Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Programme
Excel as a visionary tech leader
- Explore AI and emerging technologies through live online sessions
- Network with peers during a two-and-a-half-day in-person capstone module
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Drive technology-led business transformation
As technology becomes central to business growth and innovation, the role of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) has become a transformative and critical position essential for long-term survival. Organisations now need strategic technology leaders who can not only manage technology but also actively drive transformation, shape digital agendas and align tech initiatives with business goals, including the strategic and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI), to support sustained value creation.
The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Programme from Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education prepares senior technology professionals like you to lead with impact and create an ecosystem of technology strategies that protect and strengthen your organisation. Through a world-class curriculum, peer collaboration and expert insight, you will learn to scale innovation, apply AI and advanced analytics strategically, guide enterprise-wide change and position your organisation for long-term success.
86%
83%
Source: Heidrick & Struggles
What you will learn
This transformational learning experience will enable you to:
Develop technology strategies that align with both corporate and business objectives, balancing vision, risk and measurable success
Shape company culture to embrace complexity, empower innovative leadership and drive high-performance teams through fair and motivating practices
Translate strategic concepts into actionable operational measures, leveraging agile, experimental and traditional approaches to execute innovation effectively
Navigate the complexities of global innovation, creating cutting-edge ecosystem strategies and establishing fruitful inter-firm collaborations
Drive innovation by defining challenges, designing solutions, refining user experiences and employing agile experimentation for impactful implementation
Curriculum
This learning journey, combines self-paced online modules, including a recently added Business Analytics and AI module, with live virtual sessions and concludes with an immersive in-person capstone module in Cambridge, UK. The programme can be completed in 9 to 12 months, depending on the timing of the in-person module, and supports meaningful peer and faculty engagement.
Phase 1 — Strategic Leadership for CTOs
Corporate and Business Strategy: Differentiate corporate, business and technology strategies; assess an organisation’s strategic position and apply the Markides framework to align mission, vision and strategy.
How Strategy Translates to Innovation: Explore how innovation supports strategic objectives, evaluate organisational priorities and identify the types of innovation needed along with associated challenges.
The Role of the CTO: Examine how CTOs drive strategy execution by aligning initiative objectives with functional goals and designing performance measures across roles.
The Innovation Portfolio: Learn to manage an innovation portfolio by translating strategic objectives and organisational capabilities into portfolio decisions and designing tailored selection processes.
Phase 2 — Leadership, Culture, and Innovation: Understanding People to Drive Change
What Is Culture?: Examine the defining features of organisational culture, its origins and its alignment with strategic needs.
Changing Culture: Learn approaches for identifying where cultural change is necessary, implementing change and making culture fit for purpose.
Leadership Is Emotional: Explore the role of social emotions in decision-making and relationships, understand strengths and weaknesses and develop communication strategies.
Innovation Leadership: Analyse innovation leadership practices, methods for understanding team motivation and approaches for implementing fair processes.
Leadership Is Cultural: Investigate cultural influences, including imitation, and develop strategic plans for influencing organisational culture.
Innovation and Sustainability: Learn how sustainability and technology initiatives align with strategy, and examine the CTO’s role in enabling sustainable innovation.
Phase 3 — Innovation Architecture and Execution
Innovation Types and Processes: Explore experimentation challenges, approaches suited to diverse innovation types and methods for managing innovation.
Structure of Organisations: Examine how organisational structures influence strategy and behaviour, and identify opportunities for automation.
Strategic Role of Projects: Evaluate and select innovation projects, align operational plans with strategic objectives and prepare for digital transformation.
The Distributed Nature of Innovation: Analyse how collaborations and interdependencies shape innovation and identify both realised and unrealised opportunities.
Operation Measures and Incentives: Understand how process measures and incentives influence behaviour, and assess the alignment of operational metrics with innovation objectives.
