Emerging Chief Product Officer Program
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Lead with strategy. Rise as a product leader. Drive business impact.
Product leadership is evolving into a strategic enterprise function. As organizations push for innovation, growth, and cross-functional alignment, the chief product officer (CPO) is expected to lead with vision, drive measurable outcomes, and influence decisions at the highest level.
In this landscape of rising expectations:
- What empowers product leaders to operate with enterprise clarity?
- How can strategy, innovation, and influence combine to scale product impact and steer business direction?
- What frameworks or mindsets enable alignment across teams while driving strategic outcomes?
The six- to eight-month Emerging Chief Product Officer Program from Wharton Executive Education equips experienced product professionals to meet these demands. Through applied frameworks, strategic tools, and a personalized leadership pathway, you gain the capabilities to align product with business priorities, deliver impact across functions, and accelerate your long-term career growth in product leadership.
70%
70%
2x
Source: PRODUCTS THAT COUNT and CAPGEMINI
What you will learn
Today’s product leaders are responsible for aligning product decisions with business strategy, influencing at the executive level, and delivering measurable return on investment (ROI) across the product life cycle. This program equips you with the strategic, organizational, and leadership skills required to scale your impact as a current or future product executive.
To meet the demands of product leadership, the program enables you to:
Build and execute product strategies that align portfolios with business goals, market needs, and global demands
Influence stakeholders to drive change and enable product-led decisions through trust, persuasion, and cross-functional alignment
Leverage evidence-based frameworks, lateral thinking, and options thinking to anticipate trends and navigate uncertainty in product contexts
Lead ethical decision making across teams and improve performance using the group performance model
Build senior alliances and shape purpose-driven strategies that integrate product, operations, and culture
Develop a personalized plan to strengthen product leadership and chart a clear path to the CPO role
Curriculum
The Emerging Chief Product Officer Program is designed to prepare you for the responsibilities of a future product leader. Through a strategic blend of leadership, product innovation, and organizational insight, you will build the skills and mindset required to drive cross-functional impact while cultivating a network that supports your continued growth toward the C-suite.
Module 1: Leadership and Decision Making
Strengthen your executive decision making by examining contextual influences, assessing your personal leadership approach, and applying structured models to improve performance across dynamic environments.
Module 2: Team Empowerment
Evaluate the foundations of team performance and psychological safety. Build trust, identify behavioral blind spots, and apply strategies to foster high-functioning, resilient teams.
Module 3: Collaborative Networks
Assess the strategic value of your current informal networks. Identify barriers, analyze network signatures, and develop a tailored plan to expand influence and access at your leadership level.
Module 4: Organizational Power
Examine your relationship to power and influence, evaluate how it shapes your leadership effectiveness, and build a plan to better leverage personal and organizational power sources to lead with authority.
Module 5: Purpose-Driven Strategy
Articulate your personal leadership purpose; evaluate strategic alignment between values, culture, and operations; and assess how purpose-driven strategies can strengthen impact across the organization.
Module 6: Leadership Journeys
Explore leadership trajectories to identify pivotal career moves; build a personal board of directors; and integrate learnings across decision making, networks, and purpose for a long-term leadership-development plan.
Module 7: Mastering the Art of Influence
Distinguish between power, influence, and leadership to develop an actionable influence strategy that leverages persuasion principles, power bases, and targeted tactics to drive alignment, manage resistance, and lead upward change.
Module 8: Innovative Leadership: Orchestrating Disruptive Change
Evaluate your organization’s readiness for disruptive change using innovation frameworks, competitive analysis, and ambidextrous strategies. Create a tailored playbook to lead adaptive forward-focused transformation.
Module 9: Analyzing Future Trends: Shaping C-Suite Agility and Foresight
Utilize lateral and options thinking to interpret complex global trend interactions, identify strategic cross-industry insights, and enhance executive foresight in high-uncertainty environments.
Module 10: Driving Digital Transformation
Assess your organization’s digital readiness using evidence-based frameworks to evaluate the nature, timing, and cost of disruption. Develop a transformation strategy that integrates innovation pathways, structural levers, and leadership impact.
Module 11: Integrating ESG into Strategic Decision Making
Evaluate the material impact of ESG factors across value pathways and stakeholder landscapes. Build a cross-functional engagement plan using strategic design, data transparency, and integrated reporting to align ESG priorities with business performance.
Module 12: Understanding and Appreciating Diversity in the Workplace
Examine the structural, emotional, and performance dimensions of workplace diversity. Apply the learn, experiment, apply, perfect (LEAP) framework to drive more inclusive advocacy, strategy, and culture within your organization.
Module 13: Introduction to Leading Product Management and the Role of the Chief Product Officer
Define the strategic role of the CPO by evaluating how product roles, leadership style, and structured team responsibilities evolve across the product life cycle to better address customer needs.
Module 14: Identifying Opportunities for New and Improved Products
Prioritize high-potential product innovations by applying strategic frameworks, including innovation tournaments and horizon planning, supported by lean methodologies, to reduce uncertainty and guide investment decisions.
