Emerging CEO Programme
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Emerging CEO Programme: Lead strategy. Drive growth. Transform with AI.
The Emerging CEO Programme from Imperial College London is an eight-month leadership development programme designed for senior leaders aspiring to transition into CEO and broader C-suite roles. Through an integrated curriculum covering strategic management, executive leadership, corporate governance and enterprise transformation, the programme equips you with the knowledge and perspective to lead enterprise-wide strategy, organisational growth and long-term business performance. The curriculum also includes a dedicated AI for Business Transformation module, where you will explore how organisations can adopt AI to drive business impact, strengthen innovation and build competitive advantage.
The learning experience combines online modules, live online sessions, executive strategy activities and real-world case studies, giving you the opportunity to apply new concepts to complex business challenges. You will also explore how generative AI (gen AI) and agentic AI can support innovation and strategic decision-making across the organisation. Upon successful completion of the programme, you will receive a certificate from Imperial College London and earn Associate Alumni status.
What will you learn in the Emerging CEO Programme?
Key takeaways
Executive leadership: Understand the executive leadership skills necessary to excel in a forward-thinking C-suite role.
Innovation culture: Foster a culture of innovation that drives organisational evolution through transformative leadership.
AI innovation: Identify opportunities for innovation by generating business ideas with generative AI (gen AI) tools.
Business strategy: Design innovative business strategies that leverage gen AI and agentic AI for growth and competitive advantage.
Strategic agility: Leverage strategic frameworks to navigate rapid market shifts and competitive dynamics with confidence.
Funding strategy: Evaluate and optimise funding mechanisms, ensuring alignment with the organisation’s strategic priorities and growth objectives.
Integrated planning: Design integrated strategies that align financial, operational and leadership objectives with the organisation’s short- and long-term goals.
Organisational alignment: Analyse and refine structural frameworks to enhance decision-making efficiency and organisational alignment.
How is the Emerging CEO Programme curriculum structured?
Phase 1: Executive Leadership Essentials | Online | 12 weeks
Understand the executive leadership skills necessary to excel in a forward-thinking C-suite role. Navigate the current business landscape confidently by gaining expertise in effective decision-making, strategic management and ethical leadership. Explore how to drive innovation and profitability while ensuring alignment with sustainable practices and responsibility.
Module 1: Organisational Structures: From Hierarchies to Networks
Module 2: Navigating and Influencing Complex Politics
Module 3: Building Collaborations at the Executive Level
Module 4: Understanding Enablers and Derailers to Career Progression in the C-Suite
Module 5: Building Trust and Relationship Management
Module 6: Adept Communication: The Art of Storytelling
Module 7: Fostering a Culture of Ethics
Module 8: Inspiring Cohesive, Effective Teams
Module 9: Future Forces Transforming Demands on the C-Suite
Module 10: The Role of C-Suite in Driving Digital Transformation
Module 11: Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG): Balancing Profitability and Responsibility
Module 12: Understanding and Appreciating Diversity in the Workplace
Phase 2: Strategies for the CEO | Online | 6 weeks
Find your unique CEO voice that resonates with top talent, innovators and stakeholders. Create an environment of mutual respect and openness within the C-suite to encourage innovation, risk-taking and rapid iteration. Navigate the complexities of sustaining growth while also moving towards profitability and scalable systems.
Module 13: The CEO Role in High-Growth Organisations
Module 14: Individuality as a CEO
Module 15: Corporate Governance
Module 16: The C-Suite
Module 17: Financial Strategies
Module 18: Navigating Funding Sources
Phase 3: CEO Transformation Imperatives | Online | 6 weeks
Align the organisation’s vision with agile expansion, innovation-driven growth mechanisms and transformation strategies that can adapt to fast-changing industries and market landscapes. Unify teams in an era of change, ensuring adaptability and resilience while scaling and building for growth. Attract and retain top talent in innovative fields with strategies that can endure transitions and growth phases.
Module 19: Executing on the Innovation Edge
Module 20: Corporate Strategy for Disruptive Growth
Module 21: Executive Communication
Module 22: Leading through Flux
Module 23: Talent Strategies for High Growth
Module 24: Stewarding Culture
Phase 4: AI for Business Transformation: Generative AI, Agentic AI and Beyond | 6 weeks
Explore AI as a strategic enabler that transforms business operations, strengthens innovation and advances your career in an AI-driven world. Study key AI concepts, learn to apply them to real-world business challenges and discover how to leverage them to automate workflows and drive meaningful innovation.
