From pitch to boardroom  Sport, nurture and the origins of successful female leaders

The research finds that participation in sport and early competitive experiences are among the strongest enablers of female leadership, cutting across socio-economic, academic and cultural backgrounds. It shows that women do not require elite academic results, privileged schooling or conventional career pathways to reach senior and board-level roles. Instead, leadership capability develops through a nurturing ecosystem of lived experiences that often begin in childhood.

Origins of a Successful Female Leader, led and funded by Vicky Brook, Founder and Chair of the Women’s Leadership Group CIC (WLG), addresses a longstanding gap in evidence on how women progress into senior leadership. The study examines formative influences and identifies sport, family support, early work experience and mid-career development, such as business schools and executive programmes, as the most significant contributors. Together, these experiences build resilience, teamwork, strategic judgement and accountability, all essential attributes for boardroom effectiveness.

For many participants, adversity also played a formative role. Financial hardship, caregiving responsibilities, part-time work and community obligations were not barriers but catalysts, strengthening determination, empathy and problem-solving capability.

To capture both quantitative traits and lived experience, the study adopted a rigorous mixed-method approach. This included Insights Discovery psychometric profiling based on Carl Jung’s theory, Behavioural Event Interviews, bespoke life-history questionnaires and focus groups. Expert perspectives from sport, education and the armed forces provided additional insight into how high-challenge environments shape leadership identity.

Women in Sport commented:

The research included 41 senior female leaders across 24 sectors, encompassing executive and non-executive roles in organisations ranging from SMEs to companies with turnovers exceeding £300 million. While modest in scale, the diversity of backgrounds, career routes and experiences of adversity makes the findings particularly compelling. They reinforce that leadership potential exists well beyond those labelled as high academic achievers.

Brook explains:

Due for publication in January, the study introduces the concept of Nurtured Leadership, positioning leadership not as an innate trait but as a lifelong developmental process. Brook hopes the findings will inform policy, education and organisational practice, supporting more equitable pathways into leadership.