The program is designed to help mid-level and senior operations leaders enhance their strategic skills and competencies to navigate the responsibilities of a future COO.

January 24, 2025

PHILADELPHIA, PA, January 24, 2025: Emeritus, in collaboration with the Aresty Institute of Executive Education at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, announces the launch of its six-month Emerging Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program. This program is designed to equip aspiring chief operating officers with the diverse range of skills needed for modern operations leadership, empowering them to serve as strategic business partners and drive their organizations’ growth agendas. Emeritus, the global leader in making high-quality education accessible and affordable, has begun enrollment for this program that starts on March 27, 2025.

According to Leathwaite, 74 percent of current COOs expect more direct involvement in shaping business strategy in the next two to three years. The Emerging COO Program equips mid-level and senior operations leaders with the skills to navigate the responsibilities of a future COO — including continuous improvement, data-driven decision making, risk management, and crisis response — providing them with the opportunity to create a personalized action plan as they take on new challenges and step into C-level roles.

“The Emerging COO Program is designed to prepare the next generation of COOs to be strategic and influential leaders in the C-suite,” says Marissa King, academic co-director of the program.

Through a blend of innovative online content encompassing strategic leadership and operations as well as peer-centered learning, participants will develop the skills to become impactful operations leaders and face the challenges of a constantly evolving business environment.

"Through personalized assessments and evidence-based skills development, this program will prepare aspiring COOs to succeed in their thinking and execution,” says Senthil Veeraraghavan, academic co-director of the program.

Participants will also have the opportunity to attend an optional two-day on-campus networking event, where they can connect with peers from other cohorts and meet renowned Wharton faculty who bring real-world experience from highly regarded organizations. Upon completion of the program, they will be awarded a verified digital certificate from Wharton Executive Education.

“The Emerging COO Program is built around an innovative curriculum that equips participants with the skills to lead strategically, communicate effectively with stakeholders, and manage organizational dynamics," says Mike Malefakis, president of university partnerships at Emeritus. "We are excited to collaborate with Wharton Executive Education to deliver this cutting-edge program, built around the demands of modern operations leadership, that gives participants the momentum needed to advance to C-level roles.”

For more information and to apply, please visit the program homepage.

About Wharton Executive Education

Wharton Executive Education has served as the global leader in executive development for 35 years. Steeped in the heritage and analytical insights of the Wharton School, with an eye toward shaping the future of business, Wharton Executive Education's individual, online, and custom programs prepare more than 100,000 professionals a year to transform their careers and organizations. For more information on Wharton Executive Education's practical business solutions, visit executiveeducation.wharton.upenn.edu.

About Emeritus

Emeritus is committed to teaching the skills of the future by making high-quality education accessible and affordable to individuals, companies, and governments worldwide. It does this by collaborating with more than 70 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 80 countries. Founded in 2015, Emeritus, part of Eruditus Group, has more than 2,000 employees globally and offices in Mumbai, New Delhi, Shanghai, Singapore, Palo Alto, Mexico City, New York, Boston, London, and Dubai. 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