Cusp’s Amanda Sharman recipient of the TFFPN Women in Leadership Scholarship 

Cusp Finance Manager Amanda Sharman has been awarded a Women in Leadership Scholarship to build her skills as a Board Director. The Scholarship, which is provided by the Tasmanian Forest and Forest Products Network (TFFPN) with support from the Tasmanian Government, will fund Amanda’s attendance at the AICD Foundations of Directorship Online Course.

“The TFFPN has identified that only 16% of the workforce in the Tasmanian forest industry is female, which is an alarmingly low statistic,” says Amanda. 

Investing in the development of female leaders in the industry is an important first step to improving gender diversity in the industry and I am very grateful to the TFFPN for the initiative that they are showing in this area and providing me with this opportunity.

Amanda Sharman
Cusp Finance Manager

The course is an 11-week program that covers topics including Governance for Directors, Finance for Directors, and Strategy and Risk for Directors.

Cusp Building Solutions is a new business that has grown very rapidly over the past 3 years from site establishment through to commencement of operations. 

“I believe there is an opportunity for me to gain a greater understanding of corporate governance principles through the AICD Foundations of Directorship course and apply these within our business to provide additional rigour around processes and policies. With the skills and knowledge obtained from the course, I could be a leader in this area for Cusp.”

Cusp CEO James Lantry said that Amanda is a well-deserved recipient of the Women in Leadership Scholarship.

“Amanda is a key member of our team and I look forward to her applying her new skills in leadership discussions at Cusp. It’s a great initiative by the TFFPN and the Tasmanian Government to improve gender diversity in the industry, which I am a strong supporter of,” said James.

Amanda says she believes that it is important to support more women to have a seat at Leadership tables.

I think it is critical to organisational success as women bring different perspectives, insights, skills and experiences to a leadership team. I also think having female leaders is fundamental in attracting, supporting and retaining a gender diverse workforce at all levels throughout an organisation,

Amanda Sharman
Cusp Finance Manager

“My observations are that at an operational level within the industry, challenges exist in recruiting and retaining staff, particularly in regional areas, and few women apply for these positions despite representing a large portion of the pool of job seekers. 

“There is a huge opportunity to market/promote operational roles and career opportunities within the timber industry to women, who traditionally are less likely to apply for these roles.”