Inside the High-Octane Launch of Juliet Ehimuan’s RISE Executive Leadership Programme for Women

Dr. Juliet Ehimuan, Founder of Beyond Limits and former Director of Google West Africa, has officially launched the inaugural RISE Executive Leadership Programme, a six-week intensive curriculum designed to accelerate the transition of senior women from functional leadership roles to enterprise-wide stewardship. The opening workshop, held on 27 March 2026 at the Civic Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos, brought together over 100 senior female executives and entrepreneurs for the first phase of the programme.

The initiative addresses a documented systemic gap in executive leadership. According to McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace 2024 report, women hold approximately 47% of entry-level corporate roles globally, yet only 28% reach the C-suite. In Nigeria’s financial services sector, the disparity is comparably pronounced, underscoring the urgency of structured intervention at the senior level.

The Faculty of Boardroom Leaders

The RISE curriculum is delivered by a faculty of distinguished practitioners across the technology, finance, energy, and diplomatic sectors. At the opening workshop, several faculty members delivered focused, engaging sessions and participated in a panel conversation focused on the core competencies required for high-level organisational influence and becoming a robust leader.

Anchoring the day as Lead Faculty, Dr. Juliet Ehimuan set the tone with a call for internal clarity as the foundation of enterprise leadership.

“To live the life you want, you need to define it,” Dr. Ehimuan said as she addressed the room. “Your life purpose is your gift to the world, and your gift to the world is to be your greatest self.”

A curated gathering of women leading at scale across various industries, the participants listened as she offered a simple directive for the pursuit of high-stakes goals: “Focus on the ‘what’; the ‘how’ will follow.”

Opunimi Akinkugbe, Founder of Bestman Games and former Nigerian Ambassador to Greece, spoke on executive presence and the limits of performance at senior levels.

“Authority is not claimed; it is recognized,” she noted. “People trust what feels real, and at the top, authenticity is not optional. The moment there is a gap between who you present yourself to be and who you are, you have lost both your team and the confidence of those positioned to move you forward.”

Bolaji Agbede, Executive Director at Access Holdings, challenged participants to build their leadership identity on a clear understanding of self.

“For us as women, we need to spend time knowing who we are, and we need to be unapologetic about it. As women, our natural capacity to nurture, but nurturing, in its most powerful form, is not about comforting people; it is about helping them discover their greatness and creating the strategic ecosystem that allows them to rise.”

Bolanle Austen-Peters, Founder of Terra Kulture and BAP Productions, delivered a direct message on mastering executive communication for influence.

“Preparation is the foundation of presence,” she said. “How you carry yourself communicates your authority long before you utter a word. Invest in that. And when you speak, make eye contact. That is where credibility is won.”

Reflecting on the launch, Dr. Ehimuan stated,

“Executive leadership demands continuous growth and the courage to lead with competence and conviction. RISE exists to ensure accomplished women are positioned to define the next chapters of global business.”

The Roadmap to Enterprise Influence

The launch serves as the foundation to the four-week virtual phase, facilitated by a broader faculty of global and regional leaders, to culminate in a closing networking evening in the sixth week. Other members of the faculty include:

• Bola Adesola: Chairman, Ecobank Nigeria
• Funke Opeke: Founder, MainOne
• Ndidi Nwuneli: President and CEO, The ONE Campaign
• Bonita Stewart: Co-Founder and Managing Director, BAG Ventures USA; Fmr. Vice President, Global Partnerships at Google
• Ibukun Awosika: Founder, The Chair Centre Group

The curriculum focuses on navigating stakeholder ecosystems, strategic decision-making in ambiguous environments, and organisational culture leadership. The programme is designed to equip participants with the strategic foresight required to lead across business units rather than within isolated departments.

RISE serves both organisations and individuals. For corporations, the programme functions as a succession-planning tool to strengthen the female leadership pipeline. For individual participants, it represents a structured investment in professional autonomy and long-term career trajectory.

The inaugural cycle will conclude in May 2026 with a Landmark Closing Networking Evening, where Bola Adesola and Ibukun Awosika are expected to join Dr. Ehimuan and other leaders for candid conversations. 

For more information on the RISE Executive Leadership Programme, visit HERE

Sponsored Content