Cultivating Tomorrow’s Leaders – Jennifer Oaten
Girls’ schools play a key role in developing tomorrow’s leaders.
Recently, I was reading McKinsey’s recent insights on women CEOs when something struck me. The most successful women leaders are confident yet humble, decisive yet empowering, strategic yet deeply human-centred. As I read those words, I found myself smiling because I see these exact same qualities emerging in our students every single day at Santa Maria College.
Then I came across the Girls’ Schools Association research confirming what we have long believed, that single-sex education for girls creates uniquely powerful conditions for developing confident, capable leaders. The evidence was validating, but honestly, I did not need research to tell me what I witness firsthand. Just yesterday, watching our Head Girl candidates for 2026 present their speeches with such confidence, clarity and genuine care for their fellow students, I was reminded again of the remarkable leaders we are nurturing here.
The statistics tell one story, but I see another unfolding. While the numbers in boardrooms may still be disappointing, the transformation I witness daily in our classrooms gives me profound hope. Women leaders are beginning to redefine what exceptional leadership looks like in our complex, interconnected world. And right here at Santa Maria, I am watching the next generation of these leaders take shape.
82% of CEO pipeline roles are filled by men, and an increasing number of companies have no women leaders in pipeline roles.
The Numbers Tell a Powerful Story
While women currently represent only 8.3% of ASX 300 CEOs in Australia, I believe this presents an extraordinary opportunity. The 2024 Chief Executive Women Senior Executive Census reveals the stark reality: 91% of CEO positions are still held by men, with women being appointed to CEO roles at a decreased rate of just one in eight appointments, compared to one in four the previous year.
The pipeline challenge is equally concerning. Currently, 82% of CEO pipeline roles are filled by men, and 46% of ASX 300 companies have no women in these critical feeder positions. Research consistently shows that companies with women in senior leadership roles outperform their peers in innovation, employee engagement, and financial returns. Companies with gender-balanced leadership teams are three times more likely to achieve better performance outcomes than those without targets.
Building Leadership From Day One
The leadership qualities that make women CEOs exceptional are not developed overnight, they are cultivated through years of intentional experiences, challenges, and support. At Santa Maria, we are not just preparing students for academic success; we are building the foundations for leadership.
Every day, our students engage with meaningful projects that connect their learning to real-world impact. Whether it is our Year 7 students designing solutions for local environmental challenges or our senior leaders organising school-wide social justice initiatives, our girls learn to lead with purpose, not just ambition. They understand that effective leadership means their personal values are crucial in guiding their style of leadership.
Strategic Thinking Meets Human Connection
Our collaborative learning environment teaches students to think strategically while maintaining deep empathy and connection. In our debate programs, mock trial competitions, and student leadership roles, girls learn to make tough decisions while bringing others along on the journey. They develop relationship-building skills that balance strategic thinking with genuine care for others.
Every week, I witness our students navigating complexity with grace, guided by our Mercy values. They show Hospitality helping others to feel like they belong, Compassion through care for others, and Excellence in pursuing their personal best. They are thoughtful contributors and compassionate listeners, embodying the Justice and Service that define Mercy leadership. We encourage our girls to embrace all aspects of who they are, knowing that future leaders need to be comfortable with complexity.
Real Stories, Real Impact
This fearless leadership mindset, which I have written about before, is evident in how our students approach every challenge and opportunity. These leadership qualities are not theoretical concepts at Santa Maria, they are lived realities. Our students and alumni demonstrate every day how the foundations built here translate into meaningful change across diverse fields.
Annika Conte (Head Girl 2025) exemplifies strategic thinking combined with deep empathy in her current leadership. Understanding that younger students need stronger connections with senior students, Annika has initiated innovative cross-year programs including buddy systems, mixed-year activities, and mentoring opportunities. “One of my key aims is to foster unity, not just within year groups but across friendships, leadership teams, and the entire College,” she explains. Her leadership philosophy centres on empathy, creating “a positive, inclusive, and safe environment for everyone,” demonstrating how current students are already developing the Both/And mindset that defines exceptional leaders.
Shannon Ziegelaar (Head Girl 2008) shows how these early leadership experiences translate into lifelong impact. From Head Girl to Navy Gap Year, through management consulting at Boston Consulting Group to co-founding social enterprises Buddiup and Sisterup, Shannon has built a career on adaptability and purpose. Today, her organisations support over 160 people with disabilities each week, combining strategic thinking with deep human connection. “Santa Maria was deeply formative in instilling the value of service,” Shannon reflects, demonstrating the direct line from school leadership to transforming existing systems.
The Future is Female, And It Starts Here
The leadership qualities that will define success in our rapidly changing world, adaptability, emotional intelligence, collaborative problem-solving, and purpose-driven decision-making, develop naturally in environments like Santa Maria.
This transformation does not happen by accident. Our ‘Connecting Learning to Life’ framework intentionally develops these leadership qualities through our four interconnected attribute areas: Social, Personal, Thinking, and Technical. When our students demonstrate adaptability, they are drawing on personal attributes like resilience and initiative. When they solve problems collaboratively, they are combining thinking skills with social attributes like compassion and collaboration. This integrated approach ensures our graduates do not just possess isolated skills; they embody the holistic leadership mindset that will define tomorrow’s most successful leaders.
Exceptional leadership requires the very mindset that emerges from our educational approach. Our students develop curiosity alongside critical thinking, confidence alongside compassion, and technical capabilities alongside stewardship. They learn to be strategically minded yet deeply human-centred, decisive yet empowering, because our framework cultivates all these attributes simultaneously rather than asking students to choose between them.
Our girls are not just preparing to enter existing systems; they are preparing to transform them, equipped with the full spectrum of attributes needed to lead with both competence and compassion in our complex world.
Looking Forward
I have no doubt that our graduates will change these numbers. They will not accept the status quo of 8.3% female representation in leadership. They will be the CEOs, the innovators, the change-makers who demonstrate that exceptional leadership comes not from choosing between strength and empathy, but from embodying both.
- Catholic School Leadership, Featured, Female empowerment in schools, Girls’ education leadership, Mercy leadership in action, Santa Maria College values, Single-sex education benefits, Strategic empathy in education, Student leadership programs, Women in leadership pipeline
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
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