Ready to Rise: Capital Strategies for Women in Business, presented by Westpac and Tech Ready Women

Event Details

📅 Date: Thursday, 28 August 2025 | 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM AEST

📍 Venue: OAKS TOOWOOMBA HOTEL, 25 Annand St, Toowoomba City QLD 4350, Australia

🎟️ FREE event!

🥗 Lunch will be served during the networking section of the event

About this Event

Ready to Rise: Capital Strategies for Women in Business

Presented by Westpac and Tech Ready Women

🌟 When it comes to growing your business, finding the right funding is more than just numbers. It's about knowing your options, building your confidence, and learning from women who’ve done it before.

At Ready to Rise, we’re bringing women together in Toowoomba for a practical, honest conversation about business funding. You’ll hear real stories, explore different funding pathways, and connect with women who understand the challenges and the wins that come with growing a business.

Presented by Westpac x Tech Ready Women (TRW), this free event is for women in business who want to:

Understand the different ways to fund growth from bootstrapping and loans to investment.
Learn from founders and funding experts who have been through it.
Build valuable connections with like-minded women and funding partners.

Whether you’re just starting out or ready to scale, this is your chance to get informed, ask questions, and walk away with practical next steps.

Join us for a 3-hour afternoon event with lunch included, and enjoy:

🥗 Networking lunch

🎙️ Stories from founders who made funding work their way — whether through loans, self-funding, or investment

💸 Information about funding support for women in business

This event is free, but spaces are limited. Reserve your spot now and take a step toward growing your business–with the right people and the right support by your side 💥

Who is this event for

This event is for growth-minded startup female founders and business owners from diverse industries, open to funding options.

If you're a supporter of our community, you're welcome to come along!

Agenda

12:00 PM - Networking Lunch

1:00 PM - Welcome to Country

1:10 PM - Inspirational Introduction: "Inspiration + How to Scale With Purpose (and Sanity)" with Christie Whitehill

1:20 PM - Fireside Chat with Tamara Bryden and Edwina Sharrock: “The Real Story of Building a Global Business”.

1:50 PM - 10-min interval

2:00 PM - Panel: "Funding Pathways: Loans, Bootstrapping & VC — What’s Right for You?" Facilitated by Julia Spicer

2:45 PM - Westpac: “Financing Female Ambition” with Kylee Walker

3:00 PM - Event concludes

About the Speakers

Your Hosts

Crystal McGregor, General Manager @ Tech Ready Women

Crystal is the General Manager and Program Lead at TRW. She’s an entrepreneur with years of hands-on experience growing startups, working with founders, and leading high-impact programs. Crystal has worked across fashion-tech, ag-tech, and social enterprise, including as Chief of Operations at the award-winning ag-tech startup, Zondii, and co-founder and CEO of fashion-tech startup, PUCTTO.

With a background in program design, project management, and securing over $5 million in grants and funding, Crystal is passionate about helping founders turn ideas into real, thriving businesses. She loves supporting women to think creatively, challenge the status quo, and find practical pathways to grow.

Jo Palmer, Program Lead at Tech Ready Women, Founder of Pointer Remote and The Connection Table

Jo is a champion for women in entrepreneurship with deep experience as a founder and innovation leader. She has designed and delivered impactful programs across Australia, connecting entrepreneurs to mentorship, funding and commercialisation pathways. As the founder of Pointer Remote and The Connection Table, Jo has been a strong voice for remote work and regional inclusion. Most recently, she led innovation programs at Charles Sturt University, focused on building diverse, inclusive innovation ecosystems.

With a background spanning education, recruitment, advocacy and startups, Jo brings both lived experience and strategic insight. She’s especially passionate about creating equitable access for rural, remote and underrepresented founders in the innovation and tech space.

Inspirational Introduction

Christie Whitehill, Founder of Tech Ready Women and Co-Founder of INTU Wellness

Christie, founder of Tech Ready Women, launched an award-winning program to bridge the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship, leveraging her 15 years of experience to upskill female founders. Her program quickly gained industry recognition, winning Accelerator of the Year 2017 and securing government funding, before being sold to Scalare Partners in 2024. A thought leader in tech, Christie has led the development of over 20 products, co-founded INTU WELLNESS, and established partnerships across various sectors. She also balances her entrepreneurial ventures with raising her two children, Zac, 6, and Ava, 3.

Fireside Chat with Tamara Bryden and Edwina Sharrock

Tamara Bryden, Managing Director, Business Lending at Westpac

Tamara has 23 years’ experience in the financial services sector, specialising in business banking. Her expertise spans risk, strategy, operations, and sales including relationship management. She is a passionate customer advocate and authentic leader, with success leading large, high performing teams to deliver transformational change and sustainable growth. She is experienced in influencing and negotiating with all stakeholders to drive strategic outcomes.

