Women Leaders Say Genuine Community Connection Is Key to Organisational Growth

Sydney — Organisations are being urged to build communities with people, not simply for them, as female leaders say genuine participation, trust and connection are increasingly important to sustainable growth.

The message emerged during The Pillars' Women of Influence business panel in Sydney, held earlier in August 2026, where four women leaders discussed how meaningful relationships, shared purpose, and active participation could help organisations build stronger and more sustainable communities.

Hosted by Jess Wilson, the panel brought together Body by Berner Co-founder, Bernadette Sukkar; Villagehood Co-founder and Pound Paws founder, Brittany Bloomer; UN Women Australia CEO, Simone Clarke; and SBCo PR Agency founder, Sally Burleigh.

The panellists shared their experiences of building and nurturing communities across different organisations and businesses, highlighting the importance of creating spaces where people feel valued, heard and connected to a shared purpose.

Despite their diverse backgrounds, the panellists agreed that people are more likely to engage with organisations when they feel valued, heard and connected to a shared purpose, hence making connection the centre of leadership.

Villagehood Co-Founder, Brittany Bloomer, said her experience building communities over the past decade had shown her that people want to feel that they belong.

She said that the principle is what influenced the development of Villagehood, a technology platform designed to help mothers find local connections and turn them into real-life friendships and support networks.

“The strongest communities aren't just built for people; they're built with them,” Bloomer said.

Bloomer explained that her latest venture, Villagehood, uses technology to help mothers develop local friendships and support networks, with the ultimate goal of moving online connections into real-life relationships.

She said mothers have been involved in shaping the platform by providing feedback, creating local Villages and organising their own meet-ups.

Body by Berner Co-founder, Bernadette Sukkar, also emphasised on the importance of organisations making people feel valued. 

“Treat people like rock stars. They might forget what you said or taught them on the mat, but they'll never forget how you made them feel,” added Sukkar.

The discussion also challenged the perception that technology necessarily leads to social disconnection.

Drawing on her experience developing Villagehood, Bloomer said technology can instead be used as a tool to help people establish meaningful relationships when it is designed around the purpose of creating community.

“Technology can absolutely rebuild community when it's designed with that purpose.

“For us, success isn't keeping a mum on the app for as long as possible. It's helping her find her people and actually meet them in real life," she said.

The discussion comes at a time where organisations are increasingly looking beyond traditional methods of building audiences and seeking to turn customers, members and stakeholders into active participants.

The panellists argued that businesses and organisations should not simply view the community as a marketing strategy, but as an environment where people feel welcomed, heard and connected to something meaningful, in order for them to create stronger relationships with the people they serve and contribute to longer-term loyalty and engagement.

The Women of Influence event forms part of The Pillars' broader mission to bring women together through conversations focused on business, leadership, influence and connection and the discussion also saw Unite Nations Women Australia CEO, Simone Clarke, highlight the importance of collective action in creating change for women and girls, while SBCo PR Agency founder, Sally Burleigh, encouraged female leaders to remain committed to their goals despite challenges and slow progress.