Her Turn is a leadership programme for women who are ready to shape the future of sports. Initiated by former President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid, currently President of the Estonian Olympic Committee, the programme brings together aspiring female sports leaders from across Europe and offers a structured development journey combining international sessions, expert-led training, mentorship, and peer learning.
Participants strengthen their leadership, management, communication, and strategic skills while building meaningful professional connections within the European sports sector.
Practical, people-centred, and community-driven, Her Turn goes beyond traditional training. It creates a supportive environment where women can learn from experienced leaders, exchange perspectives with peers, and gain the confidence to take the next step in their careers.
Why We Do It
Despite progress in gender equality, sports leadership across Europe remains overwhelmingly male-dominated. According to a recent European Commission report, women make up only 16% of decision-makers in sports federations, a figure that has remained largely unchanged for the past decade.
This imbalance limits diversity in decision-making, slows innovation, and reduces the visibility of female role models for future generations. Many talented women in sports administration face barriers such as limited access to leadership training, mentorship, and professional networks — making it harder to progress into leadership roles.
Her Turn exists to address this gap. By investing in women’s leadership skills, confidence, and networks, the programme contributes to a more inclusive, balanced, and forward-looking sports sector. Because when women lead, sport becomes stronger, fairer, and more representative of the communities it serves.
And now, it’s her turn to lead in sports.
Who Created Her Turn
Her Turn was created by three organisations united by a shared belief: women deserve a stronger voice in sports administration and management. Bringing together expertise in sports, leadership, and international collaboration, the partners designed a programme that turns this belief into action — supporting women as they grow into confident, visible decision-makers.
The President Kaljulaid Foundation (PKF) is a dynamic do-tank established by the former President of the Republic of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid. The Foundation champions three focus areas in Estonia and beyond:
– empowering the vulnerable by exploring new ways to build a less violent society;
– advancing democracy and freedom of speech;
– and creating new, equal opportunities in sports
Miltton is a leading Nordic advisor in communications, leadership, marketing, insight, stakeholder relations, strategy, and sustainability operating globally in Finland, Estonia, Brussels, Latvia, Sweden, UK, Ukraine, USA and with partners in over 25 countries around the world. With a multidisciplinary team of over 400 experts, Miltton brings together perspectives from business, media, politics, research, psychology, culture, sports, government, capital markets, regulation, geopolitics, NGOs, and much more. This unique blend of competencies enables Miltton to support changemakers in the global marketplace to become relevant, responsible members of society and solve complex communicative situations.
Out of the Box International is European Network present in 25 European countries bringing together different organisations advocating for a more innovative, citizen-centered and solidar policies on European and city level. OTB’s main mission is to provide expertise, ICT tools and network for dissemination of research, trainings, and innovative practices. Their Member Organisations are Expert Non-Governmental Organisations, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs), Municipalities and Universities ensuring a variety of expertise and experience in building different kind of innovative social projects. The network focuses its expertise in different EU policy areas such as cohesive policies, social entrepreneurship, open digital environment, or enlargement.
Her Turn is co-funded by the European Commission Erasmus+ programme
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.