The Women Leaders Programme was a moment to truly pause, reflect, and be open. Everyone in the cohort was ready—they understood the challenges of being a woman leader and were motivated to take action. If you are too, I would 100% recommend it.
Tugce Aksoy, Global Brand Director for Magnum Ice Cream at Unilever, has navigated a remarkable journey in marketing, combining technical acumen with creative flair to shape iconic brand campaigns across the globe. For Tugce, the most fulfilling part of her role lay in both the brand’s global reach and the people she works with. “I fell in love with the world of global impact…waking up, talking with Asia, Türkiye, and then ending with Latin America and the US. It was incredible to connect with different cultures and see something I originated travel around the world,” she shared.
Alongside her professional achievements, Tugce is a passionate advocate for women’s equity. Deeply influenced by her mother’s experiences, she shared: “As a Turkish woman, it’s quite hard to get through the glass ceiling. My mother had incredible skills but never fully pursued a professional career. After her divorce at 50, she had no economic income. Guiding her to rediscover herself and become a yoga instructor was a turning point for me.” She noted that situations like her mother’s are not uncommon, where women’s potential often goes untapped. Witnessing this was both eye-opening and galvanising, shaping Tugce’s own determination to forge her path and empower other women.
As Tugce became busier with her new role delivering double digit growth for the brand, at the same time raising a toddler and carrying a second pregnancy, she found herself appreciating the value of her support system especially her husband and recognising that every day would not be perfectly balanced. “It was hard to accept that you cannot do everything at all times,” she reflected. Yet that realisation became a valuable wake-up call—prompting her to pause, reassess, ask for support when needed, push herself forward on this journey and recognise every day would look different.
INSEAD is one of the top schools in Europe for executive courses. I was also really drawn by the fact that it’s international; people from across Europe and beyond attend.
A mentor and role model particularly inspired her to join the INSEAD Women Leaders Programme—her former Head of Sales at Unilever Türkiye, who had been the first woman in that role and had completed the programme ten years earlier. “When I received my certificate, standing there ten years after she did hers, it felt really special,” she recalled, reflecting on a full-circle moment.
Walking into the programme on the first day, Tugce felt a profound shift. “Walking in, sitting in the auditorium with my name in front, it switched something in my brain. I realised I didn’t have to know anything—I was there to learn, to listen, to hear other people,” she reflected. The immersive environment, surrounded by women fully present and engaged, gave her a rare sense of focus and belonging.
The programme’s impact was amplified by the passionate guidance of the faculty, particularly Jennifer Petriglieri, the programme’s director. “Jennifer was so passionate and knowledgeable. You could feel that she genuinely cared and wanted to share her wisdom. That energy really set the tone for the week.” She also highlighted the transformative power of the small group coaching experience within the programme. “We really opened up about our life stories, passions, visions, and challenges,” she recalls. “It was emotional at times, and we became mirrors for each other—seeing ourselves through each other’s eyes helped us appreciate our own value.”
The programme also challenged some of Tugce’s assumptions about leadership and gender, sharing that “even well-meaning assumptions can be unhelpful—every woman has her own story and way of doing things.” She particularly valued the role-playing sessions with professional actors, which explored power, authority, and presence. “It was eye-opening to compare how men and women behave, from physical language to speech. Uncovering these dynamics made me feel safer and more confident, and the programme was very much solution-oriented,” she added.
Everyone’s story felt like a real-life case study. It sticks with you in a way that no book or lecture could.
“One of the biggest things I learned was about boundaries,” she explained. “As women, we often try to prove ourselves, let life and people come too much into our space, and that doesn’t always make us successful.” With this in mind, Tugce made focused on being fully present upon her return from Fontainebleau, which immediately improved her effectiveness and engagement with her team. She also refined her approach to communication and building calmness within her team. “In combination with the confidence I gained from the programme, it changed the way I lead, how I communicate, and even how I approach personal life,” Tugce reflected. She continues to track her growth, using a personal letter from the programme as a reminder as a reminder.
Looking ahead, Tugce is preparing to take a pause for maternity leave, using the time to reconnect with her values and explore new avenues of impact. “I want to focus on supporting women-led businesses, writing, and creating things that are meaningful to me. I’ll see where that leads,” she said.
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