Australian Master of Business Administration programs are boosting efforts to bring women into classrooms – with the aim of getting them into boardrooms down the track. Just seven ASX top 200 chief executives are female, as are fewer than 10 per cent of directors in the top 500.

The Dean of Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Alex Frino, said the limited number of women in senior leadership roles was one of the key factors identified that acted as a barrier to female enrolment. “If you look purely at the ­numbers, the issue of women in business it is much worse than the number of women in MBAs,” he said.

Pathway to Your Potenial is an interactive series of workshops created to support an organisation’s broader talent, leadership and diversity initiatives. It is designed to empower capable women with the confidence to take action and apply for senior leadership and executive roles or to increase their board portfolio.

The underlying thread through the five elements of the program hones in on the elusive factor of confidence. The program builds women’s outer confidence through fine-tuning relevant knowledge, insight and skills, and grows inner confidence through cognitive behavioural techniques and hands-on skills development.

The drive to create Pathway to Your Potential and the material presented within it, is grounded in evidence-based research from some of the world’s most prestigious institutions. The program’s creator, Dr Jess Murphy, undertook her doctorate in the field of business leadership through AGSL and she is now an Alliance Partner. Her ongoing research focus is on disrupting traditional corporate structures. She has twenty years experience in corporate Australia, across the financial services, retail and property sectors, and has developed a globally recognised in-house program to prepare women for board directorships as well as a women’s money and life skills program. She is excited about working with organisations that invest in women to build their confidence and expand their opportunities. The outcomes will not only be professionally and personally rewarding for participants, but will also transform organisational structures and address the challenges and opportunities being faced by corporate Australia now and into the future.

It is widely accepted that companies with a higher number of women in senior leadership and board management roles are more profitable reference. Pathway to Your Potential is designed to ensure capable women in your organisation take action and apply for the executive roles and directorships they are qualified for, thus embedding a positive cultural shift within your organisation and the broader community.

For more information, visit the program page or use the form below to contact program creator and coordinator Dr Jess Murphy.