Sonja Bernhardt

Sonja Bernhardt OAM is an Australian information technology industry identity extensively involved in mentoring and role model programs for women in IT. She was founder and Inaugural President of WiT (Women in Technology) in Queensland in 1997 and co founder and Inaugural President of AWISE (Australian Women in IT, Science and Engineering) in 2005, not for profit industry groups that run community based projects and programs specifically to encourage women and girls into technology careers. In addition, Bernhardt is responsible for a number of initiatives to raise the profile of women in technology and break perceptions of technology careers as "nerdy" or "male", such as the 2007 Screen Goddess IT Calendar, IT's Million $ Babes Awards and Doing IT Around the World.