Oxford Women's Leadership Development Programme
Looking to prepare for a leadership role in the future? Harness your potential to rise to the top.
6 weeks, excluding 1 week orientation.
9–12 hours of self-paced learning per week, entirely online.
Email: oxfordonline@getsmarter.com
Call: +44 1223 790 601
About this programme
Only 9% of the newly appointed S&P 1500 CEOs in 2025 are women.1 However, consistent research shows that women leaders bring unique attributes like creativity, empathy and collaborative skills, that are vital for decision-making and innovation in today’s dynamic business environment.2 Despite this, women encounter a number of barriers in the workplace, which can inhibit their career progress.
The Oxford Women’s Leadership Development Programme from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford offers you a space to critically examine, acknowledge, and develop your leadership style and skills within a community of like-minded professionals. Over the course of six weeks, you’ll gain an understanding of the global challenges female leaders face within the workplace and explore the unique strengths that will enable you to lead, negotiate, and influence others. Discover how to analyse and navigate cultural dimensions, and expand your mentorship capabilities in order to empower others to pursue leadership roles. Based on an overarching programme framework of self-acceptance, self-management, and self-development, you’ll gain the skills and confidence to broaden your impact and realise your full potential as a leader.
1SpencerStuart (accessed 2026)
2Top Women (accessed 2026)
This Oxford Women's Leadership Development Programme is certified by the United Kingdom CPD Certification Service, and may be applicable to individuals who are members of, or are associated with, UK-based professional bodies. The programme has an estimated 70 hours of learning.
Note: should you wish to claim CPD activity, the onus is on you. Oxford Saïd and GetSmarter accept no responsibility, and cannot be held responsible, for the claiming or validation of hours or points.
What this programme covers
This online programme is guided by three overarching themes: self-acceptance, self-management, and self-development. You’ll complete activities and assignments, participating in reflective group discussions that focus on these overlapping module themes. You’ll examine your role as a leader and analyse the leadership style that best suits your specific context. Learn to navigate negotiation scenarios using your unique strengths, and explore how influencing strategies can be used effectively in leadership to create value. Gain insight into the differences between how men and women lead, and develop your ability to adapt and evaluate based on workplace behaviours. Walk away with a personal development plan to help you impact organisational culture and your future as a leader.
A powerful collaboration
Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford is collaborating with digital education provider GetSmarter to create a new class of learning experience – one that is immersive, collaborative, and designed for optimal accessibility for the busy working professional.
About Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Saïd Business School blends the best of new and old. Deeply embedded in an 800-year-old world-class university, Oxford Saïd strives to educate people for successful business careers. As a community, Oxford Saïd seeks to use business acumen and global networks to address long-horizon phenomena like demographic change, new technologies, and natural resource scarcity. Oxford Saïd is committed to delivering cutting-edge education and ground-breaking research that transforms individuals, organisations, business practice and society.
Join the Oxford Executive Education Elumni LinkedIn Group*
This is an official Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, alumni group for all open, online, and executive programmes. You’ll be able to network with past participants of other online and on-campus Oxford Saïd programmes, and gain first access to School news.
*Access to this group will only be granted following the participant’s successful completion and passing of the programme.
About GetSmarter
GetSmarter, part of edX, partners with the world's leading universities and institutions to select, design and deliver premium online short programmes with a data-driven focus on learning gain.
Technology meets academic rigour in GetSmarter’s people-mediated model, which enables lifelong learners across the globe to obtain industry-relevant skills that are certified by the world’s most reputable academic institutions.
As a participant of this programme, you will also gain unlimited access to edX’s Career Engagement Network at no extra cost. This platform will provide you with valuable career resources and events to support your professional journey. You can look forward to benefits including rich content, career templates, webinars, workshops, career fairs, networking events, panel discussions, and exclusive recruitment opportunities to connect you with potential employers.
What you’ll learn
You’ll be welcomed to the programme and begin connecting with fellow participants, while exploring the navigation and tools of your Online Campus. Be alerted to key milestones in the learning path, and review how your results will be calculated and distributed.
