Program Overview

RISE: Executive Leadership for Women

A high-performance program that propels women towards C-suite and board-level roles.

Overview and Impact

RISE is a high-performance executive leadership program for women who are already leading with confidence and are ready to accelerate their influence, expand their strategic capabilities, and position themselves for C-suite and board-level roles. Designed for experienced leaders across sectors, RISE: Executive Leadership for Women offers a pragmatic, forward-looking curriculum focused on the realities of executive leadership today: leading through complexity, digital transformation, enterprise risk, and inclusive leadership.

Program Structure

The program features two 3-day in-person sessions, executive coaching, and a capstone project:

• Session 1: Leading Strategically in a Changing World
• Session 2: Leading People, Power, and Performance
• Between sessions: Executive coaching, peer networking, and case project planning

Learning Outcomes

Participants will:

• Build strategic business acumen with financial tools and risk frameworks to evaluate decisions and align initiatives with enterprise strategy.
• Develop political intelligence through stakeholder mapping and strategic positioning to secure resources and advance key initiatives.
• Master executive presence with communication frameworks and influence strategies for high-stakes leadership contexts.
• Lead through digital transformation with AI fluency and governance frameworks for emerging technologies.
• Create high-performance, inclusive teams using tools for psychological safety, accountability, and adaptive leadership.
• Navigate complex organizational dynamics through advanced influence strategies and resistance management.
• Apply comprehensive risk management across ESG, digital, and operational domains
• Implement real-world leadership initiatives by developing actionable strategies with defined outcomes and stakeholder plans.

Participant Profile

RISE is designed for women in mid- to senior-level roles who:

• Are already managing people, budgets, and business units
• Are preparing for VP, C-suite, or senior functional leadership roles
• Want to deepen their capacity in strategy, technology, risk, and enterprise leadership
• Seek practical tools to accelerate their impact within complex organizations
• Are ready to take the next step toward enterprise-wide or system-level leadership

Return on Investment

For Participants

• Expanded capability in strategic, digital, and enterprise leadership.
• Tools to lead transformation, mitigate risk, and drive measurable results.
• Greater readiness for senior/executive roles and cross-functional leadership.
• Strategic peer network of high-performing women across industries.
• A completed, organization-relevant Capstone Leadership Challenge.

For Organizations

• Immediate ROI from applied Capstone projects.
• Stronger bench strength for succession and transformation initiatives.
• Leaders with increased readiness for complex, enterprise-level challenges.
• Retention of high-potential women and stronger inclusive leadership capacity.

Program Details

• Dates: March 4-6 & April 8-10, 2026
• Time: 8:30am - 4:30pm
• Format: In-person: 6 days + coaching
• Location: James W. Burns Executive Education Centre
• Cost: $8,450 +GST

Certificate of Completion

At the conclusion of the program, participants receive a Certificate of Completion from the I.H. Asper School of Business' James W. Burns Executive Education Centre.