Women's Leadership
Women’s Leadership is a practical, modular programme that supports you in developing your leadership capabilities and tackle real-world leadership challenges alongside other talented women.
Each Women’s Leadership module helps you put a number of leadership concepts into practice, explore specific challenges and opportunities for women leaders, reflect on your personal style and strengths and further develop your leadership approach.
Participants interact with and learn from successful women leaders across public, private and not-for-profit sectors and visit organisations to see inspirational leadership in action. You’ll also spend a day with a not-for-profit organisation to explore practical leadership issues and use your expertise to tackle real-world challenges.
Each participant also benefits from two one-to-one executive coaching sessions and is matched with a personal mentor for tailored support.
Explore the Women's Leadership Programme
Who is it for?
- Are you a mid-career woman who values the significance of gaining a better understanding of how to make an impact? This programme offers you a platform to gain a deeper understanding of yourself, leveraging your strengths to enhance your leadership capabilities.
- For those transitioning into Senior Leadership. This programme is designed to support you in navigating the challenges and opportunities that come with stepping into senior leadership positions, providing you with the tools and insights needed to fulfil your authentic potential.
- Are you eager to engage with and learn from other inspiring female leaders, fostering a collaborative mindset and honing your collaborative skills? The programme emphasizes peer support and collaboration, with participants working in action learning sets. The enduring peer networks established during the programme are invaluable as you progress in your career.
While job titles vary across sectors and organisations, this programme is for you if work as a mid or Senior Civil Servant in the public sector, this may include individuals at the Senior Civil Service (SCS) level, Deputy Directors, and Directors, as well as Grade 6 employees with strong experience at that level or who may have acted up to Deputy Director roles.
In the not-for-profit and private sectors, participants may hold titles such as Senior Manager or Head of a Department. It is open to individuals who have recently stepped into their first senior leadership role, those who aspire to do so, or those who are on the cusp of taking that step.
How you'll benefit
- Develop your leadership strategies and toolkit to thrive in your leadership context and turn challenges into opportunities
- Understand how to nurture and lead high-performing teams and organisations
- Learn from and collaborate with other inspirational female leaders
- Grow your confidence and personal leadership style
- Benefit from one-to-one mentoring and tailored coaching
"The Women’s Leadership Programme has not only helped me deal with imposter syndrome but more intrinsically it has shifted my internal dialogue and mind-set. In that sense it has been transformational and really helped me to make conscious decisions as a senior BAME woman."
Jaspal Roopra
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Why we're different:
WIG's approach to leadership development
At the heart of all our programmes, WIG’s leadership development framework sets out our values and approach to leadership and learning. Our aim is to encourage and enable the mindsets, actions and behaviours that leaders need in order to successfully navigate the complexities of 21st century leadership.
For nearly 40 years, we’ve been working collaboratively with public, private and not-for-profit organisations, helping leaders to gain cross-sector insight that enriches their personal and organisational performance. That’s what makes WIG’s leadership development programmes different – a unique focus on cross-sector peer learning brings true diversity of ideas, encourages curiosity, openness and innovation and helps individuals and organisations to find inspiration and fresh ideas from others.
Our programmes complement an organisation’s in-house delivery, bringing fresh perspective from different sectors and expanding high-value professional networks.
Programme Information
Structure
Women’s Leadership is a six-month modular programme, starting in March 2025. The six modules are a mix of face-to-face and virtual delivery with the first module being 2 days in duration; there will also be a one-day organisational visit and a series of action learning sets. The programme is structured around key leadership themes particularly relevant to women and will give participants tools or approaches to put into practice in their organisation.
- Presence and purpose – what does leadership mean for you personally?
- Authentic leadership and your leadership ‘brand’
- Introduction to action learning
- Essence – capturing your uniqueness
- Building your own personal brand
- Commitments to action
- Negotiating – navigating career barriers and opportunities
- Identifying barriers and constraints
- Courage – stepping up and stepping out
- Dealing with change
- From goals to reality
- Impact and influence
- Develop your skills in another sector by consulting and supporting a not-for-profit
- Gain real-world experience of an organisational challenge
- Work collaboratively to find solutions with other participants
- Resilience – staying healthy, staying strong
- The next chapter
- Transitioning and letting go
Programme team
Ruth has been working as an executive coach for the last nineteen years, and she also runs senior leadership, and team development programmes, internationally. She is committed to helping clients perform at their best, helping them develop their unique leadership talent, and transform their personal effectiveness. Ruth specialises in working with women, helping them achieve their career goals and aspirations, and is lead facilitator on the WIG Women’s Leadership Programme. Through this, and other senior women’s programmes, Ruth has successfully prepared women for executive and board level positions.
