Emerging COO Program
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Learn. Level up. Leap to operations leadership.
The Emerging Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program from Wharton Executive Education equips senior executives, experienced operations leaders and aspiring COOs to strengthen operational excellence, strategic decision making, and enterprise leadership. In today’s complex and evolving operations landscape, the chief operating officers are expected to act as both strategist and operator, overseeing complex operational dynamics, managing risk, and driving growth and resilience across the organization.
Led by renowned Wharton faculty, this six-to-eight-month program integrates operations management, leadership development, and data-driven decision making to prepare you for enterprise-wide impact. You will gain the strategic insight, analytical capability, and leadership mindset to navigate operational challenges, lead innovation management, and drive sustainable organizational performance.
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Learning journey
The six-to-eight-month online learning journey includes 14 weeks of core leadership knowledge and two immersive sessions that will help you develop the skills required for future C-level leadership. The program also offers an optional two-day in-person networking event and recognition ceremony* on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia, where you will have the opportunity to build connections with your peers.
* Note: A registration fee of US$250 is applicable.
** Note: The last two weeks of the core modules will be held after the 10 weeks of specialized phases.
Curriculum
The Emerging COO Program from Wharton Executive Education offers a comprehensive curriculum that is designed to equip you with the strategic skills to oversee complex operational dynamics in today’s evolving operations landscape. You will learn to lead with a strategic mindset, apply data-driven decision making, and drive operational excellence while developing a powerful professional network that will be a valuable resource on your journey to the C-suite. Through this learning experience, you will gain the confidence to engage effectively with stakeholders, develop the expertise for operations management and step into the role of today’s chief operating officers.
Foundations of Effective Leadership
Leading teams and organizations requires understanding how to be effective in a variety of scenarios. Over the first six weeks, you will explore the essential aspects of successful leadership and discover research-backed approaches for networking, developing organizational strategy, and improving team performance. Real-world scenarios will give you the opportunity to practice crucial concepts and enrich your leadership skills.
Leadership and Decision Making
Team Empowerment
Collaborative Networks
Organizational Power
Purpose-Driven Strategy
Leadership Journeys
Leadership Development Action Plan
Using insights into your leadership style and capabilities, create a personalized road map that details the steps on your path to becoming a COO. You will develop a personal “why” statement and identify strategies for improving decision making, optimizing team performance, expanding your informal networks, and leveraging power sources.
Leading through Complexity
As a future COO, you must be prepared to navigate business complexity both within and beyond the borders of your organization. Unlock the power of influence to achieve desired outcomes, and acquire strategies to confidently take on the responsibilities of a COO with clarity and foresight. Learn how to incorporate environment, social, and governance (ESG) principles and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) factors into business decisions to achieve sustainable results while balancing social responsibility and strategy.
Mastering the Art of Influence
Innovative Leadership
Analyzing Future Trends
The Role of the C-Suite in Driving Digital Transformation
Integrating ESG into Strategic Decision Making
Understanding and Appreciating Diversity in the Workplace
Leading for Long-Term Sustainability and Growth
Today’s COOs play a pivotal role in shaping their organizations’ futures. Explore strategic approaches to achieving long-term sustainability, and acquire the skills to guide your organization through disruption and change.
Strategic Partnerships
Leading through Change
Note: Module topics are subject to change.
Operations has the power to drive business strategy and set your organization apart. Learn how to implement operational excellence, and explore modern supply and value chain management solutions. Discover data analytics for operational decision making, understand the principles of transformation leadership, and learn to navigate the complexities of the global operations landscape.
Operational Excellence and Process Improvement
Innovations in Supply Chain and Value Chain Management
Fostering Innovation and Agile Operations
Data Analytics and Operational Decision Making
Leading Digital Transformation in Operations
Global Operations and International Business Strategy
Note: Module topics are subject to change.
Today’s chief operating officers must embrace a transformation mindset across all aspects of leadership. Identify essential financial metrics for evaluating operational efficiency, and gain critical insights into managing operational risk and fostering resiliency. Learn to design and implement operations strategies that balance ESG concerns with business objectives and harness the power of a strategic operations mindset.
Financial Acumen for COOs
Operational Risk Management and Resilience Building
Sustainable Operations and Corporate Social Responsibility
Strategic Thinking as an Operator
Note: Module topics are subject to change.
Meet your cohort peers and faculty in person on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia during an optional two-day recognition ceremony and networking event*. This event enables you to network with not just your peers but also with professionals from other cohorts to create a lifelong community of global executives. The networking event is generally held within six to nine months from the date of completion of the program.
Note: *A registration fee of US$250 is applicable.
Live Online Sessions
The program features live, interactive sessions that connect you with Wharton faculty and peers from across industries. Live sessions from the core modules on leadership development focus on strengthening leadership capacity and building a collaborative learning community through faculty-led teaching and group sessions. These are complemented by executive development sessions, applied workshops designed to translate leadership concepts into practice. Building on this foundation, live sessions on specialized modules deepen domain expertise and address complex business challenges through interactive, faculty-led learning with peers. Together, these experiences cultivate executive capability, foster collaboration, and ensure the practical application of classroom insights.
