Ep 69: Leading the Change: Katherine's Influence on Youth Leadership Across Sectors

Atalanta Diaries Breakthrough Women in Conversation with Enma Popli

Katherine has over 30 years of diverse leadership experience across the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors and a strong track record of developing leaders and connecting them across sectors to achieve collective impact.

Katherine is a graduate of Leadership Victoria's flagship Williamson Community Leadership Program, which she celebrates as a pivotal point in her life.

Katherine comes to Leadership Victoria from Youth Affairs Council Victoria (YACVic), where, as CEO, she forged a stronger youth sector and led innovative growth against the challenging backdrop of the pandemic and climate disasters. She previously worked in London as Director of Youth Affairs at the Commonwealth of Nations, where she focused on youth empowerment and leadership policy and programs across 53 countries.

Earlier, Katherine spent over a decade in the private sector, working both in Australia and internationally in a variety of analysis, strategy, and corporate social responsibility roles.

Katherine holds a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, a Master in e-Business, a Bachelor of Commerce, and a Diploma of Youth Work.

Key themes emerging out of our conversation:

• Putting your hand up.
• Being an adaptive leader.
• Fair compensation in the social sector.
• It's good to know what you're not good at.
• Vulnerability is both an art and a science.
• Sharing your ambitions and hopes with others.
• Tough experiences build resilience and gratitude
• Intangible rewards of working in the social sector.
• Recognizing when you are plateauing and losing your freshness.
• Leaders tend to support people who remind them of themselves.
• Recognizing one's strength and understanding others' expectations.
• People who bully often have underlying deficits they're grappling with.
• Transferring skills from the private sector while preserving its essence.
• Recognizing the tendency for leaders to favor individuals who resemble them.
• Finding like-minded individuals provides a sense of permission to be authentic.
• Strong moral compass instilled by parents, values of social justice and integrity.
• Engaging with young people creates a safe environment to appreciate their uniqueness.

Connect with Enma Popli on Linkedin:

>> https://www.linkedin.com/in/enmapopli/

Visit Enma Popli's website
>> http://www.enmapopli.com/