2025 Leadership and Diversity Program for Regulators
Supporting financial regulators to develop policies that close the gender gap in financial inclusion; building the women’s leadership pipeline in regulatory organizations.
About the Program
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This multi-week global blended learning program, taught by Women’s World Banking and Faculty from Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, brings together senior officials (male/female/nonbinary) from central banks and other regulatory agencies and high-potential women from their respective institutions. Each participating team (senior official + high potential leader) identifies a real-time institutional policy challenge related to women’s financial inclusion to work on throughout the learning journey.
Participants come together for interactive online classes, team assignments, 1:1 advisory sessions and peer learning. They will also connect with peers from across the globe for intensive in-person learning at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School in June 2025. Participants will also be invited to present their Capstone presentations at the 2025 Alliance for Financial Inclusions’ Global Policy Forum (location TBC) in September 2025.
What it is:
This multi-week, blended learning program equips senior officials and high-potential women leaders from central banks and other regulatory agencies in emerging markets with the skills to create an enabling environment for women’s financial inclusion and advance gender diverse leaders within their institutions.
What happens:
Each senior official selects a high-potential woman leader from their institution to join them in the program. Each institutional pair will work together to identify, design and implement a policy to advance women’s financial inclusion.* The senior official will also receive guidance on how to invest in the woman leader’s professional growth through career mentorship and sponsorship. Senior officials will have the option to opt in to receive four executive coaching sessions.
- Apr-May you’ll join approx 4-5 virtual sessions per month and dedicate approx 5-8 hours per month of pre and post session work.
- June you’ll join the week intensive of in-person learning at Oxford university’s Said Business School
- June-July you’ll join 1-2 virtual sessions a month
- August you will work with your program partner to develop your policy and prepare your 5 minute capstone presentation
- In September you will present your capstone, either virtually or at the Alliance for Financial inclusions’ 2025 Global policy Forum
- You will have access to a 1:1 policy advisory virtual meeting to support the development of your policy prior to the week in person and post
- Participants are also required to report back to Women’s World Banking at the 6 and 12 month mark following the program completion
Why it is unique:
This is the only program for financial regulators at the intersection of leadership development and women’s financial inclusion. With a unique dual-track design, senior officials gain the tools to sponsor emerging women leaders, modelling an approach for building a pipeline of gender diverse talent within their institutions.
An action learning methodology:
- A series of interactive live online sessions
- Individual and group assignments
- Peer consultations
- Expert advisory opportunities
- Intensive in-person sessions at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, England
- 4 executive coaching sessions for senior officials
What participants gain:
Though classroom sessions, facilitated peer learning and 1:1 advising with expertise from Women’s World Banking, Alliance for Financial Inclusion and Oxford Saïd Business School’s world-class faculty participants will gain:
- Leadership Skills: Core skills such as stakeholder management, negotiation, persuasion and scenario mapping.
- Financial Inclusion Knowledge: Understanding of global challenges and best practices in gender-inclusive policy design.
*A gender-inclusive policy could be a new or updated legislation or regulation, an initiative, a program, a strategy, or a policy note.
Fee per institution/pair: USD 8,000
The program fee includes (for two participants per institution); tuition and course materials, executive coaching (senior officials), and engagement in all peer activities, expert advisory and accommodation and most meals when in-person at Oxford, England. Participants must cover all travel to Oxford, England, and incidental expenses, such as flights, ground transportation, visas, insurance, additional meals, etc.
Limited scholarships are available. Only completed applications will be considered. Email us for more information after submitting your application.
Senior Official
- Senior officials from central banks and other regulatory agencies in emerging markets
- Part of executive/senior management team or leads a regulatory division
- Male/female/nonbinary participants can apply
High-Potential Woman Leader*
- Mid-level professional, 5-10 years of experience
- Exhibits skills and capability to be promoted to the next level of leadership or broaden their role significantly
- Has demonstrated the ability to lead people in the organization
- Motivated to take on new leadership challenges and opportunities
- People managers preferred but not required
Both Participants
- A commitment to:
- Advancing an inclusive policy initiative
- Cultivating and fostering an active sponsorship relationship
- Actively participating in online and peer learning sessions
- Exhibiting proficiency in written and spoken English
- Travel to Oxford, England the first week of June 2024
*Note that the senior official will select the women leader after being accepted into the program.
Who should be applying?
Governors, Deputy Governors and Senior Officials (male/female/nonbinary) from central banks and other financial regulatory agencies (e.g. banking, insurance, microfinance, pensions, etc.) in emerging markets. They should be part of the executive/senior management team or lead a regulatory division and have a commitment to development of gender-inclusive policy. High-potential women leaders should not complete an application. Nominees will be confirmed by the senior official following acceptance into the program.
Do men also participate in this program?
Absolutely. This course is open to everyone and includes the active participation of men who are committed to promoting gender-inclusive policy environments and workplaces.
How do I nominate and confirm the high-potential woman leader participant?
Senior officials must select the high-potential woman leader after admittance, but are required to indicate one or more potential nominees on the application form in order to be considered by the admissions committee. Selection criteria for the woman leader are as follows:
- Mid-level professional, 5 – 10 years of experience
- Exhibits skills and capability to be promoted to the next level of leadership or broaden their role significantly
- Has demonstrated the ability to lead people in the organization
- Motivated to take on new leadership challenges and opportunities
- People managers preferred but not required
How is this program unique from other programs?
