Marching Forward for IWD

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is March Forward: For All Women and Girls, and Mercy Education Limited is highlighting some of the incredible women across our Mercy schools, including Mrs Sonja Cain, CMCB’s Executive of College Administration. You can follow Mercy Education Limited on LinkedIn.

MRS SONJA CAIN

Sonja Cain serves as the Executive of College Administration at Catherine McAuley College Bendigo and considers it as a privilege to work in a ministry that was founded by a pioneering woman, Catherine McAuley.  The team of 15 women led by Sonja manage many of the main administrative functions of the College. She enjoys bringing the team together to work collaboratively on projects, coaching each member to showcase their unique skills. Specifically, Sonja encourages women to be innovative, confident and proud and thoroughly enjoys inspiring them to show them how amazing they are.

Sonja is a member of the Executive and Leadership Teams and sees leadership as not necessarily about herself, but rather about the people in the team and how she can help them be successful. “My leadership style is ‘servant leader’. I like to get in and help with any task and describe my job as anything from finding tea light candles or tablecloths to considering master planning of a +$20M project – each being just as important as the other.”

Speaking about Sonja, Principal Brian Turner said, “Sonja models the Mercy values and Catherine McAuley’s example in all her interactions. Her passion for learning and service to the CMCB community has been evident since her commencement.”

Sonja commenced at CMCB 10 years ago, following a 20-year career of administrative work with senior executives across the finance and health sectors. Coincidently Sonja entered the workforce in 1995, the same year the world committed to a vision for gender equality through the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This is in keeping with 2025 International Women’s Day theme of March Forward, to continue to work towards a gender equal future.