Module 25: Fundamentals of AI in Business
Module 26: Generative AI Tools and Prompt Engineering
Module 27: Automating Workflows with Generative AI
Module 28: Innovation and Competitive Advantage through Generative AI
Module 29: Managing Organisational Impacts and Strategic Integration
Module 30: Ethical Considerations and Risk Management in AI
Agentic AI live online sessions
The Emerging CEO Programme includes three live online sessions on agentic AI that explore how autonomous AI systems can support business processes, strengthen governance and enable practical organisational adoption. These sessions provide a business-focused understanding of agentic AI, helping you evaluate its applications, risks and implementation across different organisational contexts.
Two live online sessions on leadership and culture
Session 1: Authentic Leadership in Action
Learn how leaders can balance performance and people development through authentic leadership, self-awareness, feedback and energy management while building stronger team engagement and trust.
Session 2: Culture: Authentic Organisations
Explore how organisations can foster cultures rooted in trust, authenticity and purpose while navigating workforce expectations, leadership challenges and organisational change in evolving business environments.
Three live online sessions on agentic AI
Session 3: From Generative AI to Agentic Workflows: How Agentic AI Can Transform Business Processes
Discover how AI agents can automate business workflows, coordinate operational tasks and improve organisational efficiency while enabling scalable transformation across functions.
Session 4: Governing Agentic AI: How to Keep Agentic AI Safe, Reliable and under Control
Learn practical approaches to managing the risks, safety and accountability of agentic AI systems while ensuring reliable and responsible implementation across organisations.
Session 5: Building Agentic AI into Existing Teams: Roles, Skills and Real Workflows
Examine how organisations can embed agentic AI into everyday workflows while enabling teams to adapt, collaborate effectively and build long-term workforce capability.
Note: Session topics are indicative and are subject to change.
Who is the Emerging CEO Programme for?
Functional heads and senior executives | Gain exposure to cross-functional leadership, strategic decision-making and corporate governance while managing stakeholders and aligning innovation with profitability. |
Vice presidents, directors and equivalent leaders | Expand your leadership capabilities through personalised mentorship and develop the mindset needed to navigate organisational and market challenges. |
Founders and co-founders of start-ups | Develop leadership presence and strengthen your understanding of financial strategies and stakeholder management to support organisational growth. |
What do past participants say about the Emerging CEO Programme?
How does the Emerging CEO Programme use applied learning?
The Emerging CEO Programme combines interactive learning experiences with practical activities that help you apply programme concepts to real-world business challenges. Through live online sessions, real-world case studies, discussion forums, executive strategy activities and weekly assignments, you will strengthen your understanding of executive leadership while translating learning into practical organisational application.
Programme highlights
Fixed learning path
Through a fixed learning path and capstone projects, apply AI to real industry problems and develop innovative, scalable solutions.
Peer learning
Engage with diverse senior leaders in forums to exchange perspectives, challenge ideas and enrich learning.
Case studies and industry examples
Learn from real-world business cases and industry examples to understand the evolving CEO role and leadership challenges.
Success coach
Craft your learning journey in line with your career goals with a success coach assigned to your cohort.
Associate Alumni status
Earn Associate Alumni status upon successful completion of the programme.
Executive strategy activities
The Emerging CEO Programme incorporates two executive strategy activities comprising weekly assignments that help you apply programme concepts to real-life business challenges. Throughout these activities, you will synthesise programme insights and translate them into practical strategies for executive decision-making and organisational impact.
Executive toolkit activity
Integrated into each module, the executive toolkit activity helps you build the practical skills required to operate at the executive level. Through a series of research-based activities, you will regularly translate programme concepts into practical application.
Executive workbook
The executive workbook enables you to apply CEO-specific strategies and leadership approaches to develop a transformation road map for your organisation. Through weekly assignments, you will build a structured plan for navigating a complex business landscape and implementing innovative initiatives that support business objectives.
Executive AI-focused capstone projects
In Phase 4, you will complete mini capstone projects within each module by selecting an industry-specific business problem and proposing an AI-driven solution. These projects help you apply AI concepts to practical business scenarios while strengthening your understanding of AI's potential to innovate products, services and processes at scale.
