Alliance Manchester Business School Fosters Future Women Leaders Through Partnership with Lean In Malaysia

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• Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) is a supporting sponsor for the Lean In Career Programme (LICP) 8.0, Malaysia’s premier women’s leadership accelerator.
• The collaboration, which coincides with AMBS’s 60th anniversary, reinforces a commitment to cultivating inclusive leadership pipelines in the Southeast Asian region.
• LICP 8.0 offers participants a comprehensive framework of workshops, coaching, and mentorship, culminating in the award of a partial Manchester Global MBA Scholarship for the Malaysia cohort to top winners.
• The programme underscores a systemic shift, moving beyond individual ambition to redefining the ecosystem to better support and propel women into executive roles.

Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS), a constituent body of The University of Manchester, announces its supportive sponsorship of the Lean In Career Programme (LICP) 8.0, affirming its role in cultivating future-ready leaders. This collaboration with Lean In Malaysia, the country’s preeminent women’s leadership accelerator, aligns seamlessly with AMBS’s 60-year global legacy in business education and its continuing dedication to constructing inclusive leadership pipelines. The partnership, unveiled in Kuala Lumpur on 7 October 2025, marks a significant commitment to advancing women through a combination of scholarships, personalised mentorship, and targeted coaching.

Catalysing Career Advancement Through LICP 8.0

LICP 8.0 is meticulously structured to equip aspiring women leaders with the essential resources, professional networks, and customised guidance requisite for career acceleration. Participants engage in structured workshops, receive individualised coaching, and gain entry to vital communication channels with established senior industry mentors. Fundamentally, the programme furnishes attendees with both the practical competencies and the critical connections necessary to successfully navigate contemporary leadership challenges. Furthermore, LICP 8.0 facilitates a supportive forum for women to exchange experiences and fortify one another, while the robust alumni networks subsequently offer avenues for enduring career opportunities. This comprehensive approach resonates with AMBS’s overarching mission to nurture leaders poised to flourish within an increasingly intricate global economic milieu.

Esteemed Endorsement and Programme Impact

The commencement of the programme was marked by a keynote address from Joanne Rodrigues, Group Chief Financial Officer of Affin Bank, a distinguished AMBS alumna, and a figure listed among Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Asia 2025. Delivering her address at Menara AFFIN, TRX, Rodrigues articulated her institution’s pride in hosting the event, stating, “This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to empowering women leaders and entrepreneurs who are driving meaningful change in their fields. At Affin, we believe that when women rise, communities and economies flourish.” Her endorsement underscores a shared institutional ethos toward fostering inclusivity and leadership development.

Lim Bee Ing, Regional Director for The University of Manchester Southeast Asia and a member of the judging panel, reflected on the historical significance of the initiative. She posited, “The University of Manchester has a proud history of supporting women’s leadership… That legacy continues here in Malaysia… through our collaboration with Lean In Malaysia on impactful programmes such as LICP 8.0.” The partnership, therefore, leverages AMBS’s expertise and global network to directly aid regional efforts in accelerating women’s ascension into leadership.

Recognising Emerging Leadership Talent

The culmination of LICP 8.0 witnessed the recognition of three outstanding winners, each receiving pivotal opportunities designed to further their professional trajectory. These accolades include a partial sponsorship via the Manchester Global MBA Scholarship for the Malaysia cohort, which also incorporates options for international electives and accommodation. Furthermore, winners receive a career coaching session with Andrew Jones and a mentorship coffee chat with AMBS alumni to expand their professional networks.

The distinguished award recipients include:

• Ts. Norhaizam Mustaffa, Assistant Vice President of Technology at NanoMalaysia Berhad, who secured the Most Innovative Speaker award for her idea of a career chatbot inspired by her rural upbringing in Besut, Terengganu.
• Saedah Zakirah Binti Zul Azhar, who was designated Most Outstanding Speaker for her compelling presentation that drew upon her background in law and humanitarian work with the UNHCR.
• Natasha Joibi, Strategic Initiatives Manager at WWF-Malaysia, who earned the Most Outspoken Speaker award, crediting the programme’s mentors with helping her confidently transition into a corporate-adjacent space from an NGO background.

Redefining the Leadership Ecosystem

Reflecting on Lean In Malaysia’s decade-long journey, Co-Founder Sarah Chen-Spellings articulated the movement’s evolution. Initially focused on encouraging women to simply “lean in” harder, the organisation has since recognised a more systemic imperative: “it’s not only about women stepping up, it’s about changing the system that leans back.” This perspective encapsulates the goal of the LICP 8.0 initiative—to not only develop individual skills but also to contribute to a broader redefinition of leadership that is inherently more inclusive and supportive in the Malaysian context.

AMBS’s sponsorship significantly magnifies this impact, providing access to premier business education, executive-level coaching, and invaluable alumni mentorship. In furtherance of its 60th-anniversary commitments, AMBS is also poised to host a Digital Economy Masterclass on 30 October 2025, to be led by Professor Duncan Shaw. This forward-looking event further establishes AMBS’s position as a prominent thought leader dedicated to shaping the leaders requisite for the future economy.