Program Experience

Highlights and Key Outcomes

In the Executive Development Program (EDP), you will:

  • Build capabilities for leading cross-border teams across functions and countries
  • Strengthen business acumen in core areas such as finance, marketing, operations, management, and strategy
  • Test and improve your leadership, resilience, agility and critical-thinking skills through a realistic business strategy simulation
  • Network and forge new business relationships with global peers from around the world
  • Work with an executive coach to develop your leadership skills one-on-one and through the simulation team experience

Experience & Impact

The Executive Development Program (EDP) is designed to increase the business skills and leadership capabilities of managers who aspire to be among top leadership in their organizations. EDP takes a multidimensional approach to learning, combining lectures, small/large group discussion, case study, role playing, networking opportunities, executive coaching, and an immersive strategy simulation to provide new insights and give participants opportunities to apply them. During this multi-week program you will:

  • Advance your strategic decision-making capabilities to think faster and more creatively about current challenges, opportunities, and solutions
  • Deepen your understanding of organizational dynamics to improve the design and implementation of new initiatives and avoid destructive conflicts
  • Gain knowledge in core areas of business, including finance, marketing, operations, management, and strategy based on current research and best practices

In EDP, there will be several structured and focused opportunities to engage with a cohort of seasoned business leaders, and build your professional network. The intensity of class sessions reflect the experience in the group, with teamwork providing opportunities for each participant to both share and benefit from the vast expertise in the classroom. Small-group work on the simulation and group projects plus optional after-hours meetings promote a spirited camaraderie that leads to deep and lasting connections.

Session Topics:

  • Value-Based Decision Making
  • Operational Excellence and the Link to Financial Performance
  • Marketing Strategy: How to Compete in an Age of Disruption
  • Creating and Sustaining Competitive Advantage
  • Strategic Considerations in Mergers and Acquisitions: From Decision Making to Implementation
  • Executive Negotiation Workshop
  • Leading with Character and Integrity
  • The Leader’s Brain
  • Scaling for Profitable Growth


Pathway to Wharton Alumni Status

For EDP participants with standing senior management experience, EDP completion can serve as a potential pathway to Wharton Alumni Status. Upon successful application to our General Management Program (GMP), and within 12 months of completing EDP, it can serve as one credit toward the six required to complete the GMP and earn alumni status.

The GMP provides a further opportunity to enhance your leadership skills and business acumen with a flexible curriculum. Learn more about GMP »

Upon completion of the GMP and qualifying for Wharton Alumni Status, you will be eligible to receive:

  • Full access to become a member of 77+ Wharton Alumni Clubs
  • Invitation to attend future Wharton Global Alumni Forums
  • A Wharton email address


Listen to audio clip
Listen to the Audio Clip:

Academic Director Patti Williams talks about the EDP simulation in this excerpt from an interview on Wharton Business Radio, SiriusXM.


Convince Your Supervisor

Here’s a justification letter you can edit and send to your supervisor to help you make the case for attending this Wharton program.


Due to our application review period, applications submitted after 12:00 p.m. ET on Friday for programs beginning the following Monday may not be processed in time to grant admission. Applicants will be contacted by a member of our Client Relations Team to discuss options for future programs and dates.

Executive Coaching

Leadership, Coaching, and Teamwork (LCT)

A distinguishing highlight of Wharton’s EDP is the inclusion of executive coaching within the learning experience. Recognizing its importance in supporting individual learning and development, EDP offers intensive in-depth coaching focused on behavioral improvement grounded in feedback. It includes three individual sessions — two held during the program and one held after its conclusion — as well as two in-program group sessions.

Your executive coach will draw upon two resources to help you achieve your goals: a 360˚ leadership assessment that you complete before your arrival in the program and observations of you and your team during an intense business simulation. The 360˚ tool gathers vertical and horizontal feedback on leadership competencies such as influence, emotional intelligence, and teamwork. During the simulation, your coach will observe your ability to lead, collaborate, negotiate, and participate as an effective team member. Armed with these insights, individual coaching sessions will focus on your development as a leader, using the simulation and the 360° tool to identify and strengthen specific skills.

Executive Coaching: Grounded in Feedback

The structure of the EDP, and the coaching provided, will allow you to make connections between your behaviors and your effectiveness very quickly and gain powerful new insights into your leadership opportunities. The post-program coaching session is focused on implementing key learnings within your organization to create value and lasting impact from the EDP experience.

Who Should Attend

Wharton's Executive Development Program is designed for successful functional, country, or unit managers preparing to take on broader responsibilities that require leading outside their areas of education and experience.

