The Ceiling at the Top | Sydney
Breaking Past the Bamboo Ceiling
Who opens the door for you? Sponsorship, not mentorship.
Brought to you by AsiaX Circle, Singapore Global Network, the Asian Australian Professionals Collective and Asia Society Australia.
Everyone says you're ready.
You're the safe pair of hands. The one they bring the hard problems to. Strong reviews, respected across the business, the person who quietly makes things work.
So why hasn't it happened yet? 💡
Maybe you've watched someone with half your track record get the Head of role.
Maybe you've been told to "build more visibility" without anyone explaining what that actually means.
Maybe you've done everything right for years and you're still one rung below where you should be.
You're not imagining it. And it's not a you problem.
Here's the thing nobody says out loud:
Past a certain level, promotions stop being about performance.
They're about advocacy. Someone senior has to say your name in a room you're not in, and stake their own credibility on you.
That person is a sponsor. Most of us were never taught how to get one. 🌏
So we're bringing in leaders who've sat on the deciding side of that table, and asking them the questions people usually dance around.
We'll dig into:
What actually gets decided in a talent review, who's in the room, and what gets said about you when you're not there
Sponsorship vs mentorship. A mentor gives you advice. A sponsor spends their own capital on you. How do you get one, and what makes someone worth spending it on?
Why being an excellent operator and being seen as executive material are two completely different things
Where cultural wiring helps and where it quietly costs you. Modesty, deference, waiting to be asked
The actual sentence you use to ask for a stretch role or a sponsor
What our speakers wish someone had told them ten years earlier
Who this is for: mid-managers, senior managers, directors, principals, and anyone eyeing the step up into Head of, executive or C-suite. If you're already excellent and quietly wondering what's still missing, that's you.
Mentoring Session: Following a discussion, we'll get practical and have small group mentoring sessions on the night. We are expecting ~20 mentors on the night across multiple industries, who will be offering their time and energy in guiding the next generation of Asian-Australian professionals into Senior leadership roles.
📆 8 Oct 2026. 6pm - 8:30pm
📍 Asia Society Australia
24/123 Pitt St, Sydney NSW 2000
Light refreshments provided. Spots REALLY limited. RSVP to secure yours 🥢
👥 Who is AsiaX Circle?
AsiaX Circle (AXC) unites and empowers Asian emerging leaders through culture, collaboration, and connection. We run events and a community to tackle the bamboo ceiling.
👥 More on the Singapore Global Network - Your friend from Singapore
Singapore Global Network (SGN) is a 250,000-strong community of changemakers, professionals and friends across 175 countries. Born out of a desire to build meaningful relationships across borders, SGN exists to connect people to opportunities that Singapore and its network of members have to offer.
Whether you're a Singaporean chasing your dream overseas, or someone interested in learning more about life in Singapore, join the global community to make connections that move you forward.
👥 Who is the Asian Australian Professionals Collective?
AAPC is a peak body for Asian Australian professionals, working to lift Asian Australian representation in leadership across the public and private sectors. Emerging from the ANU Centre for Asian Australian Leadership's inaugural William Ah Ket Leadership Program, the collective activates communities to strengthen social cohesion, builds Asia literacy across the broader Australian community, and creates the platforms and programs that give Asian Australian leaders visibility and voice. AAPC runs active working groups in Sydney and Melbourne with engagement across every state and territory.
👥 Who is Asia Society Australia?
Asia Society Australia is an Asia connection, capability and insights organisation. By deepening two-way connections, building practical capability and providing contemporary insights, we help Australia to succeed in Asia.
We are the Australian centre of the Asia Society, founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller, a global organisation dedicated to navigating shared futures in Asia. We are independent, non-partisan and a not-for-profit, dedicated to advancing Australia's prosperity and security in Asia.