The program will run for four months, from the last week in April 2024 to August 2024. Following completion of the core curriculum, participants will work independently to prepare and present their final capstone in September 2024. Senior officials and high-potential women leaders – must be available to travel to Oxford, England for the first week of June 2024 and join on average, one-two live virtual sessions per month outside of the week in person. Participants will dedicate approximately 2-4 hours per month, comprising of pre-session work, post-session work, along with ongoing engagement in the below activities over the course of the program:
- Coaching sessions (Senior officials): 4 sessions of 1 hour each (4 hours)
- 1:1 Advisory with policy and financial inclusion experts: 2 hours
- Peer-to-peer consultations: approximately 2 hours
- Capstone presentations in September: Prepare and deliver a 15-minute capstone presentation, listen and provide feedback to peer presentations
Following the completion of the program, each pair will share progress on their gender-inclusive policy during a live or virtual peer-to-peer consultation and will present on their policy either in person at the 2025 Alliance for Financial Inclusion’s global Policy Forum in September 2025 (location TBC) or virtually, and submit a written capstone summary. Participants are also required to report back to Women’s World Banking at the 6 and 12 month mark following program completion.
What is sponsorship and how is that different from mentoring?
Mentors provide feedback, access to information and help mentees understand what are often referred to as the “unwritten rules for success”. Sponsors do all of that and actively advocate for the person they are sponsoring (called the “protégé”). This can include facilitating introductions to high-level contacts, stretch assignments that can help advance the protégé’s career, or actively advocating for opportunities for the protégé in their institution.
Can I nominate more than one (1) high-potential women for this program?
Each institution is only guaranteed space for one (1) high-potential leader to accompany the executive.
What is the policy?
The Leadership and Diversity Program for Regulators offers you the opportunity to bring a real gender-inclusive policy you are working on into the program. You will work on your policy throughout the duration of the program, with support from experts at Women’s World Banking and Oxford. Policy initiatives can be a new policy that is being implemented or existing policy that is being enhanced and may fit into one or more of the following categories:
- Legislation or Regulation
- Initiative/Program
- Strategy
- Guidelines or Policy Note
A good fit for a policy to bring to the program would have the following characteristics:
- Promotes financial inclusion while maintaining a balance with financial sector stability and consumer protection
- Promotes outreach of financial services in a competitive and secure marketplace
- Improves the environment for financial inclusion
- Reduces the financial vulnerabilities of families at the base of the pyramid
- Creates an enabling legal and regulatory environment for women
For example, a gender-inclusive policy may focus on:
- Expanding access to and usage of digital finance (transaction accounts, digitized payments, etc.)
- Sex-disaggregated data collection
- Development and implementation of a financial consumer protection framework
- Raising financial awareness and capability (Consumer, SME, etc.)
- Promoting women’s access to and usage of appropriate insurance products
What is the capstone?
The capstone presentation is a report back to peers and faculty on steps taken towards moving the identified women-centered financial inclusion policy initiative forward. Participants will have a period of one to two (2) months following the in-person workshop at Oxford to prepare their capstone presentation and written submission. The capstone provides an opportunity to showcase any tangible steps taken and receive feedback from peers and experts.
What does the program fee cover?
The program fee includes (for two participants per institution); tuition and course materials, accommodation and most meals in Oxford, executive coaching (senior regulators), and engagement in all peer activities and expert advisory. Participants must cover all travel to Oxford, England and incidental expenses, such as flights, ground transportation, visas, insurance, additional meals, etc.
The invitation to participants to present their capstone and graduate in-person at the Alliance for Financial Inclusions’ Global Policy Forum is optional. Should a participant choose to attend, they must cover all travel and incidental expenses, accommodation and most meals.
Are scholarships available?
Full scholarships are available. Only completed applications will be considered. Please email us for more information after submitting your application.
Will I receive a certificate?
Upon successful completion of the program, each participating leader will receive a certificate of completion from Women’s World Banking, Alliance for Financial Inclusion and Oxford University’s Saïd Business School.
What types of institutions have participated in the past?
For over 20 years, Women’s World Banking has trained more than 1,000 leaders of regulatory bodies and financial service providers from around the globe. Over 80 percent of women leaders have increased their scope of responsibility after joining a leadership program from Women’s World Banking.
326 regulators/policymakers from 78 institutions in 47 countries have participated, including central banks, financial regulatory authorities, ministries of finance, reserve banks, and national insurance commissions, including:
- Central Bank of Egypt
- Central Bank of the Philippines
- National Bank of Rwanda
- Central Bank of Nigeria
- Bangladesh Bank
- Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
- Bank Indonesia
- Financial Services Authority, Indonesia
- National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV) Mexico
- Banco de México
- National Insurance Commission Ghana
- Reserve Bank of India
- Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India
- National Bank of Cambodia
- Insurance Regulator of Cambodia
- NGX Regulation Limited
- National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
About Oxford University’s Saïd Business School
About Visa Foundation
Visa Foundation seeks to support inclusive economies where individuals, businesses, and communities can thrive. Through grantmaking and impact investing, Visa Foundation prioritizes the growth of inclusive small businesses around the globe. The Foundation also supports broader community needs and disaster response in times of crisis.
About Swiss State Secretariat For Economic Affairs (SECO)
Academic Partner
Program Funder
Funding Partner
