ABOUT
Recognition for depth. Connection with purpose.
A thoughtfully curated network connecting accomplished women and forward thinking organisations, built on the belief that when collective intelligence is shared and expertise is recognised, everyone benefits.
Meet Lynn
Lynn Mackay-Thomas is the founder of The Athenae.
The Athenae began with a pattern I had observed over many years and in many different rooms.
I have worked across leadership, strategy, partnerships and organisational development, within charities, membership bodies, health and policy. Again and again, I encountered women of considerable depth whose contribution was respected within the role they held, but whose wider judgement, experience and potential were not always fully seen or used. Mine included.
I have watched a woman say the thing that changed the direction of a conversation, only for her contribution to dissipate or be quietly credited elsewhere. I have seen experienced women valued for what they already do, yet overlooked when opportunities arise to contribute more broadly.
The Athenae was created to change that.
Not by asking accomplished women to reinvent themselves or become louder, but by recognising more clearly what they already hold, positioning it with intention and connecting it to the people, organisations and opportunities that can carry it further.
Where it is going
The women who come to The Athenae have built substance through leadership, professional practice, enterprise, creativity and public contribution.
They may have led teams, shaped organisations, built businesses, served in public life and navigated change, responsibility and reinvention. Their judgement has been earned through practice, not theory.
The Athenae creates a considered place for that depth to gather, and a trusted route through which organisations can engage it.
For women, it offers greater recognition, meaningful connection and a more intentional way to carry experience forward.
For organisations, it offers access to experienced female counsel, individually or in carefully curated combinations shaped around the question that needs to be solved.
Every member is known personally. Every introduction is considered. The quality of the room matters.
Not reinvention. Recognition.
Not starting again. Moving forward with everything you already hold.
Who is it for
The Athenae is for accomplished women who have built substance through leadership, expertise, enterprise, professional practice, creativity or contribution. Women who have done a great deal, often over many years, and who sense there may be more range, relevance and possibility in what they bring than they have yet fully explored. Women who are ready to broaden how they see themselves and how they are seen by others, by recognising how far their skills, judgement and perspective can travel.
The Athenae Approach
RECOGNITION
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seeing more clearly the value and depth you already hold
POSITIONING
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shaping how that value is understood by others
PRESENCE
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showing up with greater confidence, coherence and authority
CONNECTION
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building relationships, conversations and circles that matter
INFLUENCE
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carrying your experience further into opportunity and impact
A Platform with Dual Value
The Athenae is both a space for women and a point of connection for organisations.
As women gain greater clarity, confidence and visibility in the breadth of what they bring, organisations gain access to experienced talent, trusted judgement and transferable capability that may otherwise remain underused.
The Athenae is designed not only to support women, but to open up meaningful opportunities - to advise, contribute, connect, mentor, collaborate, create and bring experience to places where it can make a real difference.
That is part of the wider vision: not simply reflection, but recognition in motion. A platform that enables stronger contribution, better connection and wider opportunity across sectors, settings and stages of life.
Open the conversation.
Whether you are considering The Athenae for yourself or looking for the right experienced women around an organisational question, there are two ways to continue.
Discover the membership and a more intentional way to be seen, connected and positioned.
Explore how The Athenae curates the right combination of experienced women around the question that matters.
Whether you are exploring The Athenae for yourself or for your organisation, we would love to hear from you
Contact [email protected]
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