Uncorking change: female leadership and sustainable transformation in the Chilean wine industry

Purpose This study aims to explore how women leaders in the Chilean wine industry describe and enact leadership practices in relation to sustainability-oriented management. It further examines the organizational and sector-specific conditions that enable or constrain these practices in a historically male-dominated industry. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative, interpretive study used semi-structured interviews with 16 women leaders in the Chilean wine industry, analyzed through hybrid thematic analysis combining deductive and inductive coding, supported by ATLAS.ti 23. Findings Participants described relational, participatory and long-term-oriented leadership practices linked to sustainability-oriented management, including employee engagement, capacity-building, formalized environmental routines and interorganizational collaboration. Implementation depended on decision-making authority, organizational resources, senior-management support and sectoral pressures. Findings are exploratory and do not establish that these practices are exclusive to women or causally linked to sustainability. Research limitations/implications The study focuses exclusively on women leaders in the Chilean wine industry, limiting generalizability. Future research could incorporate comparative perspectives across sectors, countries and gender groups, and longitudinal analyses of sustainability-oriented leadership. Practical implications Findings highlight the value of inclusive leadership development, transparent promotion systems, mentoring networks and gender-sensitive policies to strengthen sustainable management in the wine sector. Social implications By linking gender-inclusive leadership to sustainability transitions, the study reinforces the relevance of SDG 5 – gender equality and SDG 8 – decent work and economic growth, emphasizing women’s leadership in fostering more equitable, sustainable organizations. Originality/value This study integrates female leadership, gender equality and sustainable management in an emerging-economy wine sector, extending Grimstad’s (2011) framework by examining how women leaders describe relational and long-term-oriented practices as resources that may support sustainability-oriented management under specific institutional conditions.