*The number of faculty-led sessions may vary.
The live sessions in the core modules on leadership development, delivered in the first 14 weeks, build essential leadership capacity and foster a connected learning community.Delivered through a series of interactive sessions, you will strengthen your ability to build trust, drive innovation through networks, and communicate visions that inspire action. You will explore topics such as:
Creating high-quality connections: Explore how presence, listening, and self-awareness enable meaningful, energizing interactions that reduce stress, strengthen relationships, and enhance collaboration. Participants engage in reflective exercises that increase self-understanding and encourage authentic connection.
Networks, innovation, and implementation: Examine how organizations can balance stability with flexibility to drive innovation. Learn how project networks tap into broader perspectives for knowledge and feedback, and how diversity, agility, and accountability support both creativity and coordination.
Influencing and inspiring others: Develop the ability to craft and communicate compelling visions that inspire action. Through vivid language, imagery, and structured goal-setting, you will practice techniques for turning ideas into action and leading with clarity and impact.
Productive relationships and team performance: As a part of the first executive development session, you will explore how emotional intelligence enhances relationships and drives stronger team performance. Through interactive exercises, you will deepen self- and social-awareness, practice techniques to foster psychological safety, and commit to behaviors that build trust and collaboration.
Leveraging your peer advisory network: For the second executive development session, you will expand your perspective through strategic, personal, and operational networks that support leadership growth. In this session, you will practice peer coaching techniques such as “feedforward” to generate future-focused insights, exchange diverse perspectives, and develop actionable approaches to your most pressing leadership challenges.
Led by Wharton faculty, Professor Veeraraghavan, the live sessions on specialized modules address the evolving priorities of today’s chief operating officers through open, discussion-based sessions. Participants explore core operational frameworks while engaging in dialogue on pressing operational challenges such as workforce dynamics, reshoring strategies, capital investment, and capacity planning. Conversations also highlight the opportunities and risks in manufacturing hubs and the role of leveraging emerging technologies in shaping future operations to drive organizational value. Designed to be highly interactive, these sessions provide practical insights tailored to the complex responsibilities of senior executives and experienced operations leaders.
Executive networking
Networking is a defining element of the Emerging Chief Operating Officer program. During the core modules, participants engage in cross-cohort peer networking through group sessions, faculty-led discussions, and collaborative exchanges that broaden perspectives across industries and functions. This engagement continues in the specialized modules through curated cross-cohort activities, while program-specific interactions foster deeper connections within each functional area. In addition to the recognition and networking event held on campus, these touchpoints create a powerful, diverse network of senior executives that endures well beyond the program.
Note: The networking opportunities includes cross-cohort participant interactions between the Emerging Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program, Emerging Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Program, Emerging Chief Product Officer (CPO) Program, and other programs to be announced in the future.
What you will learn
The program will enable you to:
Develop, articulate, and implement a clear operations strategy and vision aligned with enterprise-level objectives to drive operational excellence
Build trust, manage relationships, and communicate transparently and influentially with a broad range of stakeholders
Understand organizational politics and structures, building the alliances needed to be a proactive and effective voice in the C-suite
Evaluate and leverage operational data, financial acumen, and risk-management strategies to be an agile leader who can think strategically beyond the scope of technical expertise
Cultivate the ability to swiftly adapt to disruptions in the operations landscape, as well as global business changes and challenges
Foster a culture of ethical decision making while inspiring and leading diverse teams toward cohesive and transformative goals
Faculty quotes
Who is this program for?
The Emerging Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program from Wharton Executive Education is designed to empower experienced operations leaders and mid-level executives to enhance their leadership skills and management skills, enabling them to leverage emerging technologies, operational innovation management solutions, and data-driven decision making to elevate their impact and continue on their paths to becoming COOs.
The Emerging Chief Operating Officer Program is ideal for:
Mid-career operations leaders seeking to develop executive leadership skills and mindset to lead enterprise-wide operations strategy and systems and accelerate their career growth
Senior operations professionals looking to leverage innovative solutions and data-driven decision making to stay ahead of emerging trends and take on new leadership opportunities
Program highlights
Immerse yourself in a comprehensive curriculum that empowers you with the strategic leadership skills and the operational expertise to transition to a C-level role.
Cultivate future-ready strategic skills through personalized assessments and evidence-based exercises, webinars, and career workshops.
Create a detailed strategy to evolve your leadership abilities that propels you toward your objective of becoming a chief operating officer.
Experience real-time learning in live sessions that give depth to key senior leadership concepts and enable you to develop strategic acumen.
Acquire rich, real-world insights from Wharton faculty on developing strategic vision for operations management and data-driven decision making.
Understand how modern operations strategies and leadership practices are applied to address complex real-world business challenges and drive meaningful business transformation.
Build a powerful professional network and connect with a global cohort of peers and operational leaders through virtual meet-ups and an immersive on-campus event.
Optimize your learning journey through weekly check-ins with a success coach assigned to your cohort.
Case studies
Assess and refine your decision making in preparation for the C-suite through the Emerging COO Program from Wharton Executive Education. Understand how to develop strategies that drive business excellence, strengthen internal operations, and lead transformation. Explore real-world examples from organizations such as Amazon, Kodak, John Deere, Patagonia, TOMS, and Whole Foods.
