Congratulations Paula Nassif
2022 Turks WiBF Leadership Scholarship Winner

Turks and Women in Banking and Finance (WiBF) are delighted to announce Paula Nassif, Senior Associate at King & Wood Mallesons as the winner of the 2022 Turks WiBF Leadership Scholarship. Turks and WiBF are strong advocates for excellence in the Australian banking and finance industry. Now in its 9th year, this joint initiative provides WiBF members with a significant career development opportunity.

Paula submitted a compelling, articulate and considered response to the question:  “As CEO of an organisation (not your current employer), how would you go about making sure it was an inclusive organisation? How would you measure a tangible impact, internally & externally?” As the winner, Paula will travel to the United States in April 2023 to participate in The Women in Leadership Program; a one week course run by the highly esteemed Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. The program helps women assess and address their unique strengths and challenges, as well as navigate the frequently complex dynamics of strategic business leadership.

On winning the Scholarship Paula said “I am over the moon and extremely excited to be awarded this year’s Turks/WiBF scholarship to attend the Women in Leadership program at Darden at the University of Virginia. This is one of those very special and unique opportunities and I am so grateful to Turks and WiBF for their exceptional support for this Scholarship”. I’m equally excited about the opportunity I now have to be an ambassador for WiBF and to be working alongside the WiBF CEO and Board to promote WiBF’s values (including diversity and innovation) in the industry in 2023. I am excited about what I will learn at Darden (including international perspectives), the participants I will meet, and what I will be able to share on my return to Australia.”

The judges found this year’s candidates extremely difficult to judge due to the record number of very high quality applications and the impressive performances of all of the finalists at interview. All of the applicants were inspirational. In the end, the judges agreed that Paula was a stand-out applicant and were truly delighted to see her win.

“This year, we have received an astonishing number of applications for the Turks WiBF Scholarship. Paula has shown exemplary dedication and resilience through the process. We are thrilled for her and look forward to hearing about her experience at Darden. Thank you to all applicants for the time they took to apply and to the finalists for participating in a high-quality interview process. Thank you to the judges and the staff at WiBF and Turks that make the Scholarship as successful and aspirational as it is.” said WiBF CEO, Stephanie Girard. 

About Turks

Turks is a leading commercial law firm with 38 partners and over 170 staff in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Newcastle. For 40 years we have developed our skills and expertise to align with the needs of our clients. Our commitment and unwavering focus has undoubtedly helped us to build the long- standing partnerships we have with many of Australia’s leading institutions, major and boutique insurers, corporate entities and banks.

#MAJOR INTERNATIONAL PRIZE VALUED AT UP TO $15,000

The winner will win a trip to the USA to participate in The Women in Leadership Program in 2023, run by the highly esteemed Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. Darden Executive Education has been ranked #1 Education Experience in the U.S in The Economist, 2011-19!

The Turks WiBF Leadership Scholarship, now in its ninth year, is an exciting joint initiative between Turks and Women in Banking & Finance (WiBF) to support the professional growth of excellence in the industry by providing WiBF members with a significant career development opportunity.

Be inspired and watch this short video of past scholarship winners Michelle Erdosi, Bank of Queensland, Deborah Beeck, ANZ and Katrina Francis, Toyota Finance Australia on how they accelerated their leadership with the Turks WiBF Leadership Scholarship.

How to Enter

To apply, entrants must complete an online application form (on the WiBF Member Dashboard) and provide a response not exceeding 3,500 characters (including spaces) (approx. 500 words) to one of two questions. 

To complete the online application form please login to your WiBF Member Dashboard.

Download the 2022 brochure.

Who can Enter

The Scholarship is open to all Australian resident members of WiBF. Each entrant must be a current financial member of WiBF or an employee of a WiBF Corporate Member. Entrants must work in the Banking and Finance industry. Applicants should have a minimum of 7 years’ experience working in a banking or financial organisation and be keen to take the next step in their career. The Scholarship particularly invites applicants with demonstrated leadership experience and a commitment to creating positive change for future women leaders in the banking and financial services sector.

View the full terms and conditions.

Judging Process

The Judging Panel will determine a number of Scholarship finalists by simple majority. The finalists must be available to attend a 15 minute interview with the Judging Panel.

Following the interviews, the finalist determined by the Judging Panel to have produced the best written and personal response will be awarded the Major Prize. 

Notification will be given to the Scholarship Winner as soon as practicable after the conclusion of the judging.

Further information is available on the Turks and WiBF websites.

Hear from past winners

Hear from the 2019 Scholarship winner, Rowena Rees-Poole from Commonwealth Bank:

Watch our interviews to find out more with the 2018 Scholarship winner, Michelle Erdosi, 2017 winner, Deborah Beeck or 2016 winner, Emily Smith.