Nicola Sturgeon, the former First Minister of Scotland, is to teach women how to lead under pressure in a full-day masterclass on a new international leadership programme that launches in Edinburgh in January 2027.
Sturgeon is the first faculty leader announced for Corridors of Power, a five-day programme created by The Power Diaspora Forum (TPDF), the international platform founded by Scottish entrepreneur Veenoo Sharma to connect women to capital, influence and decision-making power.
The organisers said several Prime Ministers and global leaders will also teach on the programme, with further faculty leaders to be announced in the coming weeks. Corridors of Power is open to women around the world working in, or aspiring to, senior roles in business and politics.
What the masterclass covers
Her session, Leadership Under Pressure: Lessons for Women in Power, will draw on her eight years as First Minister, according to TPDF. The organisers said it is designed to show women in politics and business how to hold their ground when the stakes are highest.
Participants will look at how pressure shapes leadership at every level: in the decisions leaders make, in how they deal with others and in the extra scrutiny that, the organisers said, women often face.
The course outline includes how political and institutional decisions are made in practice, the difference between formal authority and informal influence, and how to build coalitions and win over people who fundamentally disagree. It also covers negotiation and compromise, including when to concede and when to stand firm, and how to maintain relationships through disagreement.
A further strand examines what TPDF describes as the particular pressures on women leaders: establishing credibility in powerful environments, exercising authority where women are often judged more harshly, and carrying responsibility for decisions with real consequences.
Sturgeon is Scotland’s longest-serving First Minister and the first woman to hold the role.
She said: “We need more women in leadership across all walks of life. However, in our traditionally male-dominated world, women aspiring to or holding positions of power face unique challenges. I am delighted to be taking part in the Corridors of Power TPDF Masterclass to help a new generation of female leaders overcome these challenges. I am looking forward to sharing the skills and experiences I gained over many years of political leadership, and as well as an insight into the lessons I learned along the way.”
Sharma, founder of TPDF, said: “Corridors of Power is built on a simple idea: who better to teach women about leadership and power than former First Ministers, Prime Ministers and leaders who have actually led countries?
“These are people who have made decisions at the highest level, navigated crisis, scrutiny and challenging circumstances, and carried the responsibility that comes with leading a nation. Bringing that lived experience directly to women is incredibly powerful. At TPDF, we believe women should be empowered through experience, not simply through discussion, and Nicola Sturgeon embodies exactly what this programme is about.”
Women in senior roles
The announcement follows the launch earlier this month of SHE Leads with AI, a fully funded accelerator for 30 female founders at Dubai AI Campus set up by Sharma. The six-day programme begins on 16 November at the Dubai International Financial Centre’s Innovation Hub.
The most recent FTSE Women Leaders Review, published in February, found that women held 43 per cent of FTSE 350 board seats but 8 per cent of chief executive roles and 17 per cent of chair roles across the index. The review also reported that about one in six executive board roles were held by women.
On funding, the government’s sixth Investing in Women Code annual report, published on 8 July, showed that all-female founder teams received 2 per cent of total investment value across the wider market, according to the British Business Bank. Among Code signatories the share was 6 per cent, the bank said.
The Department for Business and Trade said signatories had outperformed the wider market in backing female founders for a sixth consecutive year.
A report from Tide and everywoman published last November found that almost one in four female business owners had taken a second job to sustain their ventures.
