From the desk of
Katriina Tahka, Founder & CEO
July has been a special month for the Cultivate team. We started by celebrating NAIDOC Week. I then travelled to London for the graduation of our first European cohort which gave us an opportunity to hear what women globally are saying about their hopes, dreams and the challenges they face. In some ways it is comforting to know that our experiences are very similar around the world. It also reveals the scope of the challenge workplaces face in creating engaging career pathways.
We dived deeper into the results of the 2026 Cultivate x Women’s Agenda survey data to uncover more of the stories that you shared about your experiences.
This year’s survey surfaced something we hadn’t heard loudly before: ageism, working as a handbrake on senior women who are ready and still have the most to give. More about this below!
Finally I was very grateful to embark on a study tour in Sápmi, Finland (also referred to as Lapland) along with Carlyn Waters, Managing Director of Cultivate Indigenous. The extraordinary conversations we have had with Sámi women leading their organisations from a place of cultural responsibility and authenticity will be invaluable in informing our program development. We will deep dive into what we learnt in August as our tour is still underway and we are writing this on the road high above the Arctic Circle dodging Reindeer on the road!
Wellbeing and resilience continue to be a challenge for many people and so I hope that July has brought you all moments of rest and rejuvenation
This Month’s Focus
The data is in. ‘Age is no barrier…’ is a myth in many Australian workforces.
Earlier this year Cultivate partnered again with Women’s Agenda to survey the barriers to women’s career progression. Our first national survey in 2024 found that more than a third of Australian women in the workplace felt invisible, and 43% could not see the way forward.
In 2026 we went deeper. We wanted to understand the lived experience of Indigenous women and women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to measure the impact of intersectionality on career progression.
What we heard were real life stories of women’s experiences in Australian workplaces that cut deep.
For the first time, experienced women told us that ageism is quietly closing the door.
The clearest signal came when we asked what women think is shaping how others perceive their abilities at work:
When asked which factors they believe are affecting how others perceive their abilities at work, age was identified more often than caring commitments, part-time status, flexible working status, health, or career breaks. For a sample dominated by women 15+ years into their careers and in management positions, this is striking, suggesting ageism is operating as a brake on advancement for senior women in particular, even those at the height of their experience and capability.
Women’s Agenda, ‘No Clear Pathways: What Australian Women Say Is Holding Back Their Careers’
At the same time, 43% say their employer has pulled back on initiatives supporting women in the past year, and 75% believe their organisation could do more on gender equality in leadership.
This is a first look at the ageism cut of the data. We will keep sharing from it over the coming weeks.
Source: Women’s Agenda x Cultivate Sponsorship 2026 Workplace Visibility Survey
A First Look
What Changes When Someone Stands in Your Corner
A full case study lands in August. Here is a first taste.
This month, a Willow sponsorship cohort in Europe graduated. Twenty-two leaders who walked in during January as two separate groups, sponsors and sponsees, walked out as eleven partnerships and one connected cohort.
What they said on the day speaks to exactly what the survey data points at. That progression is not about being more capable. It is about being seen, and having someone with influence talk about you when it counts.
“This is all about helping people to realise what is already possible.”
“I don’t have to have it all figured out, I just need to take the first step.”
“As senior leaders, we often talk about our people, but we often miss talking to them.”
That last one lands hardest against this month’s theme. The women most at risk of being overlooked are often the experienced ones, and the fix is rarely complicated. It starts with a conversation, and a sponsor willing to have it.
The full story, and what it took to turn two groups into one cohort, is coming in August.
Organisational Training, Workshops and Coaching
We help organisations and leaders grow through sponsorship and leadership pathways, inclusive workplace training, and tailored executive labs and advisory support.
Meet the Team
Have You Met Pallavi?
Meet Pallavi, the person behind Program Management at Cultivate Sponsorship. Pallavi Sharma has been with us since the end of April and has quickly become an integral part of the team, supporting the delivery of our programs across cohorts, clients and participant journeys. She brings over 10 years’ experience leading strategic projects, digital transformation and program delivery across government, tertiary education, finance and tech.
At Cultivate, she plays a key role in the smooth delivery of sponsorship programs, from participant communications and engagement reporting through to workshop facilitation and content creation. Her work is centred on creating a seamless and thoughtful experience for sponsors, sponsees and client partners, always with a focus on making the program feel clear, connected and personalised.
Pallavi is passionate about sponsorship because she has experienced its power first-hand. Having been sponsored in a corporate role, she understands the impact that both formal and informal sponsorship can have on a person’s progression, and how visibility, advocacy and access can change the direction of a career. Her role is to help create the conditions for those conversations and opportunities to happen with purpose.
You may see Pallavi’s name across program updates, reminders, coaching communications and participant support. Please feel free to say hello or send a question through to [email protected].
Coming Up Next Month…
In August we reset and recommit for the second half of the year, and we release the full European sponsorship case study we previewed above: how twenty-two leaders became one connected cohort, and what it teaches organisations about seeing and sponsoring their experienced talent before they quietly step back.
Thank you for being part of the Cultivate community. Let’s keep building pathways for growth together.