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22 January, 2025

Women leaders in STEMM set sail on Island Sky for historic Antarctic expedition

Edited by Travel Weekly

Homeward Bound, a global transformational leadership initiative dedicated to supporting women with STEMM backgrounds, is to set sail on a historic expedition to Antarctica.

Aimed at inspiring collective leadership action in tackling sustainability issues, the cruise will be aboard MS Island Sky and include 124 women, including several Australians, and non-binary leaders.

MS Island Sky will depart from Ushuaia, Argentina on Tuesday, January 28 (ART), (7am, January 29 AEDT), for the not-for-profit’s seventh expedition to the frozen continent.

“The world needs more bold women leaders in decision-making roles to drive smart, sustainable solutions,” said CEO of Homeward Bound Sarah Derry.

“Leaders with STEMM backgrounds are pivotal to tackling the world’s greatest challenges, yet they often lack the support needed to flourish in leadership roles, which is why we are bringing this extraordinary group of women and non-binary leaders to Antarctica to reflect, connect, and take bold action together for a sustainable future.”

The Homeward Bound expedition team – HB Transform, is a diverse group of leaders representing 24 nationalities, including 50 Australians, as well as participants from United States, China, Spain, UK, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, and many more.

The team features an impressive array of STEMM professionals, including a geochemist, mathematician, marine biologist, and immunologist, among other talented leaders. Drawn from multiple Homeward Bound cohorts, HB Transform also includes nine faculty members, some of the world’s foremost coaches and leadership experts.

A previous expedition to Hydrurga Rocks, an island of Antarctica.

Participant and engineer Zoe Eather from Brisbane said: “I’m hoping to grow as a leader, share ideas, and create ways to amplify how we can use smart technology and data for good and work to solve big, wicked problems around the world.”

Rachel Cameron, a virologist from Melbourne added: “This experience is very important to my personal development and learning. When I talk about it, I often tear up with joy.”

They will also be joined by filmmaker Shannon Owen from the University of Melbourne, who will film the first stage of a collaborative research project that uses documentary filmmaking to explore alternative models of leadership.

The Antarctica expedition is proudly supported by Acciona, a leader in renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure and a key sponsor since 2018.

“We are grateful to Acciona for helping us bring our vision and mission to life in Antarctica,” said Derry. “Together, we’ve inspired a global community of changemakers ready to take action for our planet.”

To celebrate the journey, Acciona has collaborated with Spanish group Belter Souls to create a special anthem called Changing, now available on Spotify.

On board, participants will delve into their personal and professional growth by reflecting on key learnings from the program, guided by the Life Styles Inventory (LSI), an industry-leading diagnostic tool from Human Synergistics that played a pivotal role in shaping their development, ability to lead and influence change.

This expedition marks a historic milestone as it will be Homeward Bound’s last expedition to Antarctica for now, as it expands its experiential offering to the Serengeti, Tanzania to attract even more leaders with STEMM backgrounds to join the initiative.

Homeward Bound CEO Sarah Derry.

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