Career advice is everywhere. Mentors are encouraged, networks are praised, and guidance is readily offered. Yet for many women, especially in male-dominated industries like development, progress can still feel incremental.

As International Women’s Day approaches, conversations across industries often centre on visibility, empowerment, and progress. These moments invite reflection — but they also raise a more challenging question: what actually moves women into leadership?

In the book Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor, author Sylvia Ann Hewlett challenges the familiar narrative that mentorship alone is the key to advancement. Through research and real-world examples, she highlights a critical gap that mentorship doesn’t always fill. While mentors advise and support, sponsors advocate. They are leaders willing to use their influence, credibility, and voice to create access to opportunity.

Sponsorship, Hewlett argues, is often the difference between being prepared for leadership and being chosen for it. Sponsorship is an active form of professional advocacy in which senior leaders use their influence, credibility, and networks to open doors, create visibility, and advance others into leadership opportunities.

That distinction and its relevance within the development industry are at the heart of the upcoming Women of UDI Discussion Series, which invites participants to explore how sponsorship can move conversations about equity and leadership into action.

WUDI Discussion Series: Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor

February 4, 2026 | 5:00–7:30 PM (PST)
Clark Wilson LLP | Vancouver

Back by popular demand, Women of UDI invites members and industry peers to an evening of thoughtful conversation and connection inspired by Hewlett’s influential work.

The book explores how sponsorship differs from mentorship in both intention and impact. Mentors advise, coach, and share insight. Sponsors, on the other hand, put their reputation on the line. They advocate for you in rooms you may not yet be in, recommend you for high-visibility assignments, and help translate potential into opportunity. For many professionals, especially women, sponsorship can be the catalyst that helps break through systemic barriers and accelerate career progression.

Moderated by Lilian Kan and Nora Throness, the discussion will explore what sponsorship looks like in practice, how it shows up in our industry, and how individuals and organizations can be more intentional about fostering sponsor relationships. These conversations point to a broader truth about leadership advancement and the role sponsorship plays within it.

Why Sponsorship Matters for Women’s Leadership

Sponsorship is not about transactional relationships or shortcuts, it’s about trust, credibility, and advocacy built over time. Research highlighted in Hewlett’s work shows that professionals with sponsors are more likely to be promoted, receive stretch opportunities, and gain access to leadership pathways.

Yet sponsorship often remains informal and unevenly distributed. Understanding how sponsorship works and how to seek, cultivate, and offer it is a critical step toward building more equitable leadership pipelines.

What to Expect At The Discussion Series Event

Join a facilitated conversation on sponsorship, leadership, and career advancement in a relaxed environment with drinks and light appetizers. Connect with peers across the development industry and share insights, whether you’ve read the book, explored a few chapters, or are simply curious about its ideas.

Attendees consistently describe the discussions as welcoming, candid, and easy to engage with. As one participant shared, “Always great to see women come together and discuss important issues facing them in business and life,” while another noted that “the candor amongst attendees made the discussion easy to relate to and encouraged meaningful participation.”

Learn more here

A Timely Conversation Ahead of International Women’s Day

With International Women’s Day taking place shortly after this event, the February discussion offers a meaningful opportunity to pause and reflect on how advocacy, sponsorship, and inclusive leadership contribute to lasting progress.

These conversations help move beyond awareness toward action. They create environments where women are not only supported, but actively championed. In that sense, the discussion series is not an endpoint, but part of a broader, ongoing commitment to advancing women into leadership.

Looking Ahead: Building Pathways Beyond the Discussion

Women of UDI’s programming extends beyond individual events, creating multiple pathways for connection, development, and recognition across all career stages, including sponsorship, mentorship, and peer support.

Save the Date: UDI’s Celebrating Women

A cornerstone of Women of UDI’s programming is Celebrating Women, our signature biennial event.

Now in its twelfth year, Celebrating Women brings together leaders, innovators, and industry peers from across British Columbia’s development and real estate community for an evening of storytelling, inspiration, and connection. The event shines a spotlight on the women whose leadership and achievements continue to shape the future of our industry.

Learn more here

Coming Soon: Peer-to-Peer Mentorship Program

Women of UDI is launching its first-ever Peer-to-Peer Mentorship Program, expanding opportunities for professional and personal development.

Designed around small-group, facilitated discussions, the program will focus on building self-awareness, strengthening leadership skills, and deepening peer networks. This initiative reflects WUDI’s commitment to supporting women at every stage of their careers.

Program details and application information will be released soon. Stay tuned.

Our Mandate: Supporting Women, Advancing Leadership

Women of UDI is guided by a mandate to support, celebrate, and encourage women within the development industry, facilitating their growth into senior leadership roles. Through advocacy, education, and connection, WUDI works to remove barriers, foster inclusion, and amplify women’s voices.

Discussions like Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor go beyond professional development. They invite us to rethink how leadership is recognized, supported, and advanced, and how intentional advocacy can help ensure women are not only prepared for leadership, but chosen for it.