The Women in Economics Network, part of the Economic Society of Australia, hosted the 2018 Women in Economics Retreat at Peppers Resort in Bowral, NSW on 9-10 July 2018.

The retreat provided an opportunity for around 20 junior and mid career economists to develop their networks, receive mentoring and strengthen their leadership skills. Participants in the retreat were drawn from academia, government and the private sector, providing great opportunities for networking and broader economic discussions.

Sessions focused on leadership, communication skills, career management and work/life balance. The retreat provided an opportunity for attendees to discuss issues as a group as well as participate in small group mentoring sessions with senior women from the same sector. Participants were asked to come to the retreat with a career objective or challenge that they could work through with their mentor.

The senior mentors participating were Alison Booth, ANU; Jenny Gordon, formerly Productivity Commission; Lynne Cockerell, Reserve Bank of Australia; Lynne Pezzullo, Deloitte Access Economics and Meghan Quinn, Treasury. One other to be announced shortly. The Retreat was facilitated by Danielle Wood, Grattan Institute.

The Economic Society of Australia and retreat sponsors paid for participants to attend the retreat. Participants needed to make their own travel arrangements to and from Bowral (Peppers is accessible by train from Sydney). A bus was available from Bowral to Canberra for those going on to attend the Conference of Economists.

How to Apply

Applications for the Women in Economics retreat are now open. Applicants will be junior and mid career women looking to advance their career in the economics profession. Applicants should be members of the Women in Economics Network. Please see the membership section of the WEN site for information on how to join.  

Applications for the Women in Economics retreat is now closed and no further applications will be considered.