Authentic leadership as a strategic lever for women’s advancement: insights from the Indian automobile industry

Purpose Despite sustained investment in gender diversity initiatives, women remain significantly underrepresented in senior leadership roles across many industries. This study aims to examine why increased recruitment and mentoring initiatives often fail to translate into leadership advancement for women in India’s automotive manufacturing sector, one of the country’s most engineering-intensive and male-dominated blue collared industries. The study explores whether authentic leadership can function as a strategic organisational capability that strengthens leadership pipelines and facilitates women’s advancement. Design/methodology/approach The study draws on qualitative evidence from 25 women occupying mid to senior to executive level and five focus groups conducted across major Indian automotive firms. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. This approach included familiarisation with the data, systematic coding, theme development, refinement and synthesising resulting in patterns across participants experiences while maintaining sensitivity. Findings The findings identify a consistent progression in leadership advancement. Authentic leadership strengthens trust; trust enables sponsorship; and sponsorship drives leadership mobility. While organisations frequently invest in mentoring and diversity hiring targets, structured sponsorship mechanisms that translate credibility into advancement opportunities remain largely absent. This absence contributes to leadership pipelines that stagnate at mid-management levels. Practical implications The study introduces the strategic engine of leadership equity framework, which positions authentic leadership as a system-level capability rather than an individual leadership trait. Five organisational levers are proposed to embed authenticity within leadership development systems, performance evaluation structures, sponsorship pathways, organisational culture and leadership accountability mechanisms. Originality/value By examining women’s leadership advancement in India’s automotive manufacturing sector, the study extends leadership scholarship beyond Western service-sector contexts. It provides a practical strategic framework for organisations seeking to convert diversity intentions into measurable leadership progression in male-dominated blue-collar industries.