You’ll be required to complete your participant profile, confirm your email address for the delivery of your digital certificate, and submit a digital copy of your passport/identity document.
Please note that module titles and their contents are subject to change during programme development.
Reflect on how you have led in the past and acknowledge your abilities as a leader.
- Recognise self-acceptance as an essential part of leadership
- Discuss how leadership has been conceptualised and adapted over time
- Identify crucible moments in your life or career that enabled you to grow as a leader
- Determine how women can effectively rise to the challenges that they may face as leaders
- Differentiate between various styles of leadership
- Assess your leadership styles and strengths
Learn how to read and diagnose context and react appropriately.
- Recognise the importance of paying attention to context as a leader
- Discuss macro changes and how they impact your sector, your organisation, your future, and you personally
- Articulate the complexities of your organisation's cultural context
- Diagnose the kind of problems you are trying to address and the implications for you as a leader
- Assess the demands, constraints, and choices of your leadership approach and what you can do in your context
Recognise how to use your unique strengths to persuade and influence.
- Identify different sources of power used by leaders to influence others
- Articulate how value can be created by using the right sources of power as a leader
- Determine different strategies for influencing and when these strategies are most effective
- Investigate how to conduct difficult conversations as part of a leadership practice
- Reflect on how you use power, influence, and communication skills to create value
Understand cultural dimensions in order to negotiate effectively.
- Recognise negotiating as part of your leadership practice
- Review basic principles and frameworks for effective negotiating
- Determine which strategies and tactics can help shape an effective negotiation
- Articulate how cultural dimensions affect negotiations and how to adapt accordingly
- Investigate the differences in how women approach negotiation and the barriers they may face during negotiations
- Assess your own personal negotiation style and skills
Gain an appreciation for self-development as a lifelong activity.
- Review frameworks and models associated with coaching and mentoring
- Determine how coaching and mentoring can be used as a development tool for leaders
- Investigate how best to prepare for an interview or new role
- Evaluate what other methods, tools, resources, or networks could further your development as a leader
- Create an action plan for self-development, using an array of resources and approaches
Create a personal development plan for your future as a leader.
- Outline future trends and predictions for the workplace
- Articulate what the future of work means for women leaders
- Investigate how senior leaders have used lifelong development to transition into their leadership roles
- Compile a development plan to equip yourself for your future as a leader
- Reflect on your key learnings and takeaways from this programme
Who should take this programme
This online programme is designed for both current and aspiring leaders, across all industries and business functions. Women in existing leadership or management positions will have the opportunity to build on their critical skills in order to grow within the workplace and navigate the global challenges and gender biases that female leaders face. This programme also facilitates the space for future leaders to develop, as they gain the confidence to influence, empower, and drive female inclusion and representation within the workplace. Those aiming to overcome workplace barriers and break through the glass ceiling, both within their careers and organisations, will benefit from this online programme.
This programme is for you if you want to:
Be an agent for change
Gain confidence and skills to lead, influence, negotiate, and conduct courageous conversations.
Develop new competencies
Explore new management tools for self-development and harness your unique strengths as a leader.
Advance your career
Prepare to move into a C-suite position and effectively navigate the unique challenges faced by female leaders in the workplace.
About the certificate
Upon successful completion of the programme, you’ll receive a certificate of attendance from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford as powerful proof of the enhanced skills and thinking abilities you’ve developed.
Assessment is continuous and based on a series of practical assignments completed online. In order to be issued with a digital certificate, you’ll need to meet the requirements outlined in the programme handbook. The handbook will be made available to you as soon as you begin the programme.
Your digital certificate will be issued in your legal name and sent to you upon successful completion of the programme, as per the stipulated requirements.
Who you’ll learn from
These subject matter experts from Oxford Saïd guide the programme design and appear in a number of programme videos, along with a variety of industry professionals.
