WELSI launches the SHEleads Mentorship Program to empower women through leadership, mentoring and networking
Wednesday 8 July, Honiara – The Women in Executive Leadership Solomon Islands (WELSI) has officially launched ‘SHEleads’, a Mentorship Program dedicated to creating meaningful mentorship relationships that empower women to lead with confidence and purpose.
The SHEleads Program is designed to build supportive mentor-mentee connections that encourage women’s leadership, personal and professional growth, continuous learning, and meaningful connections through shared experiences, guidance, and peer support.
The launch of the SHEleads Program coupled with an induction session on Tuesday 30 June 2026 marked an important milestone by setting the foundation for the program by covering mentor and mentee roles, expectations, program guidelines, safeguarding principles, and practical templates to help participants build strong and effective mentoring relationships.
The SHEleads program aims to create a support network of and for women in executive leadership and management roles and women aspiring to be in leadership roles in the public and private sector.
It establishes a mentorship arrangement to strengthen leadership pathways and facilitate connections between women and wider professional networks and opportunities.
WELSI President, Ms. Pamela Naesol Alamu said this initiative aligns with WELSI’s objectives as a member driven organization established to provide a platform for advancing women in leadership through addressing training, networking and mentoring.
“As a professional body aimed at advancing gender development and social inclusion in terms of professional development of women in senior executive roles, we are extremely proud to launch this initiative for our members.
“At WELSI, we remain committed to creating a network and support system for professional women seeking to excel in executive leadership roles and identify gaps and needs in the journey of women in business and executive leadership roles and address them through training, mentorship, coaching and sponsorship,” she said.
The mentorship arrangements will begin as informal setups, providing participants with the freedom to suggest suitable actions and plans that they are able to advance within their existing roles.
WELSI members will be invited to apply to become mentees and they will be paired with women in executive leadership positions or those that have experiences in leadership roles to be mentors.
Ms. Alamu said as an outcome of this program, women leaders are expected to demonstrate greater confidence and empowerment, enabling them to perform their roles more effectively and with increased influence;
“Collaboration and support networks among women are strengthened, fostering collective empowerment and knowledge exchange.
“And gender stereotypes in leadership are progressively challenged and reduced, with stronger awareness and commitment across sectors to embrace inclusive leadership practices,” the WELSI President said when outlining the expected outcomes of the SHEleads program.
WELSI acknowledges the volunteerism, and generous support of individuals who have been instrumental in establishing the SHEleads Mentorship Program framework and members who have put their hands up to be mentors.
WELSI looks forward to seeing these mentorships flourish as participants learn from one another, grow together, and inspire the next generation of women leaders.
-WELSI Media Release
