The 30% Club

The 30% Club aims to develop a diverse pool of talent for all businesses. Business leadership is key to the mission of the 30% Club, taking the issue beyond a specialist diversity effort and into mainstream talent management.

The 30% Club approach – collaborative, concerted business-led efforts – can help accelerate progress towards better gender balance at all levels of organisations. The 30% Club supports a voluntary approach and action by business leaders in order to realise meaningful, sustainable change. 30% Club efforts are complementary to individual company efforts and existing networking groups, adding to these through collaboration and the visible and voluntary commitment of senior business leaders.

IMI also runs two other initiatives with the 30% Club. Our Taking the Lead programme is for aspiring women leaders navigating the business landscape, and our popular Network Mentor Programme is a cross-company mentoring scheme that brings together experienced leaders and mid-career high potential individuals and is focused on professional and personal development.

The 30% Club runs a number of very specific and targeted initiatives that look to broaden the pipeline of women at all levels, from “schoolroom to boardroom”.

Read more about the 30% Club here.

The 30% Club Scholarship

The 30% Club launched in Ireland in January 2015. Part of its programme of activities has been the development of a cross-company, cross-sector mentoring programme that complements existing schemes in the Irish market and within individual organisations. The scheme, facilitated and managed by the IMI, offers mid-career women mentoring focusing on their professional and personal development.

To celebrate this partnership and our combined commitment to addressing gender imbalance and to helping more women reach influential positions, the 30% Club and IMI are offering two fully-funded scholarships, each valued at over €11,000, to deserving high potential female executives to avail of a Professional Diploma.

These scholarships will commence in Autumn 2025. Terms and conditions apply.

Key Dates:

Closing date: 3rd May 2025

The dates for the interview process will be confirmed in due course.

Scholarship Entry Criteria:

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants should be:
1. High potential female executives.
2. Eligible for a Professional Diploma at IMI as per below requirements:

• Applicants are required to provide evidence of relevant work-based learning at management level and/or should hold a relevant academic qualification at primary degree level.
• Satisfy IMI as to their general suitability and ability to deal with the work requirements of such a programme.
• You must also comply fully with the conditions as laid out in the terms and conditions available on this webpage. It is essential that you familiarise yourself fully with these terms and conditions prior to completing your application.

Application Procedure:

1. Check if you are suitable for the programme before applying for the scholarship. Click here for information on the suite of Professional Diplomas available.
2. Download Application Form Here
3. Complete application with the 500-word submission for Scholarship, outlining how your chosen Professional Diploma will help achieve both your individual career goals and success for your organisation.
4. Send completed application form via email to scholarship@imi.ie with ‘30% Club Scholarship 2025′ as the subject line. Any queries should be addressed to scholarship@imi.ie or call our freefone 1800 22 33 88.
5. The shortlisted applicants will then be required to undertake a phone interview. If a shortlisted candidate is not available for interview then they will be removed from the shortlist and replaced.

Terms and Conditions:

• The scholarship is for Autumn 2025. The programmes are worth over €11,000 and the scholarship is open to both non IMI members and IMI members.
• The successful applicant must have approval to attend the 18 day programme (6 modules of 3 days from 9am – 5pm) at the IMI in Sandyford, Dublin location for the Autumn programme.
• Dates may be subject to change and if the programme is cancelled, the value of the scholarship will be transferable to another Professional Diploma level programme
• Failure to comply with the stated deadlines will result in automatic disqualification. The Scholarship is open to residents of Ireland except volunteers of 30% Club or the Irish Management Institute (“IMI”), their associated affiliated or subsidiary organisations, their immediate families, agents, or anyone connected with this Scholarship.
• Any submission which runs to over 500 words in length will be automatically disqualified from the competition. Shortlisted applicants who are not contactable via the phone and/or email addresses which are indicated on their application form will be automatically disqualified from the competition. NO additional documentation other than the application form and and the 500 word (max) Business Case should be submitted. No additional sections should be added to the any of the forms. Any additional documentation submitted as part of an application, including cover letters, will not be reviewed.
• Applicants cannot submit more than one application.
• The winning candidate will be informed shortly after the closing date. Should the winning applicant fail to take up the sponsorship offer in a timely manner the offer will pass to another candidate based on the judgement of the relevant interview panel.
• The IMI reserves the right not to award the Scholarship prizes if no candidates of the required calibre are identified. The decision is final and correspondence will not be entered into. Candidates must be available to commence the Professional Diploma in 2025 and must attend all scheduled dates for the programme.
• The winners of the Scholarship must agree to participate in specified publicity if/when applicable. The winners’ employers should be informed at the time of application of the winners’ intent to participate in future promotional/publicity opportunities generated by the IMI  from time to time during and directly following on from their participation in the programme. The IMI will seek the co-operation and participation of the Scholarship winner’s employing organisation in mutually beneficial promotional/publicity opportunities as they arise.
• IMI reserves the right to corroborate the contents of the business case submitted by the winning applicants of the Scholarship with their employers. Any entrant who canvasses the IMI will be disqualified.
• There will be no payment of a cash alternative to the scholarship holders. No substitution of the tuition fee is allowed.
• The IMI has the right to suspend the Scholarship if the Scholarship holder does not comply with the internal regulations of the institution and academic regulations of the programme. It is the responsibility of the Scholarship holder to be familiar with these regulations. If a situation occurs whereby the IMI wishes to suspend the Scholarship, the decision cannot be appealed by Scholarship holder. The IMI reserves the right to change or amend the nature or terms of this Scholarship by provision of written notice to the successful Scholarship holder at any time.
• IMI will not be in a position to provide feedback to any applicant/unsuccessful interviewee regarding the quality of their business case or reasons for non-selection for interview.
• Shortlisted applicants must be available for interview.
• The successful entrants will be required to sign an agreement with the IMI pertaining to the terms and conditions as outlined, but not limited to, those above.
• IMI reserves the right to cancel courses if required.

Download Application Form Here