Participants represent many cultures and regions, and more than half are typically from outside the United States. They include leaders from across all disciplines, including marketing and analytics, research and development, accounting and finance, supply chain and logistics, manufacturing and engineering, human resources, and information technology. Likewise, they come from a variety of industry vertical groups, such as pharmaceuticals and health care, financial services, manufacturing, aerospace and defense, and high technology.

Fluency in English, written and spoken, is required for participation in Wharton Executive Education programs.


Participant Profile

Participants by Industry

Executive Development Program participants by industry

Participants by Job Function

Executive Development Program participants by job function

Participants by Region

Executive Development Program participants by region


Plan your stay in Philadelphia

Plan Your Stay

This program is held at the Steinberg Conference Center located on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia. Meals and accommodations are included in the program fees. Learn more about planning your stay at Wharton’s Philadelphia campus.


Group Enrollment

To further leverage the value and impact of this program, we encourage companies to send cross-functional teams of executives to Wharton. We offer group-enrollment benefits to companies sending four or more participants.

Faculty


Patti Williams

Patti Williams, PhDSee Faculty Bio

Academic Director

Ira A. Lipman Associate Professor of Marketing; Vice Dean, Wharton Executive Education

Research Interests: Consumer decision making, emotional and attitudinal ambivalence, the persuasive effects of emotion


Emile Feldman

Emilie Feldman, PhDSee Faculty Bio

Michael L. Tarnopol Professor; Professor of Management, The Wharton School

Research Interests: Corporate governance, corporate strategy, diversification, divestitures, firm scope, spinoffs, mergers and acquisitions


Barbara Kahn

Barbara Kahn, PhDSee Faculty Bio

Patty and Jay H. Baker Professor; Professor of Marketing, The Wharton School

Research Interests: Brand loyalty, consumer choice, customer-relationship management


Marissa King

Marissa King, PhDSee Faculty Bio

Alice Y. Hung President’s Distinguished Professor; Professor of Health Care Management; Professor of Management, The Wharton School


Todd Norris

Todd NorrisSee Faculty Bio

Senior Fellow, Aresty Institute of Executive Education, The Wharton School


Michael Platt

Michael Platt, PhDSee Faculty Bio

Director, the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative; James S. Riepe University Professor, Professor of Marketing, The Wharton School; Professor of Psychology, Professor of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania


Puntoni Stefano

Stefano Puntoni, PhDSee Faculty Bio

Sebastian S. Kresge Professor of Marketing; Professor of Marketing; Co-Director, Wharton Human-Centered Technology Initiative, The Wharton School

Research Interests: New technologies in marketing, technology adoption, brand management, consumer decision making


Michael Roberts

Michael Roberts, PhDSee Faculty Bio

William H. Lawrence Professor; Professor of Finance, The Wharton School

Research Interests: Applied econometrics, corporate investment, capital structure


Richard G. Shell

G. Richard Shell, JDSee Faculty Bio

Thomas Gerrity Professor; Professor of Legal Studies & Business Ethics; Professor of Management, The Wharton School


Nicolaj Siggelkow

Nicolaj Siggelkow, PhDSee Faculty Bio

David M. Knott Professor; Professor of Management; Co-Director, Mack Institute for Innovation Management, The Wharton School

Research Interests: Competitive strategy, firms as systems of interconnected choices


Christian Terwiesch

Christian Terwiesch, PhDSee Faculty Bio

Andrew M. Heller Professor; Department Chairperson and Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions; Co-Director, Mack Institute of Innovation Management, The Wharton School; Professor of Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Research Interests: Analyzing operational performance, innovation management, R&D management

Testimonials


As I evaluated a number of programs, the deciding factor for choosing Wharton’s EDP was the combination of a business simulation model coupled with coaching. Having my coach observe the simulation and then give feedback on my performance in real time was a top priority.

The simulation is designed to let you apply knowledge you just learned under pressure in a highly charged environment. That sequence makes for much better retention — the lessons really get cemented in. Having my coach watch me and then give me feedback on my performance was really important. My Wharton executive coach challenged my thinking and assumptions about myself and how others might perceive me as a leader. The coaching is incredibly valuable and I will continue to meet with her during the coming year.

EDP is absolutely worth the time and investment. What appealed to me was the breadth of material covered within a two-week period. I wasn’t looking for a longer program since I already have an MBA. I just needed to dust it off and rejuvenate my skills. Two weeks is the perfect amount of time. It’s long enough to truly break away from your day-to-day responsibilities — which I had not done in more than a decade — and get immersed in a trusting environment of collaboration and camaraderie. Not only did I accomplish my academic objectives, I came away with new lifelong friendships and a network of colleagues that span the globe.”

Diane Denton  VP, State Energy Policy, Duke Energy


When I read about how uniquely the Executive Development Program was structured, with so many touch points outside the classroom over the two weeks, I knew I would get so much out of it. It’s not about lectures and taking notes, or just sitting next to people from different cultures and disciplines. You work with them on projects that get you out of the classroom and out of your comfort zone. The simulation and the coaching component make it a true 360˚ program.”