Tamara is the Managing Director for Business Lending at Westpac Group. In this role, Tamara is responsible for leading and delivering the end-to-end business lending journey for customers (including lending to small businesses, SMEs and Commercial businesses). This requires collaboration with teams across the business to deliver on customer, financial, and risk performance objectives. Tamara is passionate about cutting through complexity to find simple solutions that exceed customer expectations. Tamara holds an Honors Degree in Business, and has completed an MBA.

Edwina Sharrock, Former Founder of Birth Beat, Advisor

Edwina is a health advocate and digital innovator who built and sold her ed-tech startup, Birth Beat. Starting from her home in Tamworth, NSW, Edwina grew Birth Beat into a trusted platform that has supported over 5,000 parents through digital childbirth and baby first aid courses. She’s been recognised with awards like the Commonwealth Bank Innovation Award, the NSW Telstra Small Business Award, and was named a Google Regional Online Hero.

Edwina loves sharing her expertise as a non-executive director and is passionate about supporting women-led businesses. With a deep love for practical, tech-driven solutions that create real impact, she continues to champion innovation, growth, and community-led success.

Panel: Funding Pathways: Loans, Bootstrapping & VC — What’s Right for You?

Panel Host

Julia Spicer, OAM, Founder of Engage & Create Consulting, The Goondiwindi Business Hub and House4390

Julia Spicer OAM is a vibrant rural entrepreneur and a catalyst for change. Founder of three regional businesses based in Goondiwindi, QLD - Engage & Create Consulting, The Goondiwindi Business Hub and the recently sold House4390.

Julia has grown the activity and impact of innovation into the farming and business communities across the state. Julia has a particular gift for engaging women and indigenous businesses in her work. Julia assists entrepreneurs and business owners with the work of business plan writing, designing value propositions and attracting grant and investment funds.

Julia's mission is to contribute to the vibrancy and viability of rural and regional Australia by helping businesses grow. Through strategic planning, coaching and online courses; Julia does just that.

Panel Speakers

Clarissa Yates, CEO & Founder at Ketim Technologies

Dr Clarissa Yates is the Founder and CEO of Ketim Technologies, a Brisbane-based biotechnology company focused on developing precision diagnostics for perinatal mental illness through advanced biomarker discovery and predictive analytics. With more than a decade of experience in academia, developing molecular assays and translational technologies across neuroscience, oncology, and infectious diseases, Clarissa transitioned from research to entrepreneurship to accelerate the translation of scientific innovations into clinically actionable solutions. Clarissa is also a proud TRW Alumni.

Ellie Cartwright, Producer, Director Educator

Ellie is a versatile Producer/Director with a background in factual entertainment, branded content, and adventure documentaries. Beginning her career in the UK in 2009, she worked on major productions like The Apprentice and Hunted before moving into global sports coverage and founding Wanderlust Action Films. Known for her exceptional interview technique and strong shooting skills, her recent career highlights include directing offshore sailing documentaries, and as Expedition Director for a National Geographic documentary at the wreck site of the Titanic.

Now based in Australia, she focuses on inspiring story-led impact films for both broadcasters and global brands.

She also runs training programmes for aspiring factual filmmakers helping them make their dream career a reality.

Lara Strohfeldt, Co-Founder and Director of The Place Occupational Therapy & Family Support, Regional Health Leader | Neurodiversity Advocate

Lara Strohfeldt is the Co-Founder and Director of The Place Occupational Therapy & Family Support, a regional allied health organisation based in Highfields, QLD. With over 15 years’ experience across mining, disability, aged care and community health, Lara combines clinical expertise with entrepreneurial drive to lead a fast-growing, neuro-affirming service supporting families across the Darling Downs.

A neurodivergent leader and parent, Lara is deeply committed to equity, sustainability, and human-centred care. As Principal Occupational Therapist, she champions trauma-informed practice, rural outreach, and inclusive models of support–driven by lived experience and a passion for reshaping allied health in regional Australia.

Westpac: Financing Female Ambition

Kylee Walker, Regional General Manager at Westpac

Kylee Walker resides in Toowoomba and is Westpac’s Regional General Manager for SME and Small Business Banking across Regional Queensland. With 25 years’ experience in the finance industry, she is known for her strategic leadership, customer focus, and ability to grow and support high-performing teams. A recipient of Westpac’s Alfred Davidson and Local Hero Awards, Kylee brings a collaborative, results-driven approach to business and a deep commitment to her community.

Thanks to our sponsors

This event is possible with the support of Westpac as our sponsor.

Westpac is Australia’s oldest bank and company, one of four major banking organisations in Australia and one of the largest banks in New Zealand. Westpac provides a broad range of banking and financial services in these markets, including consumer, business and institutional banking and wealth management services.

Their support is instrumental in making this event possible and helping us bring together inspiring female founders and industry leaders. Thank you, Westpac, for your commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in our community.

By attending this event, you consent to be photographed and recorded on video. These photos and videos may be used for marketing and promotional purposes by Tech Ready Women and Westpac in the future. If you have any concerns, please let our team know upon arrival.

We look forward to welcoming you to this event!

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