Women in Leadership: Empowering Women to Lead with Confidence, Influence, and Impact.
A transformative 5-day executive program designed to strengthen leadership identity, influence, and impact.
When
📅 15 – 19 June, 2026
Where
📍 Protea Hotel
How much?
💰 UGX 3,500,000
Program Overview
The UIBFS Women in Leadership Program is a transformational program designed to equip women with the confidence, clarity, influence, and strategic capability required to thrive in leadership roles.
The program focuses on building authentic leadership identity, strengthening negotiation capability, navigating organizational and social contexts, and expanding future leadership possibilities.
This course combines self-reflection, practical tools, case studies, peer learning, and real-world application to support women in advancing their leadership journey whether in corporate, public sector, financial services, entrepreneurship, or development organizations.
Program Objectives
Target Audience
This program creates a safe, reflective, and practical learning space for women to:
- Strengthening their leadership identity and confidence
- Understand how context shapes leadership opportunities and barriers
- Develop influence and executive presence
- Build negotiation skills as a leadership competency
- Identify systems and networks that support growth
- Design a personal leadership development roadmap
- Women in middle to senior management
- Emerging female leaders
- High-potential female staff identified for leadership succession
- Women entrepreneurs and professionals
- Board members and senior technical specialists
Program Content Outline
- What is leadership? Beyond titles and positions
- Imposter syndrome and confidence gaps
- Strength-based leadership
- Authentic leadership vs. performative leadership
- Value-based decision making
Module Activities
- Leadership identity reflection exercise
- Strength mapping tool
- Personal leadership story sharing
Day 1: Learning Outcomes
Participants will:
- Identify their unique leadership strengths
- Recognize and challenge limiting beliefs
- Articulate their leadership identity
- Build self-awareness and confidence
- Organizational power structures
- Gender dynamics in leadership
- Unwritten rules and informal networks
- Cultural expectations and leadership
- Stakeholder mapping
Activities
- Context mapping exercise
- Stakeholder influence grid
Day 2: Learning Outcomes
Participants will:
- Analyse the leadership environment they operate in
- Identify key influencers and decision-makers
- Develop strategies to navigate barriers
- Recognize opportunities within constraints
- Executive presence and credibility
- Communication strategies for impact
- Emotional intelligence in leadership
- Strategic visibility
- Building alliances and coalitions
Activities
- Influence role-play scenarios
- Executive presence simulation
- Communication feedback exercises
Day 3: Learning Outcomes
Participants will:
- Communicate with clarity and authority
- Strengthen emotional intelligence
- Use influence rather than authority
- Build strong professional networks
- Negotiation mindset and preparation
- Salary and promotion negotiations
- Negotiating resources and authority
- Managing difficult conversations
- Win-win vs. positional bargaining
Activities
- Real-life negotiation simulations
- Negotiation planning framework
- Peer coaching sessions
Module 4: Learning Outcomes
- Prepare effectively for high-stakes negotiations
- Advocate for themselves and their teams
- Apply principled negotiation techniques
- Handle resistance confidently
- Visioning and career strategy
- Strategic career positioning
- Risk-taking and opportunity readiness
- Legacy thinking
- Designing your next 5–10 years
Activities
- Future-self visualization
- Leadership roadmap development
- Public commitment statement
Day 5: Learning Outcomes
- Develop a clear leadership vision
- Identify bold career opportunities
- Create a 3–5-year leadership roadmap
- Commit to specific leadership actions
Event Speakers
Ms. JACKIE NAMARA RUKARE
Non-Executive Director, Platinum Credit (U) Ltd
Strategic governance professional with 25+ years of multi-sectoral leadership combining financial services expertise with proven board effectiveness. Certified Company Director (IOD UK), Chartered Marketer and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCIM) with deep experience in financial services, telecomms and FMCG marketing across East Africa. Demonstrated success in stakeholder engagement, risk oversight, and sustainable value creation. Currently serving on multiple boards with interest in customer-centricity, digital transformation, and regulatory compliance.
Ms. RACHEL BRENDA DUMBA
CEO and Partner in charge of Strategy and Human Capital Management at Steadman Global
Rachel is currently the CEO and Partner in charge of Strategy and Human Capital Management at Steadman Global, a Management and Development Consulting Firm with operations in more than 10 African countries. She sits on the boards of Uganda Breweries Limited (Diageo), Sanlam Allianz General Insurance Uganda, TPSEA (Serena in 5 Countries), MTN MoMo Uganda, and several private Investment Boards. She is a Member of Boardroom Africa and the League of East African Directors and has supported national bodies such as the COVID-19 National Task Force in Uganda and the Federation of Uganda Employers. A mother of two adult children, she previously worked as Head of HR for Citibank, DFCU, and Kenol Kobil for more than twenty years. She is a Senior Mentor with G4G, an ardent supporter of Arsenal, and loves playing chess and Scrabble.
Dr. Norah Njuba Bwaya (PhD, MCC)
Board Member at Equity Bank Uganda
Dr. Norah is Founder of Coach Africa, East Africa’s first registered coaching firm. With over 30 years of leadership experience, she works with leaders in banking among other sectors across Africa to strengthen leadership, governance, and execution performance. A former senior executive with Shell Oil Products Africa, she brings a rare blend of corporate, board-level, and coaching expertise. As a Master Certified Coach (ICF), she has supported the coaching industry in more than 20 countries around Africa. Norah is known for helping leaders translate strategy into measurable results and for developing practical, Africa-rooted leadership approaches, including the award-winning TREES coaching model. Her work focuses on enabling leaders—especially women—to lead with clarity, confidence, and impact.