Breaking barriers with an EMBA
LBS, Cambridge Judge, Imperial and Oxford Saïd unite to boost female leadership through Executive MBA education
Despite progress, women remain significantly underrepresented in leadership and senior management roles. Consequently, London Business School (LBS) and three other of the UK’s top business schools – Cambridge Judge, Imperial Business School, and Oxford Saïd Business School– recently came together at LBS’s Regent’s Park campus in London to confront this challenge head-on.
At a joint event entitled Women, Leadership and the Executive MBA: Breaking Barriers – Real Journeys, Real Impact, attendees heard how an Executive MBA (EMBA) can be a transformational step in women’s careers. Dr Monica Wirz, Fellow at Cambridge Judge Business School and a leading voice on gender and leadership, provided a keynote speech. She also led a panel discussion with four accomplished EMBA alumnae who shared personal stories of challenge and success—offering candid insights into how the EMBA shaped their leadership paths.
Speaking about the benefits her EMBA has brought to her career, LBS alumna Anju Sima, Head of Sales & Strategy, UK and Northern Europe at MarketAxess said:
“Before the EMBA, my thinking was grounded in experience and instinct — strong, but often black and white. Over the two years of the programme, through world-class teaching, diverse cohorts, and deep reflection, I didn’t just gain knowledge — I gained structure, colour, and confidence. The EMBA gave my thinking architecture. It elevated how I see, lead, and engage with the world — supercharging both who I am and what I’m capable of becoming.”
The event will rotate annually among the four business schools and reflects their shared mission to break down the structural and personal barriers that women may face—whether that’s the lack of sponsorship, the old boys club, imposter syndrome, time pressures, or financial constraints.
LBS recently refreshed it’s EMBA offering to include flexible learning formats and a choice of blended learning options, meaning fewer days out of the office and a shorter completion time. The changes make it easier for busy executives, including women, to pursue the kind of advanced education that leads to meaningful, measurable leadership change.
Currently, women comprise around 42% of Executive MBA cohorts across the four schools. This initiative aims to push that number higher—because increasing representation is only the first step to transforming leadership at scale.