Your Programme Directors
Sue Dopson
Rhodes Trust Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Kathryn Bishop
Associate Fellow, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Guest experts
Amanda Ellis
Global Director of Strategic Partnerships, ASU Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability
Andie Athanasopoulou
Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Organisational Behaviour, Queen Mary University of London, School of Business and Management; Associate Fellow, Executive Education, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Andrew Gibbons
Leadership Coach, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Anita Grover
Chief Executive, Auditory Verbal UK
Catherine Whitington
Deputy Commissioner, Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner
Chris Kutarna
International best-selling author of Age of Discovery and TED Speaker; Fellow of the Oxford Martin School and Oxford Saïd Business School
Claire Andrews
Leadership Coach, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Danielle Brown
Paralympian; Head of Training and Development, Kaleidoscope Investments
Dessi Berhane Silassie
APAC General Counsel and Global Head of IP Legal, MD, IHS Markit
Elizabeth Spencer
Founder and Managing Director, Aberdeen Ethnic Minority Women’s Group CIC
Emma Sergeant
President Europe, DAS Group of Companies
Gillian Charlesworth
Group CEO, Building Research Establishment
John Lombard
CEO, NTT Ltd, Asia Pacific
Jonathan Trevor
Associate Professor of Management Practice, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Karen Nicola Hands
Head Tutor, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Lisa Broderick
Partner and Location Head, DAC Beachcroft Dublin
Mahima Mitra
Senior Lecturer in Organisation Studies with special reference to Inclusion, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Mary Ellen
Iskenderian President and CEO, Women’s World Banking
Michele Pekar
Founding partner and executive director of Co-Dev, Inc.; Associate Fellow, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Michael Gates
Associate Fellow, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Moya Greene
Corporate Director
Pinky Lilani
Founder and Chairman, Women of the Future
Rachael Louise Cowin
Head Tutor, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Rohini Anand
Senior Vice President of Corporate Responsibility and Global Chief Diversity Officer, Sodexo
Rupert Younger
Director, Centre for Corporate Reputation, University of Oxford
Dr Sally Bonneywell
Executive Coach, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Sara Beck
Former Chief Operating Officer, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Sebay Janet Bintu Koroma
Petroleum Engineer, Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone
Shefali Roy
COO, TrueLayer; Fintech Industry Advisor, University of Oxford
Stuart Jagot
Former Director, Career Development Centre, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Vaishnavi Y
Product Line Manager, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Limited
Virginia Clegg
Senior Partner, DAC Beachcroft LLP
How you’ll learn
Every programme is broken down into manageable, weekly modules, designed to accelerate your learning process through diverse learning activities:
- Work through your downloadable and online instructional material
- Interact with your peers and learning facilitators through weekly class-wide forums and reviewed small group discussions
- Enjoy a wide range of interactive content, including video lectures, infographics, live polls, and more
- Investigate rich, real-world case studies
- Apply what you learn each week to activity submissions and reflective journals, culminating in a personal leadership development plan
Your success team
GetSmarter, with whom Oxford Saïd is collaborating to deliver this online programme, provides a personalised approach to online education that ensures you’re supported throughout your learning journey.
Head Tutor
A subject expert who’ll guide you through content-related challenges.
Success Advisor
Your one-on-one support, available during university hours (8am–5pm GMT) to resolve technical and administrative challenges.
Global success team
Available 24/7 to solve your tech-related and administrative queries and concerns.
Technical requirements
Basic requirements
In order to complete this programme, you’ll need a current email account and access to a computer and the internet, as well as a PDF Reader. You may need to view Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, and read and create documents in Microsoft Word or Excel.
Browser requirements
We recommend that you use Google Chrome as your internet browser when accessing the Online Campus. Although this is not a requirement, we have found that this browser performs best for ease of access to programme material. This browser can be downloaded here.
Additional requirements
Certain programmes may require additional software and resources. These additional software and resource requirements will be communicated to you upon registration and/or at the beginning of the programme. Please note that Google, Vimeo, and YouTube may be used in our programme delivery, and if these services are blocked in your jurisdiction, you may have difficulty in accessing programme content. Please check with an Enrolment Advisor before registering for this programme if you have any concerns about this affecting your experience with the Online Campus.
