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You've Been Leading All Along. Now It's Time to Be Recognized for It.
IIM Mumbai – Women Leadership Accelerator Program
A 6-month Immersive program for mid-career women who are done waiting their turn and ready to claim the leadership roles they’ve already earned.
Why This Matters to You?
- Personal mentorship from women CXOs who’ve walked your path
- IIM Mumbai faculty who understand the real challenges you face
- Join a cohort of women who get it – the juggle, the doubts, and the ambition
- Certified Executive Management Program by IIM Mumbai
IIM Mumbai Leadership Accelerator Program Co-Designed by Indian Institute of Management Mumbai and Natarajan Empowerment Foundation (NEF) Only For Mid-Career Women
What is the IIM Mumbai – NEF Women Leadership Accelerator Program about?
The IIM Mumbai–NEF Leadership Accelerator Program is a first-of-its-kind initiative designed for mid-career women professionals who are ready to move from performance to leadership. Built on NEF’s mission of empowering women and IIM Mumbai’s legacy of academic excellence, this immersive six-month program blends strategic learning, executive mentoring, and personal transformation. Through hybrid learning and campus immersions, it equips participants with the confidence, capability, and networks to step into senior leadership roles—creating a generation of women leaders driving India’s growth story toward Viksit Bharat.
The Four Pillars of Transformation
Transformative Training
Build the skills, confidence, and executive presence for next-level leadership.
CxO Level Mentoring
Guidance from women who have walked the path and broken barriers.
Immersive Experiences
Learn, reflect, and grow in an environment that fuels ambition.
Peer to Peer Learning
Grow with a cohort that learns together, challenges together, and rises together.
The Advantage You Gain
Strategic Thinking for Career Advancement
The skill that differentiates managers from leaders. Learn to think long-term, solve complex problems, and see the bigger picture like a senior leader.
Leadership Skills That Drive Promotion Readiness
Build executive presence, influence stakeholders, communicate with power, and make decisions under ambiguity.
Finance, Digital & Analytical Capabilities for Modern Leadership
Learn data-driven decision-making, AI tools for productivity, structured problem-solving, the fundamentals of financial planning, and business analytics.
Navigate Bias & Organisational Dynamics with Confidence
Learn how to build visibility, manage workplace challenges, earn sponsors, and grow without burnout.
Build a Strong Network of Mentors, Sponsors & Allies
Gain access to senior leaders, a powerful peer cohort, and lifelong professional relationships that accelerate your career.
Why You Should Apply
The Women Leadership Accelerator is co-designed and certified by IIM Mumbai – renowned for shaping some of India’s most influential business leaders and the founders of NEF, Dr. Ganesh Natarajan and Dr. Uma Ganesh. With over four decades of leadership and mentoring experience, they have guided numerous women who today stand as stalwarts in their industries.
Drawing from this collective wisdom, the program features a unique pedagogy tailored specifically for mid-career women with 7–17 years of experience, equipping them with the strategic insight, leadership readiness, and executive presence needed to move to the next level of growth.
Program Pedagogy
Cohort Based program
Live Online Interactive Sessions on Weekends
Immersive Sessions at IIM Mumbai Campus
Industry-relevant Training
Hands-on Case Studies And Business Scenarios
What Makes This Program Unique And Ready For Real World Success?
Co-Certified by IIM Mumbai & NEF
Masterclasses by IIM Mumbai Faculty
Immersive sessions led by Dr. Ganesh Natarajan and Dr. Uma Ganesh
One on One Mentorship by CXO level Women Leaders
Experiential learning through real world assignments
Curated Cohort of 40–45 High-Potential Women
Your Move. Your Moment.
Join the women who stopped waiting, and started leading.
6 months Executive Leadership Program | Next Cohort Starts – 22 March
Limited to 45 Participants | Application Deadline – 1 February
IIM Mumbai’s Expert Faculty
Prof. Sumi Jha
Program Chair
Prof. Sumi Jha is a Prof. and Dean (Alumni and International Affairs) IIM Mumbai. Author of Strategic Leadership Models and Theories: Indian Perspective with several papers published in national international journals and recipient of Best Management Faculty and best paper and reviewer awards. Specialisation- Strategic leadership, People Analytics, Shared Leadership, and Employee empowerment. Consultant to several corporate including RCF, Adani Gas Ltd, Tata Power Ltd, Hindalco Industries Ltd, and Ordnance Factory.
