Overview

Leadership today is evolving, from directing others to inspiring change, fostering inclusive teams, and driving innovative solutions that benefit people, planet, and business. Despite progress, women remain underrepresented in leadership across key sectors such as tech, business, climate, and sustainability. Globally, women hold about 28% of senior leadership roles, with only 17% in Europe’s technology C-suite and roughly 14% in climate and energy sectors. 

This pathway creates space for women to further amplify their existing mindset, practical skills, and leadership potential, enabling them to lead with confidence, integrate innovation into decision-making, and transform challenges into opportunities across industries. While designed for women as key drivers of innovative solutions, it is open to anyone committed to breaking barriers and fostering inclusive leadership cultures. 

Participants explore entrepreneurial, intrapreneurial, and systems-thinking frameworks, applying them to real-world sector-relevant challenges. By connecting leadership and innovation, learners can drive creative solutions, challenge conventional approaches, and reshape cultures where leadership and innovation have historically excluded diverse voices. 

Potential career paths include tech and industry leaders, startup founders, sustainable urban planners, or innovators driving climate-positive ventures. You could become a project lead shaping inclusive mobility solution, a product manager integrating sustainable practices in manufacturing, or a founder scaling ventures that combine innovation, systems thinking, and social impact. 

The pathway is flexible and self-paced, but we recommend following the suggested course sequence to progressively build your leadership and innovation capabilities. Begin with Value Creation Through Innovation to develop a foundation in entrepreneurial thinking, opportunity recognition, and innovation strategy. Next, take Leadership Development for Women in Manufacturing to strengthen leadership confidence in male-dominated industries, foster inclusive teams, and learn strategies to overcome structural and cultural barriers while driving innovation. Finally, complete transformational thinking to apply gender-aware, systems-based insights in urban transport and understand how to translate leadership and innovation skills into real-world business cases. 

Key skills that you can develop through this pathway include: 

• Think and act like an innovator – cultivate entrepreneurial thinking, spot opportunities, and apply strategies that drive meaningful impact. 

• Lead with confidence – strengthen your leadership skills, especially in traditionally male-dominated industries. 

• Build inclusive teams – foster collaboration, champion diversity, and inspire those around you. 

• Make strategic decisions – apply structured thinking to tackle complex challenges effectively. 

• Overcome barriers – navigate structural and cultural obstacles to create lasting change. 

• Drive innovation in context – translate ideas into practical solutions within manufacturing and other sectors. 

• Understand gender dynamics – recognize structural influences on behaviour and apply gender insights in your work. 

• Integrate perspectives for impact – embed gender-sensitive approaches into urban planning and mobility projects. 

• Leverage real-world data – use case studies and practical examples to inform decision-making. 

• Apply inclusive design principles – consider gender-sensitive indicators when shaping policies, systems, and projects.