What is Executive Education?

There has arguably never been less certainty in our world than there is right now.

The Covid-19 pandemic caught countries, markets, industries and sectors of every description completely off guard at the start of 2020. Within the first three months of the new year, economy after economy had shut down; the impact of stay-at-home measures and social distancing constituting a financial shock unparalleled in modern times – far greater in scale and scope than the Great Recession of 2008. Businesses, organisations and institutions around the globe have had to adapt, and fast. Some have fared better than others, some have pivoted their business model to respond and even thrive in the so-called new normal. Others have shut up shop indefinitely.

If the global health crisis has shaken the world to its core – laying bare the vulnerabilities and weaknesses in our systems and structures and exposing geopolitical tensions that risk international trade and cohesion – it has also delivered critical lessons.

The most important lesson of all, perhaps, is the need to be prepared; to put into place the organisational resilience, the resources, the capabilities and the learning capacity to emerge safely from this crisis and to build towards a more robust, more sustainable future.

And this is the promise of Executive Education.

Building a sustainable future for you, and your organisation

So what is Executive Education? Put very simply, it is a portfolio of training and development programmes designed by business scholars and industry experts; learning experiences that empower business leaders and decision-makers to navigate the uncertainty ahead, with clarity, certainty and confidence.

Executive programmes are finely calibrated to address the most critical challenges and problems facing managers and their organisations. From developing the kinds of next-generation leadership competencies that businesses need in order to thrive in complexity, to building specific knowledge and skills to position you at the vanguard of digital transformation and beyond, executive education is intense, immersive and transformational learning experience – experience that delivers impact that is simultaneously immediate and enduring.

At Imperial, our suite of Executive Education programmes fully leverage the expertise, research and knowledge of our distinguished faculty –  world-renowned business scholars and practitioners who continuously identify and explore the emerging problems and the shifting megatrends that shape and reshape the global economy.

Our programmes give executives a unique opportunity to truly investigate the real issues they face as professionals, and those that face their organisation. And they give you an opportunity to do this within the safety of a learning environment geared to open and honest discussion and debate.

Our programmes also represent a unique opportunity to share and exchange insights with other leaders from diverse backgrounds – to broaden your perspective and mindset, and expand your professional and personal networks as you learn.

You choose the format, you choose the focus

Executive programmes are delivered a variety of formats at Imperial.

We offer on-campus programmes, online programmes via our state-of-the-art EdTech platform which integrate live, interactive sessions with faculty and peers.

The virtual format in particular has ensured that business leaders have been able to continue investing in their development despite the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. Meanwhile, online learning delivers the advantage of anywhere, anytime: participants can mark their own pace and tempo, without the need for travel or other types of disruption. On-campus programmes are delivered at Imperial’s stunning South Kensington campus close to the heart of London.

As part of our Executive Education promise, we offer a breadth of programmes both for individuals and for companies. Programmes for companies are called custom programmes, because they are customised and tailored to the precise and unique challenges facing a specific organisation. These are bespoke learning solutions that accelerate the development of your future leaders.

Our Executive Education offering is divided into four primary disciplines or areas of focus: Management and Leadership, Technology and Innovation, Sustainability and Health, and Finance and Strategy.

Every programme within each of these disciplines integrates the latest technological thinking and research in leadership, strategy and innovation with sector-specific deep dives in topics such as entrepreneurship, healthcare, cyber security or risk management.

Each programme also delivers hands-on, applied experiences and real-world project work, so that you have the chance to translate theory into practice into impact as you absorb exciting new ideas.

The choice is yours.

You decide the format and the focus that best meets your needs and objectives.

Because there’s never been a greater need

Whatever Executive Education is, it is, in part a solution to a problem.

There has never been a moment of greater uncertainty in our world.

To navigate the path ahead and capitalise on the promise of a better future, it is now incumbent on businesses, managers, decision-makers and the next generation of leaders to seize the opportunity to learn; to reflect on those areas of strength and those of vulnerability, to determine the capabilities necessary to thrive in this new normal – and to build those capabilities from the top-down, bottom-up, and across the entirety of your leadership, and your organisation. 

There has never been a greater need to think strategically about your future.

Nor has there been a better opportunity to do so.