John Hosey Vice President, Chief Appraiser, First Republic Bank


I chose the Executive Development Program because of the curriculum. It covered a broader range of topics compared to other executive programs. But it was the executive coaching that was truly instrumental for me. During coaching sessions, which I received throughout the program, I managed to gain a much deeper understanding of myself and the barriers that I needed to overcome to further advance my career. The coaching experience was truly transformational.

One of my biggest challenges that I wanted to overcome by enrolling in the EDP was my dependence on my subject matter expertise to build my confidence level in decision making. This occasionally prevented me from making quick business decisions where I wasn’t the expert in the subject area. This was made more apparent to me during an invaluable exercise, which included a two-week business simulation where we need to make quick business decisions that I had very little knowledge about, while under immense pressure to meet deadlines. No one in my group was a subject matter expert — we were all starting on equal footing. I was quieter at the beginning while I assessed and became more familiar with the business. My coach and peers helped by encouraging me and others to make decisions with very little information and to benefit from taking risks and challenging one another in a safe environment. It was a great opportunity to fully engage, without any downside.

Since the program, I find myself being able to lean on other members’ expertise more and combine that with my own past experiences in being able to make well-informed quick decisions. It also allows me to take more informed risks and free myself from the need to delve into too much detail. EDP has helped me become a better leader, as it gave me the opportunity to self-reflect and understand how to navigate my own self-imposed barriers.

At this stage in my career, I value the opportunity to interact with other global leaders who face similar challenges. Building a global network is helpful, as it really allows you to see things from different perspectives and learn from one another. Having a forum where we can speak freely and constructively about what we are dealing with and coach one another on how to navigate certain situations is truly invaluable. The relationships established during the program are very valuable and beneficial. We are all tackling similar challenges and it’s nice to have a broader support group to lean into when necessary.”

Dianne Fox Chief Operating Officer, North America Life and Annuity, Foresters Financial


My experience with Wharton’s Executive Development Program was by far one of the best professional decisions I’ve made in a very long time. Between the world-class professors, the lectures, the business simulation, and executive coaching, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. The content was really current — you learn things you can apply and start benefiting from very quickly. It was a very beneficial experience that I was able to start applying very quickly when I got back to work.

I’ve never had a coach before, so I didn’t know what to expect. I had self-awareness on areas I wanted to focus on to continue my professional growth, and my Wharton coach helped connect the dots into how I could make a greater impact. He was amazing, really helping me dig deep and open up. There was so much growth in such a short amount of time, and I feel like I came out on the other side a better version of myself.”

Odelya Arnold Chief of Staff, WW Customer Success, Citrix


Kevin Patrick VP, Energy Company


The learning we experienced during the two intense weeks of EDP was immense. The program was well defined, covering all major facets of management in an industry context, and supported with case studies. One especially outstanding facet of the program was the opportunity to form a 'virtual company' and to play the role of an expert from a specific discipline, contributing the appropriate strategy to the company’s success. Thanks for the superb hospitality and for memories that I will cherish for years to come."

Vijay Batra Managing Director, Teva API India, Ltd


Geraldine Ekkers Marketing & Communications, Manufacturing Company, Italy


The Executive Development Program (EDP) was the only program I looked at that addresses soft skills along with the hard ones, and it was the soft skills that I knew would help me perform better. To be a leader, you need to engage with employees, build a strong team, do cross-border business, report to a board, and communicate your vision and strategy to your team. You can read theories about how to do that in a book, but to really learn you need to practice. Wharton’s EDP is the only program that teaches you how, and then gives you the time and space to practice. It was by far the best executive education program I have done."

Tim Aelen Senior Vice President, ABN AMRO, The Netherlands


Andrew Ellis Executive VP, Supply Chain & Logistics


Roy Halliday CEO, Insurance Company


The Wharton EDP experience exceeded my expectations. The instructors, team simulation, programming, and facilities were all world-class and at the leading edge of business education. Importantly, the truly international and cross-industry make-up of the class enriched the diversity of thinking, requiring a global approach to problem solving. I was able to implement the new learning on day one when I returned to my job."

Matthew V. Petronio EVP and Chief Operating Office, Just Born, Inc., Bethlehem, PA – US

Date, Location, & Fees

If you are unable to access the application form, please email Client Relations at execed@wharton.upenn.edu.

March 18 – 29, 2024Philadelphia, PA$29,900

September 16 – 27, 2024Philadelphia, PA$30,000


Download the program schedule, including session details and format.

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Hotel Information

Fees for on-campus programs include accommodations and meals. Prices are subject to change.

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