On Monday 23 February, the Harding Miller Education Foundation hosted an exclusive evening in Sydney to celebrate the achievements of its Class of 2025 scholars and formally welcome the incoming Class of 2026. The event also marked the unveiling of significant enhancements to the Foundation’s Scholarship program, designed to redefine how high-potential young women are supported on their pathway to leadership.
Bringing together philanthropists, education leaders, corporate partners and advocates for gender equity, the evening highlighted measurable outcomes from the 2025 cohort and outlined the Foundation’s evolving model for long-term scholar development. It convened influential voices united by a shared commitment to empowering Australia’s next generation of female leaders.
Event Highlights
Announcement of 2025 results and 2026 Scholarship Awards
Briefing on the evolution of the Foundation’s Scholarship model – including its enhanced tutoring model, Future Success program and integration of AI
Scholar and alumnae perspectives on leadership journeys
Keynote addresses from leading voices in education and gender equity
Featured Speakers
Murat Dizdar PSM, Secretary, NSW Department of Education
Julie Reilly OAM, CEO, Australians Investing in Women
Kim Harding OAM, Founder, Harding Miller Education Foundation
The Foundation’s scholarship model represents a significant step forward in building Australia’s next generation of female leaders – not only by addressing financial barriers, but by delivering sustained academic support, mentoring and future-focused skill development.
In her keynote address, Julie Reilly OAM underscored the economic and social case for investing in girls’ education, noting that for every $1 invested, the estimated return is between $16 and $19 in social and economic benefit. Since 2015, Harding Miller has invested $35 million in girls’ education – which, using the most conservative estimate of return, equates to more than half a billion dollars in impact in just over a decade!
For alumna Angela, the impact is both personal and collective. She reflected that supporters are “not just investing in one girl” – they are investing in a much larger and ongoing network of female empowerment, creating ripple effects that extend far beyond any single scholarship recipient.