Prof. Vivek Khanzode
Program Coordinator
Prof. Vivek Khanzode – Professor and Dean Academics at IIM Mumbai. BE, MTech, PhD from IIT Kharagpur. Specialisation – Operations and Supply Chain Management, Manufacturing Planning and Control, Business Dynamics, Simulation Modeling and Analytics
Prof. Neeraj Pandey
Program Coordinator
Prof. Nikhil K Mehta
Prof. Nikhil K Mehta – Dean (Student’s Affairs) and Professor at the IIM Mumbai in Organizational Behaviour and HRM. MBA (PersonnelManagement) & MA Gold Medalist- Industrial Psychology, PhD (Commerce). Certified Transactional Analysis Practitioner, FIRO-B Certified trainer. Recipient of Best Faculty (Student Development) and Prashasti Patra for publishing his research work in Raj-Bhasha from NITIE, Mumbai. Specialisation in communication skills, organisational development, leadership, professional and behavioural development.
Prof K S Ranjani
Prof KS Ranjani – Fellow Chartered Accountant and Cost Accountant, Ph.D. in Management Studies. Associate Professor – IIM Mumbai. Specialisation in Project financing and Corporate finance and accounting, Financial Inclusion, Women Empowerment & Impact of skill development and training. Research articles published in International Journal of Social Economics, Social Business, and the European Journal of Operational Research. Principal Investigator for projects funded by ICSSR & MGNCRE, Ministry of Education. Member of the Finance Committee at Pune Municipal Corporation, Solid Waste Management Department.
Prof. Poonam Singh
Dr. Poonam Singh – Associate Professor – Finance, Economics and Strategy. PhD – competition policy (Mergers and Acquisition: Firm Size, Market and Regulation) PhD scholar at the Institute of Law and Economics Institute, University of Hamburg, gold medalist in MSC Economics. Specialisation in applied econometrics, firm competition, technological innovation, public policy, analytics, business strategy, entrepreneurship and corporate governance. Research papers published in international journals of repute. Worked closely with the capital market regulator and Ministry of Finance for policy formulation and implementation. Involved in consulting assignments and research projects with Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), National Stock Exchange(NSE) and various manufacturing industries and credit rating agencies.
Prof. Vartika Srivastava
Prof. Vartika Srivastava – Ph.D. from IIT Bombay, MBA from IIM Ahmedabad & B.Tech from IIT Kharagpur. Marketing faculty member at IIM Mumbai Specialisation in Consumer Behavior, Marketing Engineering and Analytics, Big Data-Driven Consumer Analytics, B2B Sales and Marketing, and Social Media Marketing. Corporate experience includes seven years as a Strategy Consultant at Monitor Deloitte.
NEF’s Expert Gurus
Dr. Ganesh Natarajan
Dr. Uma Ganesh
Founder of GTT Data Solutions and GTT Foundation. MBA from FMS Delhi and PhD from IIT Bombay, Author and Columnist in the Financial Express. Specialisation – Entrepreneurship, Women Empowerment, Digital Impact and Skills, leadership development. Recipient of several awards in recognition for her contribution to skill development and education
Eika Banarjee Chaturvedi
Founder of Eikam Resonance, MBA from FMS Delhi, A Chevening Gurukul Fellow from the University of Oxford. Best-Selling Author 52RedPills & Tales of Panchkanya, and a contributor to the Nari Shakti anthology. Specialises in ancient wisdom to solve for contemporary issues.
Narendra Goidani
Our Esteemed Mentors
Join a powerful ecosystem designed to push boundaries and elevate women into leadership.
Application Process:
Step - 1
Submit a short 2-minute video
Step - 2
Fill out your application & statement of purpose
Step - 3
Attend a jury interaction
Step - 4
Receive your selection confirmation