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Women of Influence: Sydney Female Leaders Share Why Community Has Become Critical to Building Successful Organisations

Villagehood

Key Facts:

• The Pillars hosted a Women of Influence panel in Sydney on 11 August 2026, bringing together four women leaders from business, technology, advocacy and community-led organisations to discuss how genuine community connection drives organisational growth and impact.
• Panellists agreed that the strongest communities are built *with* people rather than *for* them, emphasising shared purpose, authentic connection, and creating opportunities for active participation over passive observation.
• Villagehood co-founder Brittany Bloomer shared how her platform uses technology as a starting point to help mothers build real-life local friendships and support networks, challenging the notion that technology inevitably creates disconnection.
• Speakers including Bernadette Sukkar, Simone Clarke, and Sally Burleigh highlighted that lasting communities are founded on making people feel valued and heard, with relationships and trust central to sustainable growth.
• The event forms part of The Pillars' broader mission to bring women together through meaningful conversations around business, leadership, influence, and connection.

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Women of Influence: Sydney Female Leaders Share Why Community Has Become Critical to Building Successful Organisations

The Pillars brought together four women leaders from business, technology, advocacy and community-led organisations to explore how genuine connection can drive growth, loyalty and impact.

SYDNEY, 11 August 2026 - Building a successful organisation today is about more than attracting customers or followers - it's about creating a community people genuinely want to belong to.

That was one of the central themes explored at The Pillars’ Women of Influence business panel, held in Sydney on Tuesday morning and hosted by Jess Wilson.

The panel brought together Bernadette Sukkar, Brittany Bloomer, Simone Clarke, Sally and Sally Burleigh  who shared their experiences building and nurturing communities across distinctly different businesses, organisations and causes.

Despite their different backgrounds, a common thread emerged throughout the discussion: the strongest communities are built through genuine connection, shared purpose and giving people an opportunity to participate rather than simply observe.

Creating a sense of belonging

For Villagehood co-founder and Pound Paws founder Brittany Bloomer, community has been at the centre of her work for more than a decade.

Bloomer shared how lessons learnt building the Pound Paws community have influenced the development of her latest venture, Villagehood - a technology platform designed to help mothers find local connections and turn them into real-life friendships and support networks.

“One of the biggest things I’ve learnt from building communities over the past 10 years is that people want to feel like they belong,” Bloomer said.

“With Villagehood, our mums have been involved from the beginning - giving us feedback that has helped shape and build the app, creating their own Villages in their local area and now hosting their own meet-ups.”

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

The discussion also challenged the idea that technology inevitably creates disconnection.

Villagehood's model deliberately uses technology as the starting point for connection, with the ultimate objective of helping mothers move those relationships offline and into their local communities.

“Technology can absolutely rebuild community when it's designed with that purpose,” Bloomer said. “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.”

Different organisations, a shared philosophy

Throughout the morning, Bernadette Sukkar, Simone Clarke and Sally Burleigh brought their own perspectives on community - sharing how relationships, trust, advocacy and meaningful engagement have contributed to the organisations and communities they have helped build.

"Treat people like rockstars. They might forget what you said or taught them (on the mat), but they'll never forget how you made them feel" - Bernadette Sukkar (Body by Berner Co Founder)

"Together, we have the power to dismantle discriminatory systems, unlock transformation, and deliver justice, safety, and dignity for all women and girls." - Simone Clarke (CEO UN Women Australia)

"Keep showing up when it feels slow. Keep backing yourself when nobody else does" - Sally Burleigh (SBCo PR Agency)

Rather than presenting community as a marketing strategy, the discussion highlighted the importance of creating environments where people feel heard, valued and connected to something larger than themselves.

Host Jess Wilson brought the perspectives together through a conversation exploring what thriving communities have in common, how organisations maintain authenticity as they grow, and how businesses can create deeper relationships with the people they serve.

The event formed part of The Pillars' broader focus on bringing women together through meaningful conversations around business, leadership, influence and connection.

Community as a business advantage

The discussion comes at a time when businesses are increasingly looking beyond traditional audience-building and considering how customers, members and stakeholders can become active participants in the organisations they support.

For the Women of Influence panellists, however, the message was simpler: community begins with people.

Whether through advocacy, business, technology or grassroots initiatives, sustainable communities are built when individuals feel that they are welcomed, heard and able to contribute.

ENDS

 

About us:

About Villagehood

Villagehood is an Australian-founded community app helping mums find their village and build meaningful connections close to home. Designed to turn online connection into real-life community, the platform allows mums to discover and connect with other local mothers, join interest-based and location-based Villages, find events and meet-ups, and create their own gatherings in just a few taps. At the heart of Villagehood is a community-led approach, with mums actively helping shape the platform through their feedback, creating their own Villages and bringing them to life through real-world connection. Villagehood's mission is simple: to make motherhood feel less isolating and remind mums that they were never meant to do it alone.

www.villagehood.app

Contact details:

Media Contact:
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Media assets:
High-resolution photographs from The Pillars Women of Influence panel are available upon request.