Lead
The virtual leadership development programme designed for women in transport
Women in Transport’s mission is advancing women working in transport. Lead supports those on the programme to progress to senior positions; providing practical skills, an environment in which to practice them and the support of a high quality alumnae network. Women supporting women is making a positive difference!
Sonya Byers, Chief Executive - Women in Transport
Our Women in Transport “Lead” programme is a 100% virtual, leadership development programme tailored to the capability and progression needs of women leaders in the transport sector.
Lead is a paid programme that needs to be funded by you or your organisation. It provides excellent value for money and will help you drive your career forward as a leader in transport.
Lead is designed to evolve and grow the leadership capability and confidence of women who are already in, or are aspiring to, significant leadership roles in the transport sector.
Women leaders join a supportive cohort from a diverse range of transport and infrastructure organisations to authentically expand their networks through stimulating shared learning experiences.
You will find a wealth of information on this page and in our frequently asked questions. If you would like a one-to-one conversation to understand more about Lead and whether it is the right fit for you then please contact us at lead@womenintransport.com.
90% of our Lead women have been retained by their organisation
49% of our Lead women have been promoted since joining the programme
Our next programme
Lead runs three times a year, Winter starts in January, Spring in April and Autumn in September. We recommend that you look at the full programme schedule to see all the elements and time commitment.
Want to Find out More?
Join us for one of our virtual “Find Out More” sessions to learn about the programme. You will hear from the Programme Directors and a past participant about how the programme works. It’s an opportunity to ask questions. Anyone interested in understanding more about the programme is welcome to join. Please register to receive joining instructions.
We look forward to meeting you!
Organisations Represented by Our Lead Programme Participants
Alexander Dennis
Amaro Group
Antura Consulting
Applied Driving
BCP Council
Blackpool Transport Authority
British Transport Police
Calmac Ferries
Clearview Intelligence
Constellation Cold Logistics
Deloitte
Eurovia
First Rail
HW Martin
Ioki / Deutsche Bahn
Jacobs
JFG Communications
Kier
Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN)
Liverpool Combined Authority
Living Streets
Lothian Buses
Mott MacDonald
Movement Strategies
National Highways
Network Rail
Nexus
North Lanarkshire Council
PA Consulting
Paul Basham Associates
Portsmouth Council
Rail Delivery Group
Ringway / Eurovia
Road Haulage Association (RHA)
SCS Railways
Strabag
Sustrans
Transport for Greater Manchester
Transport for London (TfL)
Transport for Wales (TfW)
Transport Scotland
Transport Research Laboratory (TRL)
Urban Transport Group
Warrington’s Own Buses
West Midlands Trains
WSP
Yunex Traffic
Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Our participants have found that the programme has far exceeded their expectations and is making a positive difference to their confidence and capability in their current roles and leading them to stretch further within their organisations.
“If you want to discover your true potential – this is the course for you. Engaging, challenging and thought provoking – and you will feel unstoppable at the end of it. I have learnt so much about myself, my strengths and how I want to lead and support others, in my own way. Every conversation is tangible and relatable, and instantly useable both personally and professionally. I would recommend this course to anyone, from those looking to ‘find’ themselves or regain their confidence (as I was) to those who are looking to build a structured career path.”
“The Lead programme has provided me with an opportunity that has changed my career and more importantly how I see myself in my career. It’s given a platform and a voice to aspects of myself that had been lying dormant.
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“The Lead Programme is a game changer for self-awareness & career development. The monthly sessions are a safe and trusted space to hold big conversations. The programme feels like a movement of like minded women. What are you waiting for!”
“The LEAD course is amazing! I’ve never learned so much on a single training course, nor had so much of that training be instantly applicable in my work. The course inspires you to achieve, whilst giving you the confidence and the tools to make that a reality.”
“I would recommend anyone seeking professional development take part in the LEAD programme because alongside a great circle of like-minded women, great coaches and a wealth of information, you will find the tools you need to achieve your goals.”
“This leadership programme is built in a way that forces you to look inwards and identify and reflect on your actual strengths, values and areas for improvement and tie these together to unlock your true authentic leadership potential. The workshops centre around key themes introduced by the workshop leads, supported by professional speakers, and utilises a mix of group and independent work to learn and improve your leadership techniques. This programme creates space to think and forces you to uncover your subconscious beliefs that hold you back and challenge then head on. A fantastic programme that I feel truly privileged to have experienced, thank you Lead for providing me with this great opportunity. ”
Our talented Lead women share their experience of the programme in these videos from our Find Out More sessions.
What you will learn
Lead equips participants with the skills, models and behaviours required for successful leadership and career progression. It allows participants to embed their learning and gain feedback throughout the programme.
Participants work individually and collaboratively to:
Embrace a ‘leader as learner’ mindset to their leadership contribution
Develop confidence in their own unique, strengths based leadership style
Fine tune their interpersonal communication and authentic networking skills
Learn to respond differently to challenges in their teams and organisations
Develop a tangible plan for the achievement of their career ambition
Develop and deliver a project pitch regarding an area of innovation for the Women in Transport community
Programme modules
Lead is designed to engage participants in a detailed exploration of their leadership and management style, focusing on their individual drivers and enablers. Each module includes an inspirational guest speaker sharing their own leadership journey.
Foundation – getting to know each other, building trust and creating a learning platform
Self-awareness – your purpose, motivation and enabling beliefs
Personal Brand – a strengths based description of your offer
Confidence – reframing barriers and building a support network
Influence – communication skills for engaging your organisation and your team
Lead – identifying the areas in which to focus your leadership and benchmarking your leadership skills
Lead 2 - empathy, wellbeing and being a leader as a coach
Forward – reviewing your progress, celebrating success and planning to build further
Modules mostly follow a four week cycle. Some of the modules are elongated to spread the time commitment. Our programme is 100% virtual. There are eight modules all together over a period of eight months with breaks to allow for school holidays. Designed to be achievable alongside undertaking a full time role, we recommend allowing 3 - 4 hours per week to complete the course elements.