Module 15: Customer-Driven Development Processes
Apply customer insights to drive structured product development by comparing iterative and traditional approaches, articulating a compelling product vision, and documenting clear customer requirements through strategic artifacts.
Module 16: Product Strategy
Design a cohesive product strategy by aligning vision, competitive positioning, and long-term advantage while building road maps that address platform scalability, strategic trade-offs, and evolving market conditions.
Module 17: The Triple-Diamond Model of Design
Utilize the triple-diamond design model to translate user needs into innovation opportunities by applying customer insight tools and evaluating concepts for strategic fit, cost efficiency, and market differentiation.
Module 18: Agile Development Processes
Leverage agile principles to structure development cycles across diverse product contexts, using prioritization techniques, sprint planning, and user stories to accelerate delivery and responsiveness.
Module 19: Connected Strategies
Explore how connected strategies transform customer relationships and monetization models by applying the connected strategy matrix framework, analyzing platform architectures, and addressing ethical considerations in data-driven engagement.
Module 20: Links to Marketing
Align brand and pricing strategies with product value to drive market differentiation by examining customer perception; value-capture mechanisms; and the strategic interplay between branding, pricing, and positioning.
Module 21: Financial Acumen for Chief Product Officers
Build financial acumen by applying net present value and weighted average cost of capital frameworks to evaluate capital projects, understand valuation principles, and assess investment decisions across public and private enterprises.
Module 22: Business and Data
Understand key unit economics and performance indicators to assess profitability, scalability, and product viability, applying data-driven insights, target costing, and key performance indicator (KPI) analysis across multistage operations.
Module 23: Strategic Partnerships
Evaluate the strategic role of partnerships and outsourcing by assessing fit, global motivations, and ecosystem risks. Develop a refined approach to partnerships that advances competitive advantage and long-term organizational goals.
Module 24: Leading Through Change
Lead complex change initiatives by applying systems thinking, influence frameworks, and stakeholder engagement strategies, balancing timing, trust, and tactical precision across change phases to drive operational resilience.
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 your peers and professionals from other cohorts to create a lifelong community of global executives.
Note: *A registration fee of US$250 is applicable.
Live online sessions
The program features a variety of weekly live, interactive sessions designed to support applied learning and professional growth. These include faculty-led* discussions to deepen understanding of key concepts, success coach sessions focused on application and reflection, and peer networking sessions that foster collaboration across cohorts. In addition, executive development sessions, led by senior industry practitioners, provide exposure to real-world leadership insights and experiences. Together, these sessions create a dynamic and engaging learning environment that blends strategic insight with practical learning.
The live sessions in the core modules on executive leadership, delivered across 14 weeks, are designed to build essential leadership capabilities and foster a connected learning community. Through these interactive sessions, participants will cultivate executive presence and strategic clarity to build trust, spark innovation across networks, and communicate a vision that drives alignment and results. 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.
Led by Professor Karl Ulrich, the live sessions on the specialized modules prepare product leaders to address the complex demands of innovation and enterprise growth. Sessions focus on strengthening cross-functional leadership, aligning product strategy with organizational objectives, and applying practical tools to accelerate innovation. Through faculty-led discussions and interactive exercises, participants gain insights that help them guide product portfolios, influence enterprise priorities, and create lasting value across the organization.
*The number of faculty-led sessions may vary.
Executive networking
Networking is a defining element of the Emerging Chief Product 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 Financial Officer (CFO) Program, Emerging Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program, Emerging Chief Product Officer (CPO) Program, and other programs to be announced in the future.
Learning journey
The six- to eight-month online journey blends core leadership development with specialized product-focused modules to prepare you for enterprise-level product leadership. It includes 14 weeks of foundational executive learning, followed by 10 weeks of advanced CPO-specific modules.
You also have the option to attend a two-day on-campus networking and recognition event* at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia that offers direct engagement with faculty and the opportunity to build lasting peer connections.
*Note: A registration fee of US$250 is applicable for the on-campus networking event.
**Note: The last two weeks of the core executive modules will be held after the 10 weeks of specialized CPO modules.
Strategic product leadership capstone project
The capstone project allows you to apply core learnings from across the program to a curated portfolio of product strategy deliverables. Based on a real or hypothetical focal product, this hands-on experience simulates the decision-making and strategic communication responsibilities of a modern CPO.
Final outputs include a product vision statement, competitive positioning, connection architecture, unit economics analysis, and product road map. Each output reflects your ability to translate strategic thinking into outcomes that align with business priorities and product leadership expectations.
Key frameworks and tools
Throughout the program, you engage with industry-recognized frameworks and models that sharpen product thinking and support executive decision making. These tools are integrated into assignments and discussions to build strategic fluency across product, team, and organizational dimensions.
