Independent
company director, Kirstin Ferguson, has won four awards in her
professional life that have taken her overseas, built her networks,
boosted her credibility and been a helluva a lot of fun.
Ferguson says: “I just encourage anyone to
apply for awards and scholarships. It doesn’t matter at what point in
your career – not just at the start. It can really give you a boost at
any point.”
Yesterday, the Australian Institute of Company Directors handed out 70 scholarships
to professional women to advance their careers as professional
directors. The scholarships will pay for them to complete a training
course at the AICD, and give them a year’s membership. There were 1600
applications for the scholarships, which are in their second year.
One scholarship winner is Petrina
Coventry, a director and chief human resources officer for the
public-listed oil and gas producer, Santos. Coventry has already held
board positions, including her current one with Santos. She expects the
numbers of women involved in the course to be a confidence boost, to
broaden her networks and make her a better board representative.
Coventry says the HR role is increasingly
important to boards. “The pointy bit and high risk is executive
remuneration these days. There are new regulations. The ASX diversity
rules and the executive remuneration two-strikes rule, with its
potential for board spills, have reinforced how important the HR agenda
is for boards.”
But Coventry has never received or applied
for a scholarship before in her career. “It never crossed my mind. But I
thought this was a great initiative,” she says.
For Ferguson, 2012 has been a great year in terms of honours – she currently has three.
A Talbot Family Foundation
scholarship will pay for Ferguson to participate in the AICD
International company directors course in Abu Dhabi. “It has provided an
incredible opportunity to further my professional development,” she
says. “It provides the impetus to stake the step before I would have
otherwise done it.”
Even process of completing
applications for scholarships and awards – whether or not you receive
them – has benefits, Ferguson says. “Seeking reference, putting
down your skills and why you believe you are the best person to receive
it in a simple two pages application, is another way of keeping yourself
on track.
“And if you don’t get it, that is OK There
are plenty I have applied for that I haven’t received; that is part of
the process. If you get feedback, you can learn from it.”
The influence of her first
scholarship, an academic award at age 21, profoundly influenced Ferguson
and opened her eyes to the benefits of putting in an application. “It broadened
my mind beyond the confines of university in Australia. I became a
scholar of the world and that has stuck with me through my career.”
The self-motivation and discipline
of that the application process is also career enhancing, as are the
“conversations” that arise when approaching the required referees for
their support. Ferguson is currently completing a PhD, and is the Colin
Brain Corporate Governance Fellow at Queensland University for
Technology and recipient of an Australian postgraduate award scholarship
for PhD research.
Jacqueline Chow, general manager at
Arnott’s Australia and New Zealand, is one of the AICD recipients. The
company director’s course she will complete will provide her with
valuable training to further her ambition to become a company director.
Chow says: “I do have a dual aim. Through the lens of corporate
governance, learning the tenants of resource allocation, strategic
planning and investment decisions will make me a better general manager,
but I am also wanting to extend the opportunity to serve as a
non-executive director in medium term.”
Chow says the application process, although time-consuming, was helpful. “It
clarified my thinking about what I wanted and where I could provide
value and serve. And, from a place of humility, what I could also learn,
the gaps in my skills and experience.”
This is the second scholarship Chow has
received – the first was in her student days – and she hopes to extend
her network, and receive mentoring and support through the process of
the course.
Source:http://www.leadingcompany.com.au
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