Take the LEAP into Leadership – Leadership Equity Accelerator Programme

LEAP for emerging female leaders working in data, AI and Tech.

LEAP was born from a simple but pressing truth: our industry needs better, more relevant training to support emerging female talent into leadership roles. At every event, roundtable, and listening session, the same theme surfaced – women wanted the right tools, frameworks, and guidance to accelerate the skills they already had.

The barriers holding women back in data leadership

Women working in data, AI and tech continue to face systemic obstacles that make progressing into leadership far more difficult than it should be. The challenge starts early: women are significantly less likely than men to be promoted into their first managerial role, creating a ‘broken rung’ that slows career momentum and widens the gender pay gap over time. Half of women leave the sector by the mid-point in their career – they don’t see a clear or fair path upward. This can we evidenced by the fact that less than 20% of senior women in tech are female.

Those who stay, face a lack of promotion opportunities, male dominated cultures and a lack of structural support that meets their needs.

Many existing leadership programmes miss the mark too, focusing on confidence- building rather than equipping women with the frameworks, sponsorship, and strategic skills they need to thrive in a leadership role. Combined with too few visible role models and allies advocating for them, the leadership pipeline becomes narrow, fragile, and unrepresentative of the talent in the industry.

LEAP was created to address these challenges

It provides emerging talent with the practical tools, leadership frameworks, coaching networks and mentorship, required to progress with confidence and clarity. It supports organisations to create the diverse leadership that is a moral and economic imperative.

In the course of our research, the women we spoke to – analysts, managers, heads of function were already operating with high levels of resilience, competence, and strategic capability. The challenge wasn’t a lack of confidence, it was a lack of structured development programmes, role models, and networks that recognised and amplified their potential.

Our research revealed three core needs:

• Women want the frameworks to do the job better – actionable, practical models they can apply immediately.
• They want access to mentors and role models – who can help them navigate real leadership challenges.
• They want to bring their data experience to the broader business context – aligning strategy and cultural change.

LEAP was designed to meet these needs head-on, while also delivering a measurable return for businesses, not just individuals.

What Makes LEAP Different

LEAP was created to complement, internal development programmes, while filling a critical gap: preparing technically skilled women to transition into strategic, impactful leadership roles.

Here’s what sets it apart:

1. A Community That Extends Beyond the Classroom

LEAP creates peer communities within each cohort and connects participants to a wider alumnae and Women in Data® network, once graduated. This collective support system is one of the programme’s most powerful assets – offering ongoing accountability, inspiration, and opportunities long after the course ends.

2. Intentionally female-only cohort of 16

Although the curriculum is grounded in universal leadership principles, the all-female cohort significantly influences how deeply and how quickly participants are able to absorb, apply, and grow whilst benefitting from diverse trainers and allies.

3. Leader first-then ‘Data leader’

Unlike traditional leadership courses, LEAP leverages participants’ analytical strengths. We help emerging leaders apply their data expertise beyond technical functions, enabling them to influence strategy, decision-making, and cross-functional priorities.

4. Leadership Skills Built on Self-Awareness, Influence, and Strategic Thinking

We focus on the fundamentals that drive real leadership effectiveness – self-awareness, communication, influence, and strategic clarity.

5. Experiential, Personalised Learning

Through mixed learning methods, live coaching, and continual 360° feedback loops between delegates, trainers, and coaches, we tailor the experience to individual growth trajectories while still delivering a consistent curriculum.

6. A Clear Signal of Real Action

The programme is a tangible commitment to progressing women in leadership. It demonstrates that this a co-created solution built with input from real women in data, shaped by community needs, and grounded in practical outcomes.

LEAP Trainer Caroline Florence talks about the impact of the learning environment- ideal for testing an approach:

“You can experiment in the safety of the cohort, take those tools into real life, and come back the following week to reflect and refine. That cycle of learning and testing is incredibly powerful.”

Validating the need

Clare Wrightson, a LEAP graduate noted the strategic importance of the programme when faced with transformation within her team, “collaboration and coaching aren’t ‘soft’ skills – they’re the hard drivers of motivation, productivity, and retention, especially in teams facing constant change like I was”.

In data-led organisations where great people are in high demand, leaders who can coach authentically and collaborate deeply become the ones who keep teams thriving. LEAP strengthens these skills intentionally, “it’s helping me enormously, allowing me to lead by my authentic self”, said Clare Wrightson.  It’s critical to building resilient, high-performing teams.

LEAP arrived at the perfect moment for one leader transitioning into a new division. Lola Durodola, Director, HSBC, a graduate of the second cohort of the LEAP programme talked of the impact LEAP has on her career:

“I was able to build credibility, deliver quick wins, and navigate unfamiliar power structures”.

By applying strategies suggested for the first 90 days in a role, she was able to lead her team effectively, gain influence with senior stakeholders, and achieve early successes, all while remaining authentic and visible in challenging leadership spaces.

Through guided reflection, practical tools, and a supportive cohort, the programme turns self-doubt into momentum, helping you with a healthier inner narrative that enables you to grow into a leadership role.

For more information about the LEAP Programme, please click on the image below to download the brochure.