Executive Leadership Programme
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Academic partner of

Uni of Derby Accreditation CMI Accreditation

Executive Leadership Programme

A focused programme for leaders to excel as Directors, covering leadership, strategy, finance and governance to elevate Board effectiveness.

DELIVERY:

5 days

LOCATION:

Face to Face / Virtual

QUALIFICATION:

Postgraduate Certificate in Executive Leadership & CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership

For Individuals:

From £ 4,950.00 +VAT

We’re in the midst of a seismic shift across the globe. The programme gives you and your organisation the tools it needs to stay ahead.

Alex Firmin - Lead Tutor

The Executive Leadership Programme is a five-day accredited programme, awarded with a Postgraduate Certificate in Executive Leadership from the University of Derby and a CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice. Designed for senior leaders, you will develop a strategic lens on the future of work – helping you identify and build the capabilities your organisation needs to stay ahead in an increasingly complex and fast-moving world. Grounded in global trends and real-world challenges, this programme enables you to anticipate shifts, adapt to change and lead with confidence in uncertainty.

You’ll gain access to powerful tools that help you break down complex, ill-structured problems and make smarter, data-driven decisions. With a focus on innovation, analytical thinking, and sustainability, the programme empowers you to design agile, competitive strategies that align with long-term growth and impact.

At the core of the experience is a sharper, more entrepreneurial mindset. You’ll learn how to not only tolerate risk but to judge, prioritise and act on emerging opportunities. This isn’t theory – it’s practical, actionable insight for leaders who are serious about future-proofing their organisations and driving lasting success.

On completion of this programme, participants will:

  • Understand and apply competitive strategies and entrepreneurialism to deliver a value-added product or service.
  • Critically evaluate the impact of disruptive technologies (mechanisms that challenge traditional business methods and practices).
  • Able to comprehend and influence the drivers of change and new ways of working across infrastructure, processes, people and culture and sustainability.
  • Recognise and implement organisation structures.
  • The ability to lead and influence people, building constructive working relationships across teams, building confidence and developing trust and enable people to take risks and challenge where appropriate.
  • Critical awareness of organisational/team dynamics and how to build engagement and develop high-performance, agile, inclusive and collaborative cultures.
  • The ability to implement approaches to strategic workforce planning

Module One: Leadership for the Future

  • Ethos, ethics and values
  • Value-driven / authentic / eco-leadership
  • Organisational vision, values and mission & strategic narrative
  • Organisational culture including psychological contract & impacts of toxic cultures
  • Competing values framework
  • Business processes, activities/workflows incl. roles & responsibilities, resource requirements
  • Team dynamics & organisational behaviours
  • Coaching & mentoring techniques
  • Workforce structure and planning incl. talent management / succession planning

Module Two: Business Model Innovation

  • Organisational structure
  • International factors
  • Size of the organisation (including the impact of increasing/decreasing workforce)
  • Levels of organisational maturity
  • Development/change to organisation structure
  • Centralisation/decentralisation of task/activities (e.g. decision-making, levels of autonomy). • Organisation of workforce (divisions, departments, team structures, projects)
  • Allocation and deployment of resources
  • Organisational Development and Design

Module Three: Business Analytics for Strategic Decision Making

  • Entrepreneurship, intraneurship, social entrepreneurship, including Serial and habitual entrepreneurialism (managing the volume of ideas)
  • Commercialisation and viability of the process/ idea/opportunity
  • The entrepreneur as a disruptor and the use of disruptive technologies
  • Design thinking including Prototyping, Concept design and Concept mapping
  • Dealing with emergent properties and interaction between new ideas and the environment
  • Data science, informatics, business analysis, business intelligence/data visualisation
  • Emerging developments (e.g. machine learning, Artificial Intelligence, real-time decision making, automation, data orchestration)
  • Decision making; The Visual Display of Quantitative and Qualitative Data and Information
  • Strategic Options Design and Analysis incl. strategic assumption surfacing and testing

*Content may vary and can be tailored to the cohort.

Next Steps 

On successful completion of the Executive Leadership Programme, delegates will automatically be eligible to participate on the Directors Development Programme should they wish to continue their learning and development. Full details about this programme can be found here.

The Postgraduate Certificate and CMI Level 7 Certificate 

Following completion of the Executive Leadership Programme, learners can opt to continue their studies with a dual certification.  On successfully completing the programme, students will be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) in Executive Leadership from the University of Derby, together with a CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice. This is a level 7 postgraduate qualification which sits between an undergraduate degree and a masters and credits can be used towards the completion of a full masters.

