Join Auspire - Australia Day Council WA for a FREE online event celebrating International Women's Day with two remarkable women:

Kate Kirwin 2024 WA Young Australian of the Year recipient, founder of She Codes Australia and women in STEM advocate.
Madison Heady 2024 WA Young Australian of the Year finalist, para-athlete and disability advocate.

Tune in to learn how Kate and Madison are breaking barriers and bridging gaps to create a more inclusive world for women of all backgrounds and abilities.

From bridging the gender gap in tech to advocating for disability rights, their insights and journeys offer invaluable lessons in resilience, empowerment and the power of inclusion.

Celebrate the achievements of women like Kate and Madison and explore how we can collectively inspire inclusion and create a more equitable and inclusive society for all.

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More about our speakers

Kate Kirwin

Kate Kirwin founded She Codes Australia in 2015 with the aim of teaching women coding skills, helping them enter technical careers and building a likeminded community.

As a country girl, Kate strongly believes in empowering women from some of Australia’s most remote regions. So far, more than 6000 women from all over the country have learned to code through She Codes.

Kate’s work is closing the gender gap in tech, where only 30 per cent of employees are women. She has sourced more than $1 million from government and industry to support women in STEM.

Kate has also contributed to the growth of Spacecubed, a start-up hub in Perth, and since 2014 has played a pivotal role in building communities and coordinating programs such as Plus Eight and Startup Weekend.

Her achievements have been recognised with the Business News 40 Under 40 Award and The West Australian’s Rising Star Award.

Madison Heady

Madison Heady was diagnosed with ataxic cerebral palsy at birth and didn’t walk unassisted until she was eight. But she went on to become a national athletics silver medallist for the 1500m and set a new Australian record for her classification for the 5km race in 2020.

Later that year, Madison was in a serious car accident and had to re-learn to walk a second time. With determination, hard work and a never-give-up attitude, Madison is now back training.

Madison is a passionate advocate, educating the community on disability and the importance of inclusion. For being a strong advocate, Madison received the 2023 Western Australian of the Year award in the Youth Category.

Her dream is for people with disabilities to be given the chance to show others who they truly are and for others to open the opportunity to see the ability, not the disability.

Contact the host of Empowering Women, Embracing Inclusion