Immersive Learning
The Emerging CEO Programme delivers an immersive online learning experience that combines faculty-led teaching, peer collaboration and practical activities to reinforce your learning throughout the programme. You will:
Engage with global peers, guest speakers and distinguished faculty through online sessions to deepen your understanding of the evolving CEO role
Collaborate with your cohort in discussion forums to exchange insights and perspectives while strengthening your learning through peer engagement
Apply programme concepts through weekly assignments that culminate in two executive strategy activities, translating knowledge into actionable leadership capabilities
Receive guidance from a cohort success coach to align your learning journey with your professional goals
Meet the faculty of the Emerging CEO Programme
Adam Kingl
Programme Director and Lecturer at Imperial Business School
Adam Kingl is a globally recognised expert in enterprise leadership, organisational transformation and the future of work. He teaches and develops executive education programm...
Khalil Dimachkie
Fractional CTO and Strategic Adviser
Khalil Dimachkie is a technology strategist and CTO with over 20 years of experience leading software engineering, digital transformation and technology strategy initiatives. ...
Catherine Mulligan, PhD, MPhil
Advanced Research Fellow at the Institute for Security Science and Technology, Imperial College London
Catherine Mulligan is an expert in digital transformation, emerging technologies and enterprise technology strategy. As an Advanced Research Fellow at Imperial College London’...
Christopher L Tucci
Professor of Digital Strategy and Innovation, Imperial Business School
Christopher L Tucci is an expert in digital strategy, innovation and enterprise transformation, focusing on how organisations adapt business models in rapidly evolving technol...
Kate Coombs
Managing Director of the Centre for Responsible Leadership
Kate Coombs is a behavioural science expert specialising in enterprise culture transformation, leadership behaviour and responsible decision-making. As the Managing Director o...
Marc Kitten
Partner and Co-Founder at Candesic Strategy Consultants; Visiting Professor in Finance at Imperial Business School
Marc Kitten has 25 years of experience in transactions and financial markets and advises corporations and financial investors. He serves on the boards of several fast-growing ...
Danielle Lyssimachou, PhD
Principal Lecturer (Teaching); Admissions Tutor for the BSc Economics, Finance and Data Science degree at Imperial Business School
Danielle Lyssimachou is an accounting expert specialising in financial strategy, corporate reporting and decision-making for senior leaders. With over two decades of internati...
Frans Campher
Programme Director of the Imperial Leadership in a Technology Driven World Programme and Visiting Fellow
Frans Campher is an executive coach, trainer and leadership facilitator specialising in enterprise leadership, strategic decision-making and organisational transformation. He ...
Islem Rekik
Associate Professor, Innovation Hub I–X, Imperial College London
Islem Rekik is the Director of the Brain and SIgnal Research & Analysis laboratory. She has led over 90 pioneering research projects at the intersection of AI and healthcare, ...
Sankalp Chaturvedi
Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Leadership and Vice Dean of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Imperial Business School
Sankalp Chaturvedi’s work focuses on leadership effectiveness, organisational transformation and building high-performing teams in complex organisations. Sankalp’s research ex...
Programme credential: Certificate of completion
Upon successful completion of the programme, participants will be awarded a verified digital certificate of completion from Imperial College London.
Note: You will earn the Associate Alumni status upon successful completion of the programme. Visit the Associate Alumni page to find out more.
Emerging CEO Programme with Imperial Executive Education
The Emerging CEO Programme brings together Imperial College London faculty and experienced industry practitioners to provide a balanced perspective on contemporary leadership challenges. Through research-informed teaching, practical frameworks and real-world business insights, you will explore topics spanning executive leadership, organisational strategy, corporate governance and AI for business transformation, helping you apply these concepts in complex organisational contexts.
FAQs
Programme
What is the Emerging CEO Programme?
The Emerging CEO Programme is a multimodular immersive learning journey that aims to provide participants with the skills and knowledge to emerge as strategic chief executive officers. This CEO training programme covers vast topics to help you learn strategic leadership skills, CEO roles and responsibilities and new mandates undertaken by CEOs in the last few years.
Who should attend this programme?
The Emerging CEO Programme is designed for senior professionals aspiring to fast-track their transitions to C-suite roles. This Emerging CEO course is particularly beneficial for individuals in roles such as assistant vice presidents, directors or associate directors, associate vice presidents and founders.
What will I learn in the Emerging CEO Programme?
