Industry mentorship program Assisterhood expands and announces NSW and VIC leads

With strong growth in both QLD and VIC, Assisterhood is going national – announcing its expansion to a NSW program in 2023.

Assisterhood is a 1:1 industry mentorship program that links underrepresented people in creative and comms with mentoring, experience and education. Experienced mentors hail from creative, media, marketing, production, design, tech and digital roles.

Google account strategist Charlotte Goodsir (pictured left) joins the Assisterhood team as NSW Lead, while Saatchi & Saatchi senior business manager Jessie Roper (pictured right) has been promoted to VIC Lead after the program’s success in its first year in Naarm (Melbourne).

“Char and Jessie coming on board marks the next step of Assisterhood’s growth. They’re both excellent, talented, and kind women – and I’m ecstatic about the opportunity to work with them again.” says Linh Diep, Assisterhood Founder.

Both Goodsir and Roper previously worked with Diep at the Advertising Council Australia’s Youngbloods organisation. They join the likes of Liz Ballantyne and Isabelle Debnam who lead the Assisterhood QLD program.

What started out as a Meanjin (Brisbane) mentorship initiative with five mentors and their respective mentees in 2018, now boasts a national program that’s connected 100 mentors and mentees, regularly hosts industry events, collaborations, and even a podcast.

Diep encourages more mentees and mentors from regional, disadvantaged, and culturally-diverse backgrounds to apply next year and says, “You can’t be what you can’t see.”

‘If you don’t have a leader in your network that you can relate to, definitely consider applying for the program next year. It is incredible how much difference having a person in you corner makes when they understand what you are going through.’ – says Polina Shilenina, Chief Product Officer at Assisterhood.

Along with Goodsir, Assisterhood is starting to recruit a team of NSW volunteers to help launch the program early next year. And with a new series of Assistercast on the horizon, 2023 is set to empower more women and allies than ever.

Connect with Assisterhood:
Socials – @assisterhood
Podcast – Assistercast

Credit: Charlotte’s Photo by Melissa Cowan (represented by Miss Bossy Boots)