GLF Connect Scholarship

“Erin’s commitment to her regional community is clear. She’s stepped into a challenging role with purpose and heart, and GLF will help her continue to lead with confidence when it matters most.” — Greg

Erin lives and works in regional SA - she is a values-driven leader navigating her first CEO role at a time of profound challenge for the sector and community she represents.

Driven by desire to see the world and experience cultures profoundly different from her own, Erin spent her early career living, working, and traveling across the world. Looking to put down roots in McLaren Vale four years ago, Erin is now actively getting to know her community more closely, learning how to contribute more meaningfully to it. Becoming not just a resident, but a genuine part of the community, is something she values greatly, and will continue to pursue in the years ahead.

Erin sought support through the GLF Connect Scholarship to undertake the GLF program as a means of strengthening her capacity to lead with confidence, vision and resilience - not just for herself, but for the hundreds of businesses, and the regional community, that rely on her leadership.

Leadership impact and contribution

Erin is CEO of the McLaren Vale Grape, Wine & Tourism Association, representing more than 800 businesses across viticulture, wine, tourism and allied industries. Her leadership sits at the intersection of regional community, industry sustainability, and government policy - in a sector experiencing significant financial strain, global uncertainty and fatigue.

Prior to this role, Erin spent a decade working across government, not-for-profit and international contexts, her defining leadership strength has been her ability to build high-performing teams that consistently deliver beyond their size and resources. She is recognised for creating cultures of trust, purpose and shared ownership – her focus has always been empowering people to grow into confident professionals and deliver outcomes that serve the collective good.

Challenge and readiness

Erin has been candid about the weight of responsibility she feels. As a first-time CEO, she is acutely aware that her leadership affects the livelihoods, confidence and future outlook of a regional community that is struggling economically, which is impacting civic cohesion and mental health. What came across in her application and interview is that Erin is clearly motivated by a genuine desire to become the leader her community deserves - one who can advocate more effectively, inspire people, and help rebuild a sector under intense and sustained pressure.

Her role uniquely bridges regional industry, community wellbeing and government priorities across agriculture, trade, climate, small business and infrastructure. The learning, networks and perspective gained through GLF would directly strengthen her ability to connect these domains and deliver long-term benefit for the region.

Why the GLF Connect Scholarship?

Erin strongly reflects the intent of the GLF Connect Scholarship: a capable leader who has stepped into challenge, is already making a difference, and is actively seeking to grow - professionally, personally and in service of others.

She brings to the GLF cohort:

1. A global perspective shaped by diplomacy and genuine curiosity about the lives of others
2. Deep experience in advocacy, representation and consensus-building
3. A collaborative, empathetic leadership style grounded in service

As CEO of a small not-for-profit association, Erin’s role is dedicated to collective impact rather than personal gain. Her organisation does not have the financial capacity to support participation in GLF, despite the scale of responsibility she holds. The sectors and therefore community that she represents are struggling financially and are uncertain of their future. She committed to attending the program and is supported in the taking the time to participate but current sector and personal financial conditions make scholarship support essential.

Supporting Erin through the GLF Connect Scholarship is an investment in leadership where it is urgently needed. With alumni support, Erin will be better equipped to lead with grounded confidence, unite stakeholders around a shared future, and instil hope and direction in a community that is struggling deeply.

While I am proud to work on their behalf and find it highly motivating to learn every day, I know I am not yet the leader they deserve. I am applying from a genuine desire to grow into the kind of leader my community needs – one who can represent them more effectively, advocate for them with greater skill, and help rebuild the sector they are so passionate about… investing in me through this program is not just an investment in an individual, it would be an investment in the resilience and future of the community and sector that I represent, and my ability to serve them. Through the program I hope to develop greater confidence and vision in my leadership, drawing on new skills, ideas and perspectives. I look forward to gaining a stronger state-wide outlook, discovering opportunities I may not even know exist, and learning from peers in other sectors – Erin.

“Susan brings a rare mix of cultural leadership and genuine community impact. She’s stepping into her next chapter with purpose and supporting her now will amplify that contribution for South Australia.” — Margo.

Susan has always focused on service and transformation in her roles, driven by a desire to make art, history, knowledge and nature accessible and enjoyable to as many people as possible. She has achieved this through award winning exhibitions and programs and building audiences for museums, gardens and higher education. She also has a deep passion and understanding for how creativity and connection intersect with health, wellbeing and purpose – working on research informed programs for isolated older people at risk of loneliness and depression and young people experiencing anxiety and depression.

An accomplished cultural leader at a significant transition point in her career, Susan is seeking to participate in the GLF fuelled by commitment to extend her impact as a leader further.

Leadership impact and contribution

Susan is concluding her role as Director of Carrick Hill, where she commenced the transformation of a largely misunderstood and underutilised site into a more vibrant, accessible public destination. Under her leadership, visitor numbers trebled and self-generated income quadrupled, with commercial activity growing significantly while strengthening public value and inclusion.

Prior to returning to South Australia in 2021, Susan spent more than a decade in senior leadership roles in the United Kingdom, including at the V&A, the Ashmolean Museum and the University of Oxford. Her work consistently focused on widening access to culture, strengthening community connection, and leading through change in complex, resource-constrained environments.

Challenge and readiness

Susan is now entering a new and uncertain phase: leaving salaried employment in early 2026 to establish an independent consultancy focused on supporting cultural organisations and developing creative health and wellbeing initiatives. This transition brings professional opportunity, but also financial vulnerability.

While she now has the time, energy and readiness to fully engage with GLF, she does not currently have the income or organisational backing to fund participation without support. Importantly, Susan is not stepping back, she is looking to step forward. She is choosing to invest in her future capacity to lead, contribute and give back at a time when many would not.

Why the GLF Connect Scholarship?

Susan is the kind of participant the GLF Connect Scholarship was designed to support: a strong candidate whose financial circumstances make it challenging to take up offer of participating in the program - and whose future contribution will be amplified through connection with the GLF community.

She brings:

1. Leadership experience across culture, government and philanthropy
2. A strong collaborative ethic and commitment to cohort contribution
3. A clear intention to translate learning into community, cultural and wellbeing outcomes

Susan’s aspiration is to use her leadership, networks and experience to help build a more connected, healthy and culturally engaged South Australia.

Case for Alumni Support

GLF alumni investment in Susan is an investment in sustained impact. She is a proven leader navigating change with courage and intention, seeking not support to retreat, but support to grow - personally, professionally and in service of others.

The GLF Connect Scholarship would enable Susan to participate fully in the program at a defining personal moment, strengthening both the cohort and the wider GLF alumni community for years to come.

I have wanted to do the GLF ever since returning to SA in 2021. While I have attended cultural leadership programs in the past, this was some time ago now, and I have not had the chance to attend a program that is multidisciplinary and focused on building a strong local network. I know this program has an excellent reputation for transforming individuals and building a strong cohort of committed leaders. I would relish the opportunity to take part. I am a committed leader and believe in continuous improvement and evolution. I am at a point in my career where I am able to wholeheartedly commit to the program and take full advantage of its personal growth and networking opportunities. I will work hard to build the cohesion of the cohort. I want to ensure I develop my skills to really be able to give back to my home state SA.- Susan