Equity in Leadership

Supporting the career development of global majority colleagues into senior leadership

The White Rose Equity in Leadership Programme is a pioneering cross-institutional initiative aimed at fostering diversity in higher education leadership. It offers targeted leadership development for staff from global majority backgrounds, including those in academia and professional services who identify as Black, Asian, or other Minority Ethnicities. The programme adopts an equity-based approach to accelerate career progression for global majority talent, with the ultimate goal of diversifying leadership within higher education.

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What is the White Rose Equity in Leadership Programme?

For Managers: What is the White Rose Equity in Leadership Programme?

2024 cohort

Equity in Leadership: 2024 Cohort

Why Participate?

The Equity in Leadership programme is designed for individuals aspiring to senior leadership roles within the next 12-18 months. This programme provides a unique opportunity to enhance leadership skills, build valuable support networks, and contribute to a cultural shift towards more inclusive and equitable leadership in higher education.

The programme covers:

Empowerment and skill development: Gain tools and strategies to navigate and dismantle systemic barriers, enhancing your leadership impact. Benefit from practical toolkits on communication, influence, and personal development.
Diverse and inclusive leadership: Embrace and value diversity to foster creativity, critical thinking, and effective outcomes. Share your unique experiences and perspectives, hear from successful case studies to enrich collective learning and drive positive change.
Comprehensive support and networking: Access dynamic facilitators, engaging sessions, peer led masterclasses, networking opportunities with senior leaders.

Programme Structure

The programme consists of three 1-day workshops, peer led masterclasses, networking opportunities with senior leaders across all three institutions, and opportunities to explore personalised support which could include coaching, mentoring or sponsorship.

Further information

Click on the events below to discover the topics and activities planned for each day.

Applications close at 12:00 on Friday, 28 February 2025.

You are eligible to apply to be part of the Equity in Leadership programme if you meet the following criteria:

You are a member of staff who is from the global majority and are at a grade 8 or above (Sheffield and Leeds) or grade 7 or above (York).

Aspire to a senior leadership role within the next 12-18 months.

Employed at one of the White Rose universities (Leeds, Sheffield or York) for the duration of the Equity in Leadership programme (until September 2025).

Can commit to attending all three in-person training days. Attendance at all the following programme elements is mandatory.

- Day 1 – 10:00-16:00 Thursday 15 May (Leeds)

- Day 2 – 10:00-16:00 Wednesday 9 July (Sheffield)

- Day 3 – 10:00-16:00 Wednesday 17 September (York)

At the end of each day, from 16:30 to 17:30, there will be an optional networking session. This is a great opportunity to meet and connect with senior leaders from the host institution.

At the White Rose University Consortium, we are committed to creating a welcoming and supportive environment that fosters growth for all our people. Ensuring that our programmes are accessible to everyone is a key priority for us. If you have any concerns or factors that might hinder your access or full participation in our programmes (such as caregiving responsibilities or specific accessibility needs), please reach out to us at info@whiterose.ac.uk. We are eager to provide solutions that will enable you to fully engage with White Rose activities.

To express your interest in joining the White Rose 2025 Equity in Leadership Programme, please complete the application form.

The application form covers: 

About you: 

First name 
Last name 
Email - please use your institution’s email address 
Institution 
Role title 
In which department do you work?
Do you identify as being part of the global majority?

Voluntary questions:

How would you describe your ethnicity or ethnic background?
How would you describe your gender identity?

Information about your line manager (voluntary):

Please provide the name of your line manager
What is their role title?
What is their email address?

Why Equity in Leadership: (2000 characters pre question)

Why do you want to join the Equity in Leadership Programme? What aspects of the programme interest you the most?
Describe your journey into leadership to date? What have you done already to prepare yourself for leadership?
What are your career aspirations in the next 12-18 months? What are your career ambitions in the next 3-5 years?

Your commitment: 

This programme includes three in-person days, and attendance at all sessions is mandatory. By answering “yes,” you confirm that you have checked your schedule and are available to attend all dates in full.

Submit your CV: 

To complete your application, you must submit a 2-page CV (including publications if relevant) to info@whiterose.ac.uk.

Deadline: Applications close at 12:00 on Friday, 28 February 2025.

Notification: Successful participants will be notified during the week beginning 24 March 2025 following a panel discussion.

There are 24 places available, with eight participants from each White Rose University (Leeds, Sheffield, and York). A panel will review the applications, prioritising those participants who demonstrate they are preparing for a leadership role.

The cost of attending this programme is £1000 per participant, funded on your behalf by the Consortium.

The White Rose University Consortium recognises the importance of racial and ethnic terminology and understand that individuals use different terms to identify and represent themselves. In keeping with the commitment to co-creation for this programme, the Equity in Leadership Programme team asked all participants to vote on the term that they felt best represented them. The term "global majorities" received the most votes, as it provides a more positive perspective compared to the othering narrative of "minority groups."