The programme is assessed by the following three modules:  

  • Module 1: Leadership and Management of the Future
  • Module 2: Business Model Innovation
  • Module 3: Business Analytics for Strategic Decision Making

The assessment methods for this programme have been designed with busy executives in mind, with module 1 and module 3 assessments partially completed whilst on the taught part of programme, thus reducing the requirement for written assignments.

This is also an excellent route into a full masters, contributing 60 credits towards the 120 necessary for a master’s degree. Students can pursue the full MBA Global Programme with the University of Derby, following the successful completion of the PG Cert, should they so wish.

Support and Guidance 

Students are provided with:

  • Guidance from an experienced academic supervisor
  • Access to university resources such as the University of Derby library
  • A partner specific virtual learning environment (VLE) which is populated with course information, video content and useful resources
  • Regular group workshops pertaining to various study skills

The Assignments 

Students will complete 3 assignments. Each is assessed through a work-based critically reflective essay or report. As it is work-based learning and the assessments can all be applied to the business situation/workplace, this then gives both the student and the wider organisation a chance to learn and adapt business practice.

Available Options

DatesTimesLocationAvailabilityPriceQuantity 
16 Nov 202609:00 AMVirtualPlaces available£4,950.00
11 Jan 202709:00 AMLondonPlaces available£5,950.00

Who is the Executive Leadership Programme for?

This leadership programme takes senior managers from day-to-day delegators to visionary leaders. You’ll explore high-impact leadership, develop soft skills like emotional intelligence, and cultivate an innovative mindset to inspire teams and navigate change.

Expect practical insight from seasoned industry leaders, real-world applications, and tools that strengthen your presence, confidence, and influence at the top immediately.

Download our brochure

See how our Executive Leadership Programme can impact you and your organisation

Leadership Coaching and Mentoring Development Programme Brochure

Meet the Tutors

Delivered by Subject Specialists

William McKee

Tutor

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Alex Firmin

Tutor

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James Willerton

Tutor

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Pierson Stratford

Tutor

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Fitzroy Andrew

Tutor

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Stephanie Corking

Tutor

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Is This Programme Right for You?

Who attends our Executive Leadership Programme:

Job Seniority
Job Seniority

C-Suite, Directors, Managing Directors, Senior Leaders

Time in Role
Time in Role

5 years Senior Leadership experience

Sector
Sector

Cross-sector

Key Objective
Key Objective

Develop the strategic leadership skills to drive organisational change.

UPCOMING COURSES

Check availability and book your place on an upcoming Executive Leadership Programme

16 Nov 2026 - 09:00 AM

Location: Virtual

Price: £4,950.00

Available: 13 space(s) remaining

Book Your Place

11 Jan 2027 - 09:00 AM

Location: London

Price: £5,950.00

Available: 13 space(s) remaining

Book Your Place

TAKE THE IN-HOUSE APPROACH

Considering completing this course in-house?

Our In-House training is fully customisable to your business, and we will work with you to create the perfect training programme for your organisation.

The programme is designed for leaders, directors, and senior stakeholders who are already operating at a senior level and want to sharpen their strategic capability. It is cross-sector and suits professionals in roles including C-suite, director, head of department and senior manager. Participants typically have five or more years of senior leadership experience and are looking to formalise their expertise with a recognised postgraduate qualification.

You receive two qualifications. The first is a Postgraduate Certificate in Executive Leadership, awarded by the University of Derby — a level 7 academic qualification carrying 60 credits. The second is a CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice, awarded by the Chartered Management Institute. Both are nationally recognised and sit at the same academic level as the first year of a master’s degree.

The programme is five days in total. It is available as face-to-face delivery in London or as a fully virtual programme delivered online. Both formats cover the same three modules and lead to the same qualifications.

Assessment consists of three work-based assignments – one for each module. Each assignment takes the form of a critically reflective essay or report applied directly to your own organisation. Modules 1 and 3 assessments are partially completed during the taught days of the programme itself, reducing the post-programme workload. You are supported by an academic supervisor from the University of Derby throughout the assessment process.

The programme content, qualifications, and tutors are identical across both formats. The difference is location and price. The face-to-face sessions take place at a central London venue; virtual sessions are delivered online using a live cohort format – not pre-recorded.

Speak to our team

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