Following our announcement of the Women in Defence Awards 2026 finalists, ADM will be introducing each of our amazing finalists across the categories in more detail. Today we are focusing on the finalists in the Rising Star Category.
In this category, judges were looking for the best and brightest women under 30 who achieved a remarkable level of success in 2025, as well as demonstrating clear effort to promote Defence above and beyond the scope of their roles or to promote inclusion within their organisations. In addition, judges also looked for entries that evidenced the overcoming of personal challenges on their way to success.
The winners and Hall of Fame inductee will be announced at a gala dinner at The National Arboretum, Canberra, on 29 October 2026. Book your tickets here – we hope to see you there!
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Alisha Hand During 2025, Alisha transformed an idea into a Defence-funded electronic warfare program in months, which would typically take years. She translated a technical concept into a compelling operational solution, linking it to Defence’s urgent need to protect personnel and critical assets. Her briefings drove immediate demand for further engagement, positioning the concept as a priority capability. Stepping well beyond her role, she independently developed a project plan and business case, then designed and led a costed proof-of-concept study. |
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Angela Patajo During 2025, Angela worked across two major Defence capability upgrade projects, successfully leading two critical engineering milestones. She led a five-day detailed design review for the destroyer capability enhancement program, co-ordinating over 120 attendees, 12 projects and 20 organisations. While working on JP9101, she built and tested a High Frequency radio propagation prediction model to understand how the Enhanced Defence High Frequency System interacted with end-users from the Army, Navy and Air Force. |
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Gebrielle Popovic In 2025, Gabrielle founded and led the LeadHERship Network at BAE Systems Australia. The Network engaged close to 200 participants. She delivered three targeted masterclass sessions featuring internal and external leaders on Presenting with Impact, Negotiation and Influencing, and Confidence and Self-Empowerment. This on top of her full-time role across shipbuilding operations. |
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Grace Corboy-Stevens In 2025, Grace served as Assistant Maritime Logistics Officer on HMAS Hobart and subsequently was appointed the inaugural Logistics Operations Co-ordinator within Port Services – North. She developed coordination processes, stakeholder rhythms, and governance practices that improved clarity, responsiveness, and consistency across multi-agency logistics support to Australian and international vessels, establishing a foundation for how the role is now conducted. Grace served as the second female co-skipper of Navy One during the 80th Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race campaign. |
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Katrine Horne As the sole Fleet Sexual Ethics and Respectful Relationships Coordinator, Katrine coordinated the delivery of 280 workshops with close to 8,000 Defence personnel. She recruited, trained and managed a facilitation workforce of 32 personnel. Katrine led the iterative redesign of workshop content, synthesising participant and facilitator feedback to strengthen learning outcomes, and consistently delivered sessions herself as a lead facilitator. She delivered tangible benefit to Defence while driving meaningful cultural change. |
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Madeline Moroney In mid-2025, Madeline joined HMAS Stalwart as Deputy Maritime Logistics Officer and immediately put her hand up for everything: DCI, Workplace Behaviour Advisor, Helicopter Control Officer and Senior Harbour Watch Keeper, all on top of her base role. She exemplified junior officer leadership at its best: she didn’t escalate and move on but actively worked the system, seeing the person, not the position to achieve the best possible outcomes for those in her divisional chain. |
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