Talking Transformation podcast turns its attention to women’s leadership in higher education, with host Fiona Lennoxsmith asking what organisations are really trying to achieve when they invest in it.

In the final episode of this series, Fiona is joined by three guests to discuss the journey still to go on for higher education institutions looking to develop truly inclusive leadership practices.

Charlotte Rutter, associate professor at Glasgow Caledonian University’s London campus; Yulia Sobol, head of education for the British Council in Ukraine; and Barbara Bassa, Advance HE’s senior consultant for women in leadership and director of the Aurora programme – each bring a distinct perspective shaped by personal and professional experience.

The conversation moves beyond “empowering women” towards a broader rethink of how leadership is recognised and rewarded. Barbara argues that traditionally masculine traits such as control and hierarchy have been overvalued, while qualities like empathy, intuition and systems thinking deserve equal standing – not as gendered attributes, but as human ones. Yulia describes launching a leadership programme for Ukrainian women navigating wartime disruption, stressing that individual development must translate into institutional and cultural change if gains are not to be reversed once the war ends, while Charlotte reflects on the tension between control and collaboration in her own leadership practice.

All three agree that higher education, where 31% of UK universities are now led by women, still has further to go towards genuinely inclusive leadership.

Listen to the podcast below, or search ‘Advance HE’ on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Amazon Music for this, and all the previous episodes from series 1.