NEW MEMBER STRUCTURE AT WOMEN IN PRINT

Women in Print will be offering paid memberships from this week, promising the industry’s women a growing range of benefits as members.

The move came after an eventful meeting of the Women in Print board this week, which also saw the appointment of a new treasurer and the association’s first regional patron.

Kimberley Skinner from Western Australia has assumed the treasurer role following the resignation of Hina Chadha from the seat 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; KA Boyd, QLD patron, and Irene Daws, honorary, secretary.

At the meeting, the board also appointed its first regional ambassador, who is Joanna Biggar, owner of Country Mile Signs in Gunnedah, a town west of Tamworth in NSW.

Gaddin said, “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Joanna as our first regional ambassador for Women in Print, a role which 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 and 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.

Perhaps the biggest announcement from the meeting was that Women in Print will be launching individual paid memberships for 2025, with a suite of membership benefits currently being finalised.

The new paid memberships are designed to offer benefits for women across a diversity of roles and across the industry in its broadest sense, encompassing traditional commercial print, along with labels and packaging, textiles, signage, wide-format and speciality printing, said Gaddin.

“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 explained.

“While Women in Print's leadership content and networking opportunities have traditionally attracted 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 needs of each group, the 2025 membership programme fosters inclusivity and support for women across the entire print sector, delivering meaningful benefits and connections for all.”

Women in industry are invited to sign up for a Foundational Membership at $49 +GST before 31 December. Membership benefits in this inaugural programme 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 – pilot programme to run in Victoria in August next year, 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 self-paced learning webinars and leadership videos from January.

5.    Exclusive member-only networking events and member only webinars.

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

Regular pricing on the memberships from 1 January onwards will be $89 +GST a year, but foundational members will get a 20 per cent discount on renewals for keeping a continuous, unbroken membership.

At this stage, Women in Print is not offering a corporate membership, but Gaddin says they will review this decision at the end of 2025. 

Registration for Foundational Membership will open on the Women in Print website tomorrow, Thursday 21 November, with member benefits commencing from 1 January. 

Women in Print events and initiatives are made possible by 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 and Total Digital Solutions.