an industry event and realised there was a gap to create an opportunity for women in the industry to network, and through that to build their self- belief and confidence.
Kellie Northwood turned the discussion
to the four pillars that form the framework of the newly rebranded Women in Print entity – Knowledge, Community, Support, and Network – asking the patrons to comment on each in turn.
Kirsten Taylor (VIC) said, “Knowledge means empowerment, and from empowerment comes growth. Our network has an abundance of knowledge, and resources, and the more we share that the better we can be together.”
Marisa Symrneos and Sandy Aspinall (SA) addressed the topic of community, noting that, though WiP already enjoys a strong sense of community, there is room to grow this “to provide an opportunity for all voices to be heard and shared”,
for all women to feel comfortable and welcome in this community.
On the topic of support, Lisa Blachut (WA) said WiP is all about inclusion, connection and real engagement, in both
a professional and a personal sense. “It comes naturally to women to nurture; we connect with our hearts, minds and souls.”
Blachut said there was an open invitation to get involved, and said there are many ways for women to participate.
Natalie Taylor (NSW) spoke of the value of networking, and noted that in these challenging times there are other ways to engage as a community (this webinar being a case in point), and she echoed the overarching sentiment of the panel: now more than ever we need to connect as a community, to show support to women in the industry who are impacted by the current crisis.
22 Print21 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020