She is currently working in a range of businesses including: ABN Amro Bank, Mizuho Bank, BAE Systems, Mace Construction, Audit Wales, BEIS, Royal Parks, Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, Orange, Visit Britain, Visit Kent, ING, International Finance Group LTD, National Cancer Research Institute, Institute for Cancer Research, Competition and Markets Authority, CBI, Central Surrey Health, Civil Aviation Authority, Financial Conduct Authority, British Transport Police Authority, Browne Jacobson, ICAEW, NDA, Welsh Government, OECD, SRA, and many central government departments.
Her clients describe Ruth as challenging, skilful, engaging, pragmatic and tough or gentle as appropriate. Her clients tend to have an appetite for development, value success, expect a high quality of balance in life and work and measure the impact of coaching on their bottom line performance.
Ruth is CEO of Teleios Consulting South East Ltd, which trades as Rema Consulting. She feels very privileged to lead a diverse and incredibly talented team. She has a Masters Degree in Leadership Development and is an accredited life and career coach.
Ruth has a long and valued association with WIG and is excited to be part of their inspiring future.
Jean’s coaching focuses on leadership, career and personal change. Working with female executives, leaders and managers to improve individual and organisational effectiveness and productivity.
Jean helps clients increase their self-awareness and the impact they have on those around them, to ensure they reach their goals and continue to develop to be the best leader they can be.
Having a career spanning over 35 years Jean’s vast experience includes client facing, operational and central function roles. She has worked in the UK, France and with global clients. This enables Jean to support her clients in a number of areas including:
- Performance improvement – self-awareness, confidence, imposter syndrome and personal development
- Communications – increasing gravitas, personal brand, influence and impact
- Career Development – promotion preparation, career change
- People management and development – how to get the best out of those around you
- Strategic and tactical business planning - goal setting, milestone monitoring
- Client and Stakeholder Management – improving and maintaining strong relationships, conflict management
Jean has been a Board member for a large global digital technology company for 13 years and draws on this first-hand experience in her practice when working with executives.
Jean is a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation, a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Business and Personal Coaching and also is an Emotional Intelligence Certified Practitioner and DISC (Personality Behavioural Profiling). Assessor.
Jean’s passion is helping women achieve the success and life they desire.
Cathy is Head of Leadership at The Whitehall & Industry Group, designing and delivering collaborative cross sector leadership programmes for all stages of the leadership life-cycle. She is a leadership and talent specialist and highly regarded coach, programme, and client director. With over 25 years’ global programme and project experience, Cathy works with executives, their teams and organisations to navigate ambiguity, thrive on innovation and collaboration to achieve fulfilment and impact for their organisations and society as a whole.
Cathy spent over 16 years working in different global leadership development roles at the University of Cambridge, at the Business School and the Møller Institute, Churchill College. Before that she worked in a variety of business development roles in organisations spanning the private, not-for-profit and public sectors.
Cathy holds an MA, an MBA and has completed an Advanced Diploma in Transformational Coaching for EMCC accreditation. She is a trained teacher and is also certified to deliver several leadership psychometric tools.
Gina serves as Programmes Manager and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) Champion at WIG, drawing from nearly a decade of experience in the international NGO sector. With a strong focus on promoting gender equality, Gina has worked extensively with organizations such as Amnesty International and Minority Rights Group.
At WIG, she leads initiatives like the Women's Leadership offer and bespoke programmes tailored for under-represented groups, nurturing their development for senior leadership roles and fostering inclusive organizational cultures.
Gina holds a BA in Politics, Philosophy, and History from Birkbeck, complemented by an MA in Human Rights. Outside of work, she finds joy in travel and spending quality time with loved ones.
How to apply
For more information and to apply for a place on the Women's Leadership programme, please get in touch with our leadership team. You will require a CV and an application form to put yourself or a colleague forward.
Application deadline:
Early: 15 January 2025
Final: 10 February 2025
Fees
- WIG member fee: £6,699 +VAT
- Non-member fee: £8,699 +VAT
Fees include breakfast, lunch, dinner and overnight accommodation for the residential module, lunch and refreshments for all WIG hosted modules, plus two one-to-one coaching sessions, membership of the WIG Alumni Network and all programme materials. If you are from a small not-for-profit organisation and would like to discuss fees and bursaries please get in contact at [email protected].
Learn more about WIG membership here.
How to pay
Accepted applicants from Universities, Charities and Private Sector companies will be invoiced for the programme following confirmation of successful application.
WIG’s leadership programmes are part of the Government Campus, if you are a public sector delegate please check fees on Government Campus portal. Use our Civil Service Learning link for further information or contact the Government Campus team at [email protected].
Good luck with your application, we look forward to hearing from you!
Speak to the team about this programme