Amazon and Whole Foods
Identify key factors that determine an organization’s adaptability to disruptive change through Amazon’s acquisition of a high-end grocery chain.
John Deere
Understand authentic leadership and the LEAP framework through the leadership journey of factory manager Rosalind Fox.
Kodak
Apply the key attributes of managing disruption to assess how Kodak navigated the transition from chemical film to digital photography.
Patagonia and TOMS
Analyze how these two action-driven organizations aligned their operations strategies with their purposes to do good.
Tesla
Examine the impact of interorganizational relationships and networks on this EV manufacturer’s competitiveness.
Capstone project
The capstone project presents an opportunity for you to synthesize the knowledge and insights gained throughout the program’s comprehensive curriculum and apply them to an extended case study. Through a systematic and strategic approach, you will leverage the program's learnings to develop a detailed strategy-based roadmap and framework. This hands-on experience enables you to engage effectively with the program’s learning and translate theory into practice to drive change.
Meet the faculty
World-renowned Wharton faculty in the Emerging COO Program will prepare senior operations leaders to face a wide array of challenges. You will leverage their insights and domain expertise to better understand your business and industry and immediately apply the learnings to your organization.
Academic Director; Panasonic Professor of Manufacturing and Logistics; Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions
Senthil Veeraraghavan teaches operations strategy, for which he has received multiple Wharton Excellence in Teaching Awards. His research encompasses revenue management, marke...
Assistant Professor of Management; Dorinda and Mark Winkelman Distinguished Faculty Scholar
Assistant Professor of Management; Dorinda and Mark Winkelman Distinguished Faculty Scholar
Vice Dean and Faculty Director, ESG Initiative; Deloitte & Touche Professor of Management in Honor of Russell E. Palmer, Former Managing Partner, The Wharton School
David W. Hauck Professor at the Wharton School; Professor of Management; Chairperson, Management Department
Alice Y. Hung President’s Distinguished Professor; Professor of Health Care Management; Professor of Management
Marissa King’s research focuses on deciphering the complexities of human interactions within the context of health care organizations, teams, and broader social structures. He...
Mack Professor; Professor of Management; Co-Director, Mack Institute for Innovation Management; Faculty Director, Huntsman Program
Note: The faculty list is subject to change.
Certificate
Earn a Wharton Executive Education digital certificate upon successful completion of the Emerging Chief Operating Officer Program. Past participants of this transformative program get exclusive access to a wide range of professionals, events, and networking opportunities.
Note: After successful completion of the program, your verified digital certificate will be emailed to you in the name you used when registering for the program. All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of the Wharton School.
Please also note that participation in the Emerging COO Program (a) will not result in a degree from, alumni status, or earned credit at the University of Pennsylvania or the Wharton School (or, to Wharton’s knowledge, any other institution), (b) will not be recorded on a University of Pennsylvania or Wharton transcript, and (c) does not guarantee or suggest that a participant will be admitted to the University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton School, or any other university or institution.
FAQs
The Emerging COO Program has been designed with your busy schedule in mind. You will be required to commit not more than three to five hours per week, enabling you to benefit from this transformative program while fulfilling your day-to-day work responsibilities. The impactful program offers a blend of self-paced modules and live interaction.
The six-month learning journey includes live webinars as well as live online and asynchronous sessions with renowned faculty, industry experts, and global peers. You can take advantage of weekly live sessions and the Slack channel to ask questions and discuss ideas with your success coach and cohort participants. Real-world examples and a debrief of the program learnings are delivered through a combination of recorded video and live online lectures. The program concludes with an optional two-day on-campus graduation and networking event on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia.
The program fee covers teaching fees, all academic material, and access to online coursework. The fee does not include the registration fee of US$250 for the optional two-day on-campus networking and recognition ceremony, accommodation expenses for the on-campus event, travel expenses (domestic and international, including visa fees), and any other expenses not specifically mentioned in the program fees.
You can pay the full program fee upfront or pay in easy installments. If you apply well in advance of the program start date, you can receive a tuition fee benefit. If you would like to approach your company with a sponsorship request for this program, here is a customizable template that you can use.
Yes. We provide closed captioning and transcripts for all pre-recorded videos as well as closed captioning for recordings of live sessions.
Emeritus collects all program payments, provides learner enrollment and program support, and manages learning platform services.
For the program refund and deferral policy, please click here.
Program fees for Emeritus programs with Wharton and Emeritus may not be paid for with (a) funds from the GI Bill, the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Act of 2008, or similar types of military education funding benefits or (b) Title IV financial aid funds.
Connect with a program advisor for a 1:1 session
Our program advisors have helped senior executives across the world choose the right program for their career goals. Schedule a 1:1 to get a deeper understanding of why the Emerging COO Program is the right fit for you.
Email: learner.success@emeritus.org
Phone: +1 315 847 4592 (U.S.) / +44 782 202 6595 (U.K.) / +65 3138 6189 (S.G.)
Early applications are encouraged. Admissions are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Flexible payment options available.
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