UBS Young Women's Leadership Academy

Every year, UBS, a renowned financial services company and global bank, invites a select few Year 11 students from around NSW to participate in their Young Women’s Leadership Academy, an enriching course catered toward “emerging female leaders” with an interest in finance. 

In the holidays, Layla Wicks and Skarlyte Bennett had the privilege of being one of the thirty participants. The girls travelled down to Sydney and participated in three full days of field-based overviews, workshops, activities, guest speakers and interactive pitches to provide them with leadership and communication skills and enhanced knowledge and appreciation of financial services. 

The program also provided the opportunity for leaders in business and girls across different schools to interact, connect and network.  

At UBS’s Sydney office in Chifley Square, Skarlyte and Layla were given a taste of what working in a corporate environment was like, learning what a typical day looks like for people across a wide range of fields. While the course focused on encouraging young women to pursue careers in the finance industry – an industry with historically low numbers of female participants – the leadership and communication coaches employed by UBS work with many large companies and brands to achieve global recognition, thus providing students with an arsenal of skills and strategies that will set them apart across many scenarios.  

Executive Principal Simon McKinney, Year Advisor Emily McKay and the entire Kempsey High School community are incredibly proud of both Skarlyte and Layla for stepping out of their comfort zones and taking advantage of the opportunities provided to them.