October 18, 2023

Designed for current and prospective strategy executives, this seven-month program aids in tackling disruption and developing leadership capabilities to create change on a global scale.

PHILADELPHIA, PA: Wharton Executive Education announces the launch of its seven-month Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) Program. Designed to help senior strategy executives become transformational leaders in global roles, this online program equips participants with the confidence to formulate and communicate a strong strategic road map for their organizations with perspectives from a pioneer in business education. The program is being launched in collaboration with Emeritus, a global leader in making high-quality education accessible and affordable, and enrollment is now open for a December 2023 start.

In today’s dynamic business environment, the chief strategy officer (CSO) plays a vital role in helping organizations respond to market shifts and drive growth. According to Deloitte’s CSO Survey, 81 percent of CSOs at top-quartile organizations actively participate in business ecosystems, exceeding their counterparts. Additionally, research conducted by EY found that 61 percent of C-suite executives are liberally allocating capital for innovative ideas and adopting more flexibility to tackle the speed of disruption. These findings underscore the importance of a collaborative approach and strategic foresight in navigating change.

The Chief Strategy Officer Program enables participants to understand external environments, read early warning signals of disruption, and align the organization’s strategy to gain a competitive advantage. Participants will join an accomplished cohort and glean insights from world-renowned Wharton faculty and industry experts while also engaging in a capstone project to implement a strategic initiative in their organization for immediate on-the-job impact. Upon completion of the program, participants will be awarded a verified digital certificate and have a pathway to apply for Wharton alumni status.

“The evolving role of the chief strategy officer requires a diverse skill set to effectively tackle disruption and seize opportunities in an uncertain business landscape. At the Wharton School, we are focused on innovation and being at the forefront of the latest business trends and challenges,” said Nicolaj Siggelkow, academic director of the CSO Program. “The Chief Strategy Officer Program melds strategic acumen, disruptive growth, and leadership to empower participants to optimize business performance and make complex decisions for sustained organizational success.”

This program is ideal for executives involved in strategy development for their organizations or functions. This includes CSOs or vice presidents of strategy who are looking to deepen their skills as well as C-suite executives or heads of different functions who are interested in gaining skills to formulate agile strategies for their organizations. By leveraging the Wharton School’s prestigious reputation and intellectual leadership, participants gain access to a cutting-edge curriculum and a broad global community of top business leaders to advance their careers.

“The robust curriculum of the Chief Strategy Officer Program prepares participants to face a wide array of challenges with a future-focused mindset and ability to innovate organizational strategy for achieving short- and long-term goals,” said Mike Malefakis, president of university partnerships at Emeritus. “We are delighted to collaborate with Wharton Executive Education to equip business leaders with critical skills and knowledge to thrive in the global business environment.”

The Chief Strategy Officer Program starts on December 14, 2023 and is priced at US$20,000. For more information and to apply, please visit the program home page.

About Emeritus

Emeritus is committed to teaching the skills of the future by making high-quality education accessible and affordable to individuals, organizations, and governments worldwide. It does this by collaborating with more than 80 top-tier universities across the United States, Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, India, and China. Emeritus’ short courses, degree programs, professional certificates, and senior executive programs help individuals learn new skills and transform their lives, companies, and organizations. Its unique model of state-of-the-art technology; curriculum innovation; and hands-on instruction from senior faculty, mentors, and coaches has educated more than 300,000 individuals across more than 200 countries. For more information, please visit https://emeritus.org.

About the Wharton School

Founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With a faculty of more than 235 renowned professors, Wharton has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 100,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company-customized, and online programs, and thousands of pre-collegiate students explore business concepts through Wharton’s www.wharton.upenn.edu.

Media Contact

Sarah SchwabDirector of Communications Aresty Institute of Executive Education
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania execed-pr@wharton.upenn.edu