Developing Women Leaders for Institutional and Societal Impact

Leadership is not simply about holding a position. It is about the ability to shape decisions, mobilise resources, build partnerships, and create change.

Around 80 women leaders and emerging professionals gathered at Nazarbayev University on September 9-10 for the second module of the Women Leadership Development Programme (WLDP).

The two-day module brought together participants from higher education and research, public policy, business, entrepreneurship, and the non-governmental sector, reflecting one of the programme’s core principles — cross-sector learning and collaboration.

The module opened with welcoming remarks by Dr. Gulmira Qanay, PFHEA, Vice President of Nazarbayev University and one of the programme’s designers, who highlighted the importance of creating opportunities to strengthen women’s leadership capacity and professional networks.

Participants explored the practical dimensions of leadership, including strategic management, partnership development, financial decision-making, grant acquisition, scaling strategies, gender-responsive budgeting, internationalisation, and responsible governance.

Dr Aida Sagintayeva, Vice Provost for Academic Planning and Budgeting and Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Nazarbayev University, emphasised the importance of moving beyond representation towards meaningful influence:

“The challenge is not simply about women’s representation, but about their influence — their ability to shape priorities, make decisions, mobilise resources, build alliances, and lead change.”

The module also explored art as a tool for leadership development. Through dialogue with Kazakhstani artists, participants reflected on creativity, resilience, heritage, motivation, and continuity, bringing cultural perspectives into the conversation about leadership.

The programme was complemented by a panel discussion on women’s leadership in strategic and financial decision-making, bringing together perspectives from business, politics, and education.

WLDP is jointly developed by the Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education, Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy, and Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Business, in partnership with the National Commission for Women’s Affairs and Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Delivered in a blended format, the programme includes 120 hours of learning, mentoring, cross-sector networking, and a final project.

WLDP is more than a professional development programme. It is an investment in a community of women leaders equipped to contribute to institutional development and meaningful change across Kazakhstan.

The second module is complete. The leadership journey continues.