The modules comprise a number of learning interventions including, pre-work, a group training workshop (delivered on Zoom using all of its facilities of group sessions, breakout rooms and chat), peer learning and a themed insight session (also on Zoom). Additionally, there is a 360-degree feedback exercise and three one to one coaching sessions with one of the Women in Transport team of highly experienced and expert coaches.
Two Programme Directors oversee the whole programme and are present at the workshops and themed insight sessions to ensure participants benefit from high levels of personal engagement and diverse perspective.
Contact us at lead@womenintransport.com to pay for and secure your place.
Post programme support
We continually evolve the Lead programme to deliver the best experience for our participants and support their career progression. Experience has shown us that participants welcome additional support to continue the momentum created by the programme. We offer this in two ways:
Joining the Lead alumnae: A growing network within the Women in Transport community of women leaders who have graduated from Lead, shaped by the participants.
Two coaching sessions: These sessions are with one of the Programme Directors and will help participants create a "greatest hits" from all of the concepts covered during the programme; the ones that most resonated with them and that they want to make part of how they lead.
This is in addition to the benefits of remaining Women in Transport members and accessing the networking, professional development and visibility opportunities that the wider network provides.
Participant experience
“Lead is a fantastic investment for those who want to become pivotal transport leaders.”
Marny Moruzzi, We are the City Rising Star Award Winner 2022, Vice President of Women in Transport and Associate Project Manager at Mott MacDonald
From self-paced, individual learning to interactive large and small group development, Lead immerses participants in a vibrant, multifaceted experience. Interacting with peers from across a range of organisations, participants gain diverse insights and build powerful new connections.
The developmental journey has multiple learning loops to maximise individual learning and positively impact career ambition comprising:
An initial introductory call with you and your manager
Initial group engagement event
Preparation materials and activities for each workshop
Whole group learning workshops
Industry guest speakers
Peer learning groups
Themed insight sessions
A 360-degree feedback activity
Three 1:1 executive coaching sessions with one of our panel of coaches
Final moving forward workshop
Post programme support to continue your career progression
Secure your place today by contacting us at lead@womenintransport.com.
Is Lead for you?
Are you mid-level in your career and organisation, and already responsible for a project, a budget, delivery of a service and/or team of people?
Do you feel that you are capable of more, and maybe not progressing at the rate you would like?
Would you like to be a senior manager or director in one to three years time?
Do you have more to give and your career ambitions are not being met?
Are you passionate about the transport sector and love the idea of an alumnae of like minded professionals available to you for the rest of your career?
If the answer is yes to any of the questions above then Lead is the leadership programme for you!
Contact us at lead@womenintransport.com.
What will you gain?
Lead will increase your:
Confidence, focus and clarity on your career direction
Self assurance and positive belief in yourself on how to achieve your career goals
Influence, communication skill and networking
Leadership capability and ability to engage with others
Career aspiration, ambition and progression
These outcomes will benefit you and the progression of your career. By stepping up and using your talents to the full, your progression will help increase the representation of senior women leaders in transport and provide a positive role model to those entering the sector.
Contact us at lead@womenintransport.com if you would like to discuss how Lead can help you reach your potential.
Organisation sponsorship
Each participant will be encouraged to identify an organisation workplace sponsor to work with them during the programme. The primary role of the sponsor will be to act as a sounding board for thoughts and ideas to help ensure the participant feels supported and energised. In many cases the role of workplace sponsor falls naturally to the participant’s manager, however this also presents an opportunity to connect and gain mentor support from a different or additional executive or senior colleague.
Organisation benefits
Many organisations have goals to increase their gender representation at senior levels and are failing to make the progress they have targeted. Lead allows you to invest in key people, adding to both their capability and effectiveness, encouraging their confidence to reach higher, thus making progress both with individual career and organisational targets.
How does it benefit your organisation for your women leaders to attend our Lead programme?
Each organisation is unique, however here are some frequent reasons other organisations have told us why they invest in this way:
Succession planning: It is more cost effective and more motivating messaging to promote from within where possible.
Broadening perspective: Learning from peers from a wide cross section of the transport and transport infrastructure sector can help specialists and experts widen their view. This knowledge is valuable to you as these women add to your top talent.
Visible action: Investing in your women leaders increases your corporate image. It promotes your company positively as you invest in something tangible to close the representation gap at senior levels in your organisation.
Positive role modelling: Your women leaders will emerge from this programme with more career motivation, clarity and skills to add value to your organisation. Their progression will inspire others to aim higher too.
Additional value: This programme complements your own in-house leadership development programmes for all genders, and particularly supports the confidence in your women leaders as they take their place more explicitly in your organisation.
Contact us at lead@womenintransport.com to discuss who should attend, and how to set and manage expectations with your key people.
Pricing and enrolment
This is a sector specific programme open to Women in Transport members. It offers superb value for money for the individual participant and their sponsoring organisation, providing both tailored learning and access to a transport specific alumnae group. The group size for each cohort is 16 to 18.
Programme fee per participant: £4,495 plus VAT plus £60 for Women in Transport membership.
Places may be purchased on an individual or block basis. Sponsoring organisations may wish to consider purchasing a place for a third sector or charitable sector organisation. All places are subject to terms and conditions which can be read here.
Get in touch at lead@womenintransport.com to secure your place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find the responses to your questions on our FAQ page.
Contact us
If you have any questions about this paid programme, please complete the form below.
Alternatively, you can email us at lead@womenintransport.com