Regional Ambassador appointed as Women in Print to deliver more with paid memberships

Women in Print has appointed its first Regional Ambassador, Joanna Biggar, co-owner of Country Mile Signs in Gunnedah. The association has also announced it will offer paid memberships, promising the industry’s women a growing range of benefits as members. The announcements came after an eventful meeting of the Women in Print Board on Monday.

At the meeting, Karen Lawler and KA Boyd were officially appointed to the Patron roles in New South Wales and Queensland, respectively. Kimberley Skinner from Western Australia, meanwhile, assumed the Treasurer role following Hina Chadha's resignation due to personal commitments. 

The Board now comprises: Stephanie Gaddin, Chair; Rita Karagiannis, Deputy Chair and VIC/TAS Patron; Kimberley Skinner, Treasurer and WA Patron; Diana Nikolic, SA Patron; Karen Lawler, NSW/ACT Patron; Kerry-Anne (KA) Boyd, QLD Patron and Irene Daws, Hon. Secretary.

Stephanie Gaddin says, “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Joanna as our first Regional Ambassador for Women in Print. This role is designed to drive positive change in the industry by providing a vital link between Women in Print and the community in rural or regional areas.

“These Regional Ambassadors will champion inclusivity, facilitate connections, organise local events to inspire and empower women in print in their area and break down geographic barriers to ensure the industry’s women in regional areas can be equally represented and supported by strong networks of local industry peers.

Women in Print is also launching individual paid memberships for 2025, with a suite of membership benefits currently being finalised.

Gaddin says, "The new Memberships are designed to offer benefits for women in a range of roles and across the industry in its broadest sense, encompassing not only traditional commercial print but labels and packaging, textiles, signage, and wide-format and specialty printing."

“This membership aims to provide tailored benefits for three key demographics: freelancers and sole traders in creative roles; women in small or family-owned businesses; and employees of larger companies,” she explains.

“While Women in Print's leadership content and networking opportunities have traditionally attracted more freelancers and corporate representatives to our breakfast series, this initiative will extend its focus to include small business professionals, who represent the majority of the industry.

“By addressing the unique needs of each group, the 2025 membership program fosters inclusivity and support for women across the entire print sector, delivering meaningful benefits and connections for all.”
Women in the industry are invited to sign up for a Foundational Membership at $49 + GST before 31 December 2024. Registrations will open on the Women in Print website on Thursday, November 21, with member benefits commencing on January 1, 2025. 

Membership benefits in this inaugural program will include:
1.    Discounted and early access to purchase tickets to all Women in Print Events and Webinars, free tickets to selected webinars 
2.    Discounted pricing for the two-day Women in Print Leadership Bootcamp with Jo Wise – a pilot program to run in Victoria in August of 2025, expanding to other States subject to demand.
3.    Discounted pricing for ongoing individual Leadership Coaching with Jo Wise
4.    Free Access to Jo Wise's paced learning webinars and leadership videos from 1 January 2025 
5.    Exclusive Member-Only networking events and member-only webinars.

Additional Member benefits will be added to the program in the coming weeks as Women in Print concludes ongoing discussions with sponsors and allies. 

Regular membership pricing from 1 January onwards will be $89 + GST a year, but foundational members will get a 20% discount on renewals for keeping a continuous, unbroken membership. Women in Print is not offering a Corporate membership at this stage, but Gaddin says they will review this decision at the end of 2025. 

Women in Print events and initiatives are made possible by the hard work of volunteer committees in each State, Women in Print Allies Cactus Imaging, Media Super and Ricoh Australia, and supporters including Ball & Doggett, FramptonPR, IVE Group, NJ Creative, Rocking Rose, Southern Impact, Total Digital Solutions, and Signright Australia. Association supporters, including ASGA, Visual Connections and the Visual Media Association, provide further support,

Image Magazines is a proud supporter of Women in Print.