Dr Vicky Au
Pronoun
Director, Strategic Advisory APAC
Wood
In her current role, Dr Vicky Au focuses on building, scaling and sustaining initiatives across energy and materials end-markets, leveraging a global network to progress innovative solutions for an engineering and consulting firm. Named in the Hydrogen Economist's Women in Hydrogen 50, Vicky’s passions include research to industry translation and mentoring. Vicky has helped to inform domestic policy and strategy development, facilitated international collaboration initiatives to build new industry and led the expansion of corporate R&D and innovation advisory in Australia and overseas. Over 17 years, Vicky has mentored through organisations such as Mentor Walks, the University of Melbourne, PwC, CSIRO and Wood.
She completed her PhD in physics at the Australian National University with further studies through CPA Australia, the AICD and Harvard Business School. Vicky will be facilitating a session on Change Resistance vs Change Fatigue at the Women in Leadership Summit 2025. Leveraging her experience navigating large‑scale transformations and aligning diverse stakeholders, Vicky will offer techniques to apply targeted strategies that sustain engagement and keep complex change programs moving forward.
SESSIONS
Day 2
2:40
Mini Leadership Labs
These interactive 35-minute sessions cut straight to the skills leaders need most today. Each lab zeroes in on a specific challenge, giving you tools, frameworks, and peer insights you can immediately apply in your role. Attendees will participate in two sessions of their choosing.
Lab A: The Unspoken Rules of Progression
Career progression is rarely based on performance alone. This lab explores how power, influence, and how our own conditioning can limit or strengthen our ability to step forward. We’ll unpack how decisions about progression are really made, the signals leaders pay attention to, and the hidden dynamics that can accelerate or stall your rise. Learn how to build strategic visibility, reclaim your power, and position yourself for senior roles while staying authentic.
Skills Learned: Strategic visibility, influence and power literacy, executive presence, managing upward with confidence, and leading with authenticity.
Simone Weston, Chief People Officer, Kismet
Lab B: Change Resistance vs. Change Fatigue
Change itself is not the issue; it is the accumulation that wears people down. This lab will help you recognise the difference between resistance and fatigue, and apply strategies that re-engage teams and sustain momentum without pushing them to breaking point.
Skills Learned: Establishing feedback loops, setting clear boundaries, and navigating resistance to change.
Dr Vicky Au, Director, Strategic Advisory APAC, Wood
Lab C: Leading High-Stakes Conversations and Negotiations
From budget battles to boardroom debates, high-stakes conversations test a leader’s ability to stay composed, credible and influential. This lab equips you with the tools to prepare for difficult discussions, manage pushback with confidence, and negotiate outcomes that balance competing priorities while protecting relationships and integrity.
Skills Learned: Conflict resolution, stakeholder influence, negotiating priorities, and maintaining credibility under pressure.
Lotte Hoekstra, Sector Director – Generation & Storage (ANZ), AECOM