The curriculum explores executive leadership, corporate governance, organisational transformation and AI for business transformation. You will examine topics including organisational structures, executive communication, financial strategies, corporate strategy, environmental, social and governance (ESG), talent strategies, gen AI and agentic AI.
How is the Emerging CEO Programme structured?
The programme is delivered over eight months across four learning phases:
Executive Leadership Essentials
Strategies for the CEO
CEO Transformation Imperatives
AI for Business Transformation: Generative AI, Agentic AI and Beyond
The learning journey combines online modules, live online sessions, executive strategy activities, discussion forums and practical assignments.
Does the Emerging CEO Programme cover artificial intelligence (AI)?
Yes. The programme includes a dedicated learning phase on AI for business transformation covering AI fundamentals, gen AI tools, prompt engineering, workflow automation, innovation, strategic integration, ethics and risk management. It also includes dedicated live online sessions focused on agentic AI.
How does the Emerging CEO Programme apply learning to real-world business challenges?
The programme incorporates executive strategy activities, including an executive toolkit, an executive workbook and AI-focused capstone projects. These activities enable you to apply programme concepts to organisational and industry-specific business challenges throughout the learning journey.
Learning journey
What is the time commitment expected from me?
The Emerging CEO Programme has been designed with your busy schedule in mind. You will be required to commit no more than four to six hours per week, enabling you to benefit from this transformative programme while fulfilling your day-to-day work responsibilities. This impactful programme offers a blend of self-paced modules and live interaction.
How do the live sessions work?
The eight-month learning journey includes live online and video online sessions with renowned faculty, industry experts and global peers. You can take advantage of live sessions and the Slack channel to ask questions and discuss ideas with your cohort success coach and fellow participants. Real-world examples and in-depth programme learnings are delivered through a combination of recorded video and live online lectures.
What are the executive strategy activities?
Executive strategy activities are practical assignments integrated throughout the programme. They include executive toolkit activities, an executive workbook and AI-focused capstone projects that help you apply programme concepts to organisational and industry-specific business challenges.
What are the agentic AI live online sessions?
The programme includes three live online sessions focused on agentic AI. These sessions explore how autonomous AI systems can support business processes, governance and practical organisational adoption while examining real-world applications across different business contexts.
Does the programme offer closed captioning for videos included in the curriculum?
Yes. Closed captioning and transcripts for all pre-recorded videos and closed captioning for recordings of live sessions are available.
Certificate
Will I receive a certificate upon successful completion?
Yes. Upon successful completion of the Emerging CEO Programme, you will receive a verified digital certificate of completion from Imperial College London.
Does the programme include Associate Alumni status?
Yes. Participants who successfully complete the programme will earn Associate Alumni status.
Payment process
What is included in the price of the programme?
The programme fee covers teaching fees, all academic material and access to online course work.
Is there any discount or financial aid?
You can pay the full programme fee upfront or in easy instalments. If you apply well in advance of the programme start date, you can receive a fee benefit. If you would like to approach your organisation with a sponsorship request for this programme, here is a customisable template that you can use.
Who will be collecting the payment for the programme?
Emeritus collects all programme payments, provides learner enrolment and programme support and manages learning platform services.
Are there any restrictions on the types of funding that can be used to pay for the programme?
Programme fees for Emeritus programmes with Imperial Executive Education may not be paid for with (a) funds from the GI Bill, the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Act of 2008 or similar types of military education funding benefits or (b) Title IV financial aid funds.
Refund
What is the programme refund and referral policy?
For the programme refund and deferral policy, please click the link here.
Accessibility
How does Emeritus support accessibility for learners?
Emeritus is committed to making high-quality education accessible and affordable to individuals, companies and governments around the world. If you have questions about accessibility or would like to discuss available support options before enrolling, please contact accessibility@emeritus.org. For more information about our accessibility practices, please review our Accessibility Policy here.
Connect with a programme adviser for a 1:1 session
Our programme advisers have helped senior executives around the world choose the right programme for their career goals. Schedule a one-to-one session to get a deeper understanding of why the Emerging CEO Programme from Imperial Executive Education is right for you.
Email: learner.success@emeritus.org
Phone: +44 746 045 1107 (UK) / +1 315 236 4838 (US) / +65 3129 7468 (SG)
Early applications are encouraged. Admissions are reviewed on a first come, first served basis.
Flexible payment options available.
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