Australian Women in Music (AWM) has today officially announced that Sarah McLeod has been appointed as the new Chair of the organisation. A trailblazer in Australian rock, Sarah McLeod is a founding member, lead vocalist, and guitarist of the three-time ARIA Award-winning band The Superjesus, one of Australia’s most respected bands for the past three decades. McLeod has broken barriers in a male-dominated industry, cementing her status as a role model for female and gender-diverse artists navigating the music landscape.
AWM is dedicated to celebrating and empowering female, and gender-diverse artists, musicians, and music practitioners across all areas of industry and all genres of music. Since its inception, the organisation has driven systemic change to make visible female First Nations and multicultural artists, women working in remote and regional communities, female producers, engineers and technicians, emerging artists, and industry leaders.
McLeod’s appointment as Chair is a natural progression of her deep commitment to advocacy and equity in the music industry. She has been actively involved with AWM, serving on the Board of Directors for the past year, where she has worked alongside founder Vicki Gordon to champion inclusivity and drive meaningful change.
“I’ve spent a couple of years watching Vicki Gordon move and shake this industry to provide opportunities for women and gender-diverse folk. Her commitment to inclusivity and equality is nothing short of inspiring! I signed on to the Board of Australian Women in Music (AWM) a year ago because I felt it was time to give back to the industry which has kept me afloat for 30 years,” said McLeod.
“AWM has come a long way, but there’s still so much to achieve. As the new Chair, I will be working with the Board to address the enormous gender research gap across the sector and focusing on opportunities beyond our Award Ceremony, First Nation’s Showcase, and Conference to see where we can provide more support,” she added.
