A Chance to Transform Lives
Building tomorrow's leaders through the Wenona Scholarship Program.
Remarkable young women come from every socio-economic background and by fostering diversity among our student body, we enrich the educational experience for all.
With a 25-year history of transformative giving, the Wenona Foundation has launched the Renaissance Women's Scholarship to remove barriers for deserving students with the aptitude to succeed.
The journey of 2009 graduate, Mrs Evett Baranov, illustrates why scholarships matter so deeply – and why every gift, no matter how small, not only helps shape the future of young women, but of our entire community.
When Evett was a Year 12 student at Wenona in 2009, she had no idea her path would lead her into criminology lecture halls, European boardrooms, and eventually to Silicon Valley, where she began to question the status quo of tech companies there. That's exactly what a Wenona education sets out to achieve – preparing young women not just for careers, but for lives of purpose and impact.
Evett's journey has followed a winding path including the study of criminology at the University of New South Wales, before a career counsellor's assessment opened her eyes to communications and public relations. The turning point came with a master’s degree in public relations and advertising – a qualification that proved transformational. "Continual learning is a game changer," Evett explains. "It adds credibility, especially when you're trying to switch careers. It shows you've added education onto what you'd done previously, even though it was so different."
In 2017, Evett joined the Wenona Mentorship Program, where the guidance of her mentor proved invaluable. "The support I received gave me the confidence to navigate the early stages of my career," she reflects. This pivotal experience strengthened her resolve to lead with purpose, a foundation that continues to shape her success in global marketing.
From an internship at IBM, Evett's career flourished at global enterprise software leader, Workday, where she became Global Digital ABM Lead for EMEA and APAC in just six years. Leading strategy and execution across five key regions – UK, France, Germany, Australia, and Japan – she collaborated with senior stakeholders to drive tailored campaigns that delivered measurable business outcomes while providing education and training on advanced marketing methodologies to her peers.
Her global perspective became her greatest asset, particularly when she found herself challenging established corporate thinking. In quarterly business reviews, Evett championed a more inclusive approach, ensuring campaigns reflected the diverse needs of regions like Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Driven by a passion for connecting people across cultures, Evett brings creativity and empathy to every campaign she leads. "Part of my job was to bring people together," she explains, "educating my team about what was happening on the ground and working with regional teams to understand their programs and what they needed from us helped achieve that."
Evett’s ability to influence global strategies shone at Workday, where she collaborated with vice presidents to champion inclusive marketing campaigns that bridged regional perspectives. Now, as Head of Global Marketing at LEAP Legal Software, she is building the global marketing organisation from the ground up, leveraging her work experience to drive innovation and empower legal professionals worldwide.
Every contribution to the Renaissance Women's Scholarship program represents an investment in creating more stories like Evett's – young women who graduate with the confidence to question, the courage to lead, and the wisdom to build bridges across differences. You can go to Wenona.me/gift if you'd like to make a contribution.