2027 Leadership Development Program for Regulators

Learn the importance of gender-inclusive policy for sustainable economic growth and build a pipeline of women leaders.

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About the Program

Policy and regulatory decisions influence everything from credit access to digital financial services, shaping whether women entrepreneurs and consumers can fully participate in the economy.

This program strengthens the leadership, influence, and policymaking capabilities of regulators and policymakers working to advance more inclusive financial systems, helping leaders navigate complex policy challenges while expanding economic opportunity for women. 

 

Learn More About the Program

Program Experience

A six-month blended learning programme for senior regulatory leaders and high-potential emerging leaders from central banks and regulatory agencies in emerging markets. Participants attend as sponsor-participant pairs, enabling learning, influence, and organisational change to extend beyond the individual and into their institutions.

This is the only program for officials at the intersection of leadership development, women’s financial inclusion and policy design.

What is Expected of Me:

  • Interactive live online sessions, 1–2 per week
  • Individual and group assignments + peer consultations
  • In-person week in Oxford, UK. Dates 25th – 30th July 2027
  • 4 executive coaching sessions for senior officials

What You Will Gain

Though classroom sessions, facilitated peer learning and 1:1 advising with expertise from Women’s World Banking and world-class faculty, participants will gain:

Vector 2

Sustainable Economic Growth

Learn how to build sustainable economic growth through inclusive policy design.

Vector 3

Leadership Skills

Core skills such as stakeholder management, negotiation, persuasion and scenario mapping. ​​

Group

Financial Inclusion Knowledge

Understanding of global challenges and best practices in gender-inclusive policy design.

Group 1

Dual Certification

Certificate from Women’s World Banking and the Chartered Management Institute.

Who Should Apply

Senior Official

  • Senior officials from a range of government institutions, agencies, regulators, and ministries in emerging markets
  • Part of executive/senior management team or leads a division

High-Potential 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
  • 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, UK. Dates 25th – 30th July 2027

Fees and Scholarships

USD $10,000

per institution per pair

Covers:

  • Tuition and Course Materials
  • Executive Coaching (Senior Officials)
  • Engagement in All Peer Activities
  • Expert Advisory
  • Accommodation in Oxford 
  • Most in-person meals in Oxford, UK

Does Not Cover:

  • All Travel Expenses (e.g. flights and ground transportation)
  • Incidental Expenses
  • Visas
  • Insurances
  • Additional meals and accommodation before or after the course
Scholarships available for institutions unable to cover tuition. Email us after submitting your application.

Timeline of Key Dates

LDR timeline

Frequently Asked Questions

Didn’t find the question you were looking for? Feel free to reach out.

Contact Us
What is expected of me as a participant?

You’ll join 1–2 live virtual sessions per week, dedicate 2–3 hours per month to pre and post session work, and attend peer group coaching. Senior officials also have 4 optional coaching sessions (4 hours total), while both participants have ~4 hours of advisory and completion of a 2 hour capstone presentation. All participants travel to Oxford for the in-person week in July 2027 (25-30).

Absolutely. The program is open to everyone. Senior officials of any gender committed to promoting gender-inclusive policy and workplaces are welcome and encouraged to participate.

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.

We offer 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. 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.)
  • Gender-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
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.

Yes, participants completing the course will gain foundation Chartered Manager Status from the Chartered Management Institute. All participants who complete their online capstone policy presentation will gain WWB LDR Alumni status.

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 71 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

Meet the Core Faculty

Learn from global experts in leadership, financial inclusion, regulation, and gender- intentional policymaking.

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Dr. Sonja Kelly

Global Head, Women’s World Banking Institute

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Laura Cox

Director, Leadership Training Programs

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Francesca Brown

Global Director of Policy & Advocacy

Nathan Sussman

Dr. Nathan Sussman

  • Professor and Pictet Chair in Finance and Development 

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Dr. Stephen Ambore

Policy Director, Africa

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Pallavi Madhok

VP, Advisory Services, South Asia

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Vitasari Anggraeni

Deputy Director of Policy, Southeast Asia

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Smita Jacob

Policy Advocacy Director, South Asia

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Victoria Johnson

Global Policy Advocacy Specialist

Martin Ihrig

Dr. Martin Ihrig

Senior Associate Dean, NYU School of Professional Studies

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Aries Setiadi

Senior Principal FSP & Policy Advocacy

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Desy Hartono

Senior Policy Strategist, Southeast Asia

Leadership Development Program for Regulators Alumni

LDR alumni are helping shape more inclusive financial systems across markets — driving policy change, strengthening institutional leadership, and advancing women’s financial inclusion in their regions.

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What Our Program Participants Are Saying

“My LDR experience is one of my greatest assets in recent times. It has given me an entirely new perspective of women in leadership. Thank you LDR for this opportunity to be seen and heard.”
Jessie Jacintho, Head of Legal, General Counsel, Bank of GhanaLeadership Development Program Participant 26’
“The LDR model of pairing a Senior official and High Potential Leader is commendable as a key foundation in developing a successful and sustainable policy. I can attest that our policy developed through this journey is timely and realistic. It is an initiative aimed at transforming the ecosystem to better incorporate 360o gender dynamics in the redress mechanism and it is scalable to ensure full impact.”
Leadership Development Program Participant 26’
“Participating in the LDR program has been a transformative experience for our work at the Central Bank of Armenia. The program uniquely bridged executive leadership development with practical, gender-inclusive policy design, providing invaluable tools to strengthen consumer protection and financial empowerment in our market."
Anzhela Avetisyan, Central Bank of ArmeniaLeadership Development Program 26’
“The WWB Leadership Development Program has been an inspiring journey that changed the way I think about both leadership and gender-inclusive policymaking. I learned that creating meaningful change requires more than a good policy idea—it requires evidence, collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and the courage to turn ideas into action."
Juwita Lukytasari Putri, CMEALeadership Development Program 26’
“I am so inspired and left a total changed Woman having met humble yet great Women who have caused impact to fellow women.”
Leadership Development Program Participant 26’
“I finally understood the power of impact from within through the LDR program.”
Mothetsi John Sekoati, Director of Payments and Settlements, Central Bank of Lesotho Leadership Development Program 26’

Our Partners

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