Love That Design recently attended one of the inaugural sessions of the WILD Academy, an off-shoot (or culmination) of WILD, an industry specific group that aims to empower women via training, collaboration and support. This is what we learned…
From its inception nearly a year ago, WILD has grown leaps and bounds, each event attracting a ‘roaring’ crowd of 100 plus, mainly women from the A+D industry and beyond, who attend and/or participate in the superbly inspiring WILD talks. (Read more about the origin of WILD here). We, at Love That Design, have been avid fans of founder Emma Burdett’s initiative, following WILD throughout its phenomenal journey, right up to the birth of the WILD Academy, which we recently had the pleasure of attending.
Connect, Collaborate and Conquer
The aim of the academy is to empower women to become more confident – to be the leader they want to be.
To get there, the academy helps its ‘students’ create meaningful connections, and engage and support one another (‘Connect’), ‘Collaborate’ with like-minded women from the WILD community, and eventually identify and achieve their career goals, whilst overcoming any challenges and fears (‘Conquer’). Furthermore, the network that WILD has curated allows experienced and revered leaders from a variety of fields to bring in their specialised knowledge and expertise, which is most coveted in any form of education.
The Workshops
The very first workshops were held at the a2z Office Furniture showroom in d3, and hosted an impressive number of enrollments. Attendees ranged from senior level designers to ‘fresh in the field’ execs, all rolling up their sleeves and ready to learn.
One of the sessions, titled “Let Your Words Soar”, has coach Archana Bhatia showing ways of delivering impactful presentations to maintain audience interest. The workshop also delves into important (but often overlooked) details, such as the use of body language to present convincingly and with confidence.
The Support
The WILD Academy is not just about learning soft skills. One of its key pillars is to provide a safe and supportive environment for professional women. A place where they can voice their fears, overcome past traumatic experiences, learn from each other, and be one another’s strength.
The end goal – to maximise one’s potential and become the best version of themselves.
Industry Feedback on WILD Events
“As women we possess so much power to inspire and influence, and WILD is a great platform to do just that. The speakers are real people with the confidence to share their vulnerabilities. All stories were so relatable and inspiring. We felt a deep net of connection that extend beyond status” – Diane Thorsen, Perkins+Will
“Wild is a truly empowering event filled with great energy and beautiful humble strong women! It enables you to connect with your inner self and live to your highest potential by being courageous again” – Rosha Esha, Creneau International
“We all need to become role models for the future generation of women. WILD is a platform to do just that” – Mariska Stoffel-Killa Design
Archana Bhatia, Coach, WILD Woman Coach
Archana is passionate about helping women conquer their fears and overcome self-limiting beliefs. She has over 20 years of global consulting experience, as well as extensive knowledge in designing, developing and executing training on subjects, such as Breaking Bias, Change Agility, Embracing Challenge, Leadership and Team Building.
Archana has worked as a global internal trainer for KPMG, and holds a Masters in Organisational Psychology, a Practitioner Coach Certificate from the UK, and is certified in the use of Hogan Assessment Systems.
Founder Emma Burdett
Emma has been in the region for five years, and having worked closely with women in various leadership roles in a small women’s empowerment group, she discovered a niche in the UAE market. She started an industry specific, women’s platform that would provide a sense of community and belonging for both existing and future leaders.
Emma has had many years of experience within the real estate and interiors sector where networking is fundamental along with developing engaging relationships with peers. She believes that inspiring and motivating women unleashes potential and assists in engineering change.
