World Woman Mentoring Programme 2026 announced the intake in 200 countries

How the Global Women’s Mentoring Program Emerged

From the Vital Voices initiative (1997–1999) to U.S. Department of State support and a worldwide network

Global mentoring for women did not appear overnight. It grew out of a public-policy idea in the late 1990s, evolved into an independent international organization, and later expanded through public–private partnerships that connected women leaders across countries and industries. Below is a clear narrative of how this global mentoring model formed—along with the people and formats that helped it scale.

1) The origins: a U.S. State Department initiative (1997)

In 1997, the U.S. Department of State launched the Vital Voices Democracy Initiative. It is often described as an effort to make the promotion of women’s rights and women’s leadership part of U.S. foreign policy. In Vital Voices sources, this early stage is linked to the roles of Hillary Rodham Clinton (then First Lady) and Madeleine Albright (then U.S. Secretary of State).

This moment mattered because it framed women’s leadership not as a side project, but as an international priority—creating space for programs that could operate across borders and sectors.

2) From a government initiative to a global organization (1999)

By 1999, that initial government-led effort had matured into an independent NGO: Vital Voices Global Partnership. The organization was created to further expand a global network of women leaders and leadership-development programs through international partnerships.

This transition—from a government initiative to an independent global institution—was essential. It allowed the work to become more scalable, more flexible, and more strongly rooted in long-term international collaboration.

3) The shift to “global mentoring” through Fortune + the U.S. Department of State + Vital Voices (since 2006)

A major leap took place in May 2006, with the launch of a flagship format often referred to as the “global mentoring program”:

Fortune – U.S. Department of State Global Women’s Mentoring Partnership — a public–private partnership between Fortune Most Powerful Women, the U.S. Department of State, and Vital Voices. The program identifies influential women from around the world and connects them with top U.S. executives from the Fortune Most Powerful Women community.

The power of this model was in its design: pairing global women leaders with senior U.S. executive mentors and surrounding that mentorship with a structured program—creating both personal transformation and professional networks that lasted beyond the official timeline.

Leaders and mentors came from major U.S. and European companies and organizations such as Time Inc., IBM, KPMG, Goldman Sachs, Estée Lauder, People Magazine, the European Association for Business Development, 100% Media Holding, the Global Development Alliance, Accenture, CVS Health, AIG, Aetna, Walmart, BNY Mellon, Ernst & Young (EY), Google, The Coca-Cola Company, ExxonMobil, The Dow Chemical Company, DuPont, Fidelity Investments, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Xerox, DTCC, Electronic Arts, The Nielsen Company, MiniBoss Business School, BigBoss Business School, Marvell Technology Group, Match Group, Blackstone, H&R Block, Beam Suntory, Sesame Workshop, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, Burson-Marsteller, Morgan, Solera Capital, INFOMIR, LAUDER ME, BOSS Magazine, World Woman Magazine, and many others.

4) A parallel branch that became a global movement: the Mentoring Walk (GMW)

Alongside formal mentoring partnerships, another approach emerged that made mentoring more accessible, replicable, and community-driven:

Global Mentoring Walks (GMW) — a “mentoring walk” format that Vital Voices describes as originating from the practice of Geraldine Laybourne. She invited young professional women to discuss career questions during a morning walk. Over time, this simple idea evolved into a scalable model adopted by Vital Voices communities around the world.

The mentoring walk’s strength is its simplicity. It does not require complex infrastructure, yet it creates real connection and meaningful guidance—making mentoring feel less like a formal appointment and more like a human conversation.

The significance of four individuals in the development of the Global Women’s Mentoring Programme

1) Hillary Clinton — the initial impetus and a political “window of opportunity”

In Vital Voices historical accounts, the organization’s origins are linked to the 1997 government initiative associated with Hillary Rodham Clinton (alongside other leaders of that period). Her impact was to help institutionalize women’s leadership as part of the international agenda—an approach that later enabled the initiative to transition into an independent global organization and partnership-based programs.

2) Geraldine Laybourne — creator of the “Mentoring Walk” as a scalable mentoring technology

Vital Voices directly credits Geraldine Laybourne as the source of the mentoring-walk idea: a fast, human, repeatable practice that turns mentoring from a one-time meeting into a mass movement (with GMW taking place in dozens of countries). Her contribution is a format that partners and program alumnae can easily replicate anywhere.

3) Alyse Nelson — institutional leadership and continuity of partnerships

Alyse Nelson is identified as President & CEO and a co-founder of Vital Voices, and she has led the organization since 2009. Her role has been to sustain and develop the “architecture” of global programs—supporting partnerships, refreshing formats, and ensuring that global mentoring continues to grow in relevance and reach.

4) Olga Azarova — extending the model and launching WWC-based mentoring in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia

Olga Azarova participated as a laureate of the FORTUNE Most Powerful Women Global Mentoring Program 2015 (in partnership with the U.S. Department of State and Vital Voices). She is described as the founder of the Mediaholding 100% and World Woman Club (WWC) and an initiator of mentoring programs within it. Her significance lies in transferring the practices and standards of international mentoring into a sustainable club infrastructure—adapting the global model into ongoing mentoring systems across regions. 

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