Phase 4 — Global Ecosystems and Strategic Partnerships
Gaining an Ecosystem Edge: Explore how to create value within ecosystems, develop strategies to launch and scale them, promote innovation and identify monetisation opportunities.
From Local to Global Innovation: Examine readiness for global innovation, leverage global knowledge and develop approaches to expand beyond geographic boundaries.
Contracting with Partners: Explore partnership models, contracting structures, risk allocation and stakeholder tensions when engaging with external partners.
Global Cross-Boundary Collaboration: Learn to navigate challenges across globally dispersed teams, leverage technology and plan for effective boundary-spanning communication.
Frugal Innovation: Explore principles for solving problems with limited resources and delivering value through simplicity without compromising quality.
Phase 5 — Enacting Innovation
Challenge Identification: Identify meaningful innovation challenges, investigate them systematically and define them clearly.
Ideation and Solution Design: Guide the creation of challenge statements, generate and select innovative ideas and develop them into viable solutions.
Proposition and User Experience: Craft elevator pitches, visualise customer journeys, define functionality, build cost models and articulate commercial propositions.
Agile Experimentation and Implementation: Explore rapid testing and agile experimentation techniques to refine and implement solutions effectively.
Gain insights into best practices for implementing technology initiatives through faculty-led live sessions. Recordings will be available for flexible viewing.
Strategy: The Innovation Portfolio
Learn to build and manage an innovation portfolio that aligns initiatives with strategic goals, balances risk, reduces bias and drives organisational alignment.
Leadership and Culture: Changing Culture
Examine how culture shapes strategy and innovation, identify cultural enablers and barriers and apply frameworks to guide cultural evolution.
Leadership and Culture: Innovation and Sustainability
Understand how the circular economy and innovation drive sustainability, exploring frameworks and examples for profitable, resource-efficient business models.
Process and Execution: Innovation Types and Processes
Explore structured and iterative innovation processes, balancing risk and flexibility while integrating incremental and radical initiatives.
Thinking Globally: The Distributed Nature of Innovation
Discover how to foster networked innovation through cultural alignment, stakeholder engagement and governance while leveraging emerging technologies.
Incorporating Data and AI into Project Prioritisation Decisions
Learn to manage innovation portfolios and partnerships using data-driven decision-making, effective governance and dynamic data strategies.
From Silos to Synergy: Cross-Boundary Collaboration for AI Transformation
Develop strategies to overcome the challenges of cross-boundary collaboration, including cultural differences and remote working constraints.
Thinking Globally: Frugal Innovation
Explore how to innovate effectively with limited resources through flexibility, collaboration and customer engagement.
Solutions: Challenge Identification and Definition
Learn to define and articulate real organisational challenges, turning strategic issues into actionable problem statements.
Solutions: Ideation and Solution Design
Use structured techniques to overcome groupthink and generate creative, high-impact solutions.
Solutions: Proposition and User Experience
Map the customer experience life cycle to identify key touch points and opportunities to enhance satisfaction and perception.
Solutions: Agile Experimentation and Implementation
Apply agile principles to design rapid experiments, test assumptions and refine innovations iteratively.
Equip yourself to make informed, data-driven decisions and lead AI-enabled initiatives with clarity and confidence. You will explore how emerging capabilities in big data, machine learning, generative AI and causal analytics can be applied to real organisational challenges to drive innovation and business impact. You will also strengthen your ability to build a data-driven culture, guide responsible AI adoption and develop the analytical mindset needed to support sustainable, intelligence-led growth.
Topics include:
Mapping Business Decisions to Data
Getting Creative with Big Data
Experimental Design
Machine Learning
Causal Analytics
Generative AI
Legal and Ethical Use of Data and AI
Making Business Analytics and AI Happen
Deepen your expertise in an area of your choice with one selection-based online elective.
Digital Transformation: From Strategy to Execution: Design and implement digital initiatives that transform business operations.
Strategic Thinking for the CXO: Platforms, Ecosystems