Women in Media, in partnership with Google News Initiative, is proud to announce the new cohort of media professionals who participate in the Relaunch Project next year.
After successfully running the inaugural program this year, Women in Media was overwhelmed with support from the wider industry and delighted to receive a large number of applications for the 2023 program.
The Relaunch Project is designed to assist women with returning to media roles after a career break, and it has three key pillars at its foundation: professional reskilling, personal development and networking.
The six-month program is led by Michelle Francis, who launched the inaugural program, and Jacinta Rose, who was part of the first Relaunch cohort.
“We have been so impressed by the women who have come forward and expressed an interest in the program,” they said.
“The 2023 cohort has come from diverse professional and personal backgrounds, from all across Australia, and have so much to offer the industry as they find their feet again.
“We are particularly excited about the number of women in the cohort who have expressed to us that they want to explore opportunities when it comes to senior media roles and leadership within the industry.”
Google News Initiative’s Uma Patel said the program was a unique opportunity for professional women and the media industry. “GNI is dedicated to creating and supporting a media industry that is forward thinking, including programs like the Relaunch Project,” she said. “This initiative not only empowers women to return to work and build a stronger professional network, but also helps to ensure that the workforce continues to be inclusive, diverse and adaptable.”
Meet the Cohort
Suzi O’Shea
Suzi O’Shea is a Brisbane-based journalist with more than 20 years’ experience in the media industry.
A committed advocate for racial equality, her work predominantly centres on social justice, social change and empowerment.
Suzi has worked with Women of Colour Australia.
Susan Horsburgh
I began my journalism career more than 25 years ago, fetching coffee as a copy kid at News Limited.
After scoring a cadetship with The Australian and working across the newspaper, I became a writer for TIME magazine in Sydney and London, covering everything from politics and business to science and the arts.
In New York, I was a staff writer for People magazine, helping to adjudicate on such pressing issues as the Sexiest Man Alive and writing countless pieces on celebrity weddings, babies and divorces (sometimes all for the one star).
I was living in Manhattan on September 11, 2001, and wrote about that terrible day and its aftermath.
After returning to Australia in 2004 to get married and have babies, I freelanced for The Weekend Australian Magazine and The Age (Melbourne) Magazine, writing profiles and news features, before joining The Australian Women’s Weekly as a senior staff writer in 2010.
That role, which included memorable interviews with Rosie Batty and Kim Kardashian, was made redundant in 2017, and I have been freelancing since then, mostly for Good Weekend, Qantas and The Australian Women’s Weekly.
As someone who loves quizzing strangers on plane flights or in post-office queues, journalism is my dream job.
Whatever the news angle, it’s the human story that moves me most and the so-called “ordinary” people who are usually the most interesting.