Women of the MBA
Our focus
Introduced in 2023, the Women of the MBA initiative is a collaborative effort led by the Master’s Programs and Executive Education Office alongside student and graduate representatives. This initiative is dedicated to building a strong, supportive community of women across the MBA program and its alumni network. Through events such as networking brunches, mentorship opportunities and professional development workshops, the Women of the MBA community creates space for meaningful connection and shared learning. Whether you’re looking to build confidence, expand your network or navigate new professional challenges, this initiative offers a space to engage, grow and thrive together.
Our events
Community connections
We host a variety of brunches and informal gatherings throughout the year to stay in touch and build lasting relationships with fellow women graduates.
Meaningful networking
We provide many different opportunities for connection and mentorship across current students, graduates and emerging professionals.
Career growth and development
Different panels and workshops are designed to support professional advancement and navigate key career milestones.
SEM 653 Women in Leadership course
The purpose of this course will be to explore past and current trends in women's leadership. Drawing on historical developments, academic research and actual leadership practice, we will examine women's leadership in the context of barriers and facilitators to women's development as leaders. An examination of the historical developments in women's leadership will provide a useful basis for understanding not only how the relevance of gender has changed leadership opportunities over the last century, but also how vestiges still impact today's challenges for women leaders.
An emphasis will be placed on helping students hone, increase and develop leadership skills. Through readings, analyzing case studies, teamwork and sharing students' own stories and experiences, we will collectively learn and indeed illuminate how organizations, their senior leaders and indeed each of us can support and encourage gender diversity and inclusion.
"Gender diversity and inclusiveness in the Alberta MBA program is essential to us.
We recognize that the representation of women in corporate leadership roles is connected to positive outcomes for women, families, organizations and society as a whole.
Academic institutions play a vital role in developing and inspiring women, and we take this seriously in the Alberta MBA program through a number of initiatives. Our course on Women in Leadership as well as the Women of the MBA initiative are just some of the areas in which we focus our efforts on female leadership development."
Dr. Michael Maier, Associate Dean, Master's and Executive Education Programs
"Organizations around the world increasingly recognize the value and importance of developing female leaders.
Our course on women's leadership has two goals: to support aspiring leaders in identifying the skills, networks and mindset needed for success, and to spark essential discussion about how we build more gender diverse and inclusive work cultures. With a dynamic mix of students, our discussions are always rich, thought-provoking, and productive."
Dr. Karen Hughes, Professor, Women, and Leadership Strategic Management and Organization
"I felt incredibly fortunate to take Karen Hughes’ Women and Leadership course during my MBA. It connected insights and experiences I hadn’t yet pieced together — even after 14 years of working and leading.
One reading that especially resonated was Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership, which challenges the traditional “glass ceiling” metaphor. Instead of a single, invisible barrier at the top, it reveals how women face many small, cumulative obstacles throughout their careers.
The course deepened my understanding of the specific, and often subtle, challenges female leaders face, which now enables me to better anticipate and navigate them. Knowledge is power, and it allows us to take action.
For me, this course marked the beginning of my own change-journey: clarifying what I will focus on and prioritize, and shaping how I will lead moving forward."
Kathryn Byron, '25 MBA