As part of the effort to address the leadership challenges posed by new global realities, COLE established the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLEAD). The vision for WLEAD is to empower women as agents for transformational societal change. It focuses on providing a pathway for women into positions of power and influence. WLEAD aims to arm women with the knowledge and inspiration to overcome obstacles, challenges, and struggles; and to create a way for connecting with others (men and women) who understand the powerful role diversity can play in transformational change. Examples of how WLEAD is doing this are:
- Knowledge Sharing – LifeChats Collection: inspirational lessons from women of power across different domains that are drawn from the triumph of overcoming challenges and failures.
- Leadership Development: providing the next generation of business leaders with needed tools to think about their leadership development. COLE plays an advisory role for Fuqua students, including Fuqua’s Association for Women in Business (AWIB). This role enables us to expand the global leadership pipeline of women in business. We hope to engage the exemplary women leaders in the network we are building through WLEAD, in sharing and connecting with our students, as well as offering targeted career advice and lessons learned through WLEAD programs and strategic collaborations.