Management and Leadership Essentials

Develop the confidence and practical skills to lead people, manage priorities and build stronger teams in the pipeline and gas industry.

Led by Dr Gretchen Gagel, this interactive program combines in-person workshops, virtual learning and opportunities to apply new approaches in your workplace.

Expressions of Interest are now open for the 2027 program.

The course combines two in-person workshops with virtual learning sessions:

• Opening workshop — Adelaide, 26–27 May 2027: An afternoon session on 26 May, followed by a full day on 27 May.
• Closing workshop — Sydney, 30 November–1 December 2027: An afternoon session on 30 November, followed by a full day on 1 December.

Between workshops, participants will attend two 90-minute virtual sessions to explore additional content and reinforce their learning. Workshop times and virtual session dates will be confirmed. This design ensures that new skills and behaviours are practiced, and participants learn what works well and what doesn’t. We are building skills for the long term!

Please note that submitting an Expression of Interest does not guarantee participation in the course. A complete application must be submitted for consideration, including a signature from your manager confirming their support of your registration. Successful applicant will be advised via email. 

Submit your Expression of Interest

The course fee is $[AMOUNT] per participant [including/excluding GST].

The fee includes:

• Both in-person workshops in Adelaide and Sydney
• All scheduled virtual sessions
• A DiSC assessment and profile
• Course materials and practical resources
• Catering during the in-person workshops

Travel and accommodation are additional costs and must be arranged by participants or their employers.

This course covers the fundamental yet critical elements of management and leadership:

• Defining Management and Leadership: Understanding the relationship and difference between management and leadership, when each is required, and the critical elements of each.
• Excelling at Time Management and Prioritization: How as a manager you set the tone for your team by being well organised and focused upon the right critical priorities.
• Building High-Performing Teams: How to define the elements of great teams, develop key metrics and motivate team members to perform.
• Creating Psychological Safety and Trust: These elements are critical to relationship and team performance. to improve team performance
• Leading Effective Conversations: This include delivering feedback and managing difficult discussions
• Developing Strategic and Operational Plans: The key elements of how to create plans that are actionable and lead to high levels of execution.
• Achieving Stakeholder Management: Influencing and managing stakeholders with confidence
• Excelling at Change Management: How to create team and organisational cultures that support an ability to readily adapt as business contexts change.
• Communicating Effectively: Your ability as both a manager and a leader to communicate verbally and in writing is critical. The DiSC profile will help us understand your natural style, strengths, and opportunities. 

Dr. Gretchen Gagel began her career as an engineering intern for Lone Star Gas, a Dallas based natural gas distribution company, in 1983. By the age of 27 she was managing an 800-employee manufacturing plant with little formal training in management or leadership. She learned on the go. Decades later her experience as CEO/Managing Director of three companies, and her focus on construction/ energy/ mining, brings a unique skillset to leading this program. Her MBA in Finance and PhD in leadership and agility brought rigorous theoretical grounding to her on-the-job learning of what works. Her advice is practical and actionable. 

 

 

This program is ideal for:

• Technical specialists seeking to increase their influence and leadership impact across their organisation
• Experienced leaders looking to refresh and strengthen core leadership and management skills
• Supervisors, team leaders and coordinators responsible for leading people
• New and emerging leaders seeking to build confidence and capability
• Professionals preparing for future leadership opportunities

We welcome participants from across the APGA membership. To foster diverse perspectives and encourage broad participation, we limit each company to no more than five participants per cohort. 

Expressions of Interest and Registration

Submitting an Expression of Interest is the first step towards joining the APGA Management and Leadership Essentials course. Your submission will also serve as your registration application, so you will not need to complete a separate application if you are offered a place.

Submit your Expression of Interest

Expressions of Interest close on Wednesday 31 March and must be submitted through this REGISTRATION LINK

Your submission must include:

• Your contact details, organisation and current role.
• A brief outline of your leadership experience or responsibilities.
• Your reasons for applying and the skills you would like to develop.
• Confirmation that you can attend both in-person workshops and the scheduled virtual sessions.
• Your manager’s signature confirming support for your participation.

Submitting an Expression of Interest does not guarantee a place in the course.

APGA review and invitation

APGA will review submissions and advise applicants of the outcome by email by Friday 9 April 2027. To encourage broad participation across the membership, each company may have no more than five participants in the cohort.

Approved applicants will receive an invitation to participate, including instructions for accepting the offer and arranging payment.

Accept your invitation

To proceed with registration, you must acknowledge and accept your invitation by 23 April 2027.

Once APGA has approved your application and you have accepted the invitation, your Expression of Interest will be used to progress your registration and inclusion in the course.

Payment and confirmation

Full payment must be received before your attendance is confirmed and before you can participate in the course.

APGA will issue confirmation of your attendance once payment has been received.

Cancellations and refunds

APGA’s refund policy applies to course registrations. Please review the policy at REFUND POLICY before accepting your invitation.

For questions about the application or registration process, please contact Rachel Carn at rcarn@apga.org.au or  0433 867 179.