Doctoral Entrepreneurial Leadership Programme
A world of opportunity for researchers
Monthly half-day workshops from February to October, plus a three-day residential retreat in March
Applications close Sunday 2 November
About the Programme:
Ready to transform your career thinking and take your doctoral journey to the next level?
The Doctoral Entrepreneurial Leadership Programme is a free, year-long opportunity for
University of Auckland doctoral candidates from any discipline. This programme is designed
to unlock your entrepreneurial potential and expand how you think about your future career.
Entrepreneurial skills aren’t just for start-ups – they’re essential across many contexts,
from academia to social enterprises, government, and corporate settings. By joining this
programme, you’ll gain the tools, frameworks, and mindset to explore new pathways, drive
impact, and create value wherever your career takes you.
Open to current doctoral students who have completed their provisional year, from any discipline
and faculty at the University of Auckland. Your participation will also be formally recognised
on your academic transcript.
Your Opportunity:
- Join a network of innovators: Connect with like-minded doctoral candidates from diverse disciplines across campus.
- Learn from inspiring leaders: Meet innovative thinkers and entrepreneurial leaders across industries and sectors.
- Discover the ecosystem: Explore professional service firms, social and commercial start-ups, investors, incubators, accelerators, and more.
- Develop your potential: Be part of a diverse cohort that will challenge, excite, and support your growth.
- Be inspired: Reimagine your career possibilities and take bold steps toward creating meaningful impact.
This is your chance to stand out, create value, and unlock new possibilities for your research and career.
Learning Outcomes:
- Career pathways: Explore diverse entrepreneurial careers and how they align with your research.
- Entrepreneurial thinking: Apply entrepreneurial approaches to research and career decisions.
- Mindset development: Reflect on and enhance your entrepreneurial mindset.
- Ecosystem insights: Build awareness of key organisations and players in the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
- Network building: Cultivate meaningful connections within academia, industry, and beyond.
- Identify entrepreneurial opportunities: Understand what an entrepreneurial career looks like and the steps to take.
- Collaborative research: Improve your ability to engage with industry and external stakeholders.
Timing and Commitment:
Participation in the Doctoral Entrepreneurial Leadership Programme involves a
year-long commitment with mandatory in-person workshops and additional self-paced learning.
Sessions will take place from February to October, including a 2.5-day residential retreat in March 2026.
Applications will open later this year and close on Sunday 2 November 2025.
Facilitators:
Dr Deb Shepherd – Programme Design and Lead Facilitator
Deb combines a variety of roles, all of which have entrepreneurial SMEs and social enterprises at the centre.
She is a part-time Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the University of Auckland’s Business School,
where her research and teaching focus on social entrepreneurship and innovation, the entrepreneurial mindset,
entrepreneurial SMEs, and family businesses. She has been involved as a faculty member in the student-led
entrepreneurship programme Velocity (previously Spark) since 2004.
Deb is a co-author of the books “Changing Gears: How to Take Your Kiwi Business from the Kitchen Table to the Board Table”
and “Gearing Up: Leading Your Kiwi Business into the Future” (2020).
As a founding faculty member of The ICEHOUSE Growth programmes, Deb has contributed to the development, design,
and delivery of the Owner Manager business growth programmes for SMEs across various industries since 2001.
She is also a part-owner and board member of Biocell Corporation, and serves on several Boards of Directors and
Advisory Boards, including Resero Group, Onguard, and Forrest Wines.
Deb is an investor and board member of Soul Capital (New Zealand’s first impact investment fund) and an investor in ICE Angels.
She has also served as deputy chair of the government-appointed Small Business Council, advising the Minister of Small Business,
and is an industry representative on the Australia and New Zealand Electronic Invoicing Board (ANZEIB).
How to Apply:
To apply, you must submit an application for the Doctoral Entrepreneurial Leadership Award through the Scholarships Office.
Applicants are subject to a competitive selection process. To be eligible to apply:
- You must be actively enrolled in a doctoral programme at the University of Auckland.
- Your candidature must be confirmed by the start of the programme.
- Full-time and part-time candidates are welcome to apply.
- Candidates must be based in New Zealand and able to attend all in-person sessions.
For any inquiries, please contact cie_programmes@auckland.ac.nz.
Participant Testimonials:
Rupert Power
“A lot of us struggle to see beyond our PhDs and perhaps feel insecure about what comes next – I know I did.
DELP was of great value in helping me to make sense of the many pathways available to PhD graduates,
to reflect on what I really want, and be more comfortable with that being an ongoing process.
I developed personally and professionally in ways I wouldn’t have from the standard PhD process alone,
and got to know a cohort of like-minded individuals who were navigating similar challenges.
DELP has also been a great way to start building networks in the NZ entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
About the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship:
The Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship provides a world of opportunity to participants so that they can stand out and create value through innovative careers and start-up creation.
CIE is New Zealand’s leading University entrepreneurship centre, winning 12 international awards since 2020.
EMAIL
CIE@AUCKLAND.AC.NZ
POSTAL ADDRESS
THE UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND BUSINESS SCHOOL
PRIVATE BAG 92019, AUCKLAND