Innovation tournaments: Apply a systematic approach to evaluate, filter, and prioritize early-stage product ideas
Three horizons model: Use a time-based framework to balance core business execution with long-term innovation planning
Connected strategy matrix: Map customer relationships to delivery and monetization models, with a focus on creating sustained engagement and value
Product road mapping: Build scalable, time-based product road maps that account for trade-offs, differentiation, and resource planning
Case studies
Strengthen your product leadership acumen through real-world case studies that translate strategy into practice. Each case is selected to deepen your understanding of value creation, innovation, and cross-functional alignment across the product life cycle.
Oura Ring
Explore how Oura Ring’s hardware–software hybrid addresses a key customer job to be done and examine how insights from customer behavior shape the end-to-end product strategy.
Xootr
Examine iterative product design through the lens of the Xootr, and learn how innovation and go-to-market strategy are refined through continuous testing and user feedback.
Candy bars
Learn to create an advantage thesis using a deceptively simple product. Through this case, focus on differentiation, competitive positioning, and the mechanics of building sustainable product advantage.
Disney and connected strategies
Analyze how Disney integrates connected experiences to create long-term customer value and apply the connected strategy framework to monetization through platform-based product ecosystems.
Smart value pricing in action
Apply a structured framework to assess your product’s economic value from the customer’s perspective. Through step-by-step evaluation of value drivers, cost comparisons, and perceived benefit, learn how to define and defend premium product pricing.
Program highlights
Immerse yourself in a comprehensive curriculum that gives you the momentum to transition to a C-level role.
Cultivate future-ready leadership skills through personalized assessments and evidence-based exercises.
Create a detailed strategy to evolve your leadership abilities that propel you toward your objective of becoming a CPO.
Experience real-time learning in live sessions that give depth to key leadership concepts.
Acquire rich, real-world insights into product and executive leadership through the expertise of renowned Wharton faculty.
Experience the power of modern product strategies and leadership practices as they come to life with real-world examples.
Expand your professional network through inter-cohort discussions, virtual meetups, and an on-campus event with a global community of peers.
Optimize your learning journey with the support of a success coach assigned to each cohort for the duration of the program.
Meet the faculty
Academic Director; CIBC Endowed Professor; Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions; Professor of Management; Advisor on Asia Strategy
Karl T. Ulrich’s research focuses on innovation, entrepreneurship, and product development. He is the co-author of Product Design and Development (fifth edition, McGraw Hill, ...
Andrew M. Heller Professor; Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions; Department Chair; Professor of Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine; Co-Director, Mack Institute for Innovation Management
Christian Terwiesch’s research on operations and innovation management is widely published in journals, including Management Science and The New England Journal of Medicine. H...
David M. Knott Professor; Professor of Management; Co-Director, Mack Institute for Innovation Management; Vice Dean, MBA Program
Nicolaj Siggelkow’s research focuses on the strategic and organizational implications of how firms design, evolve, and align their activities and resources. His work explores ...
Ira A. Lipman Associate Professor of Marketing; Vice Dean, Wharton Executive Education
Patti Williams’ research explores how emotional responses shape consumer behavior and influence persuasion. Her current work examines how emotions impact decision making, how ...
Tsai Wan-Tsai Professor; Professor of Marketing; Founding Director, Penn Wharton China Center
Professor Z. John Zhang’s research focuses on pricing strategy, competitive dynamics, market entry, and channel and retail management. His recent work explores the nuanced imp...
Associate Professor of Marketing; Associate Professor of Economics
Pinar Yildirim’s research focuses on media, technology, and information economics, with particular emphasis on online platforms, AI, economic and social networks, media bias, ...
Alice Y. Hung President’s Distinguished Professor
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...
Note: The faculty list is subject to change.
Guest speakers
Founder and General Partner, Refract Ventures; Former Chief Product Officer, Carbon Health
Analyst, General Atlantic
Director of Product Management, Meta; Former Chief Product Officer, Ramp Network
Faculty quotes
Who is this program for?
The Emerging Chief Product Officer Program will help experienced product professionals enhance their leadership and management skills, enabling them to leverage product-development expertise, strategic thinking, and data-driven decision making to elevate their impact and continue on their path to becoming a CPO.
The program is ideal for:
Vice presidents, directors, and heads of product seeking to develop the skills and mindset to lead enterprise-wide product strategy and accelerate their career growth
Product managers looking to leverage innovative frameworks and data-driven decision making to stay ahead of emerging trends and take on new leadership opportunities
Participants are required to have:
A minimum of 8 years of work experience
Fluency in written and spoken English
Note: This program is tailored for product professionals on the path to C-suite roles and is not intended for individuals currently serving as CPOs.
Leadership development action plan for aspiring product leaders
Through guided reflection and applied insights, you create a personalized action plan to support your growth as an enterprise product leader. This plan captures individual leadership styles and capabilities, mapping the key steps toward the CPO role.
You articulate a personal “why” statement and identify strategies to enhance decision making, strengthen team performance, expand informal networks, and leverage sources of influence. The action plan serves as a strategic foundation for long-term leadership development.
Certificate
Earn a Wharton Executive Education digital certificate upon successful completion of the program. 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 Chief Product Officer 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 Chief Product Officer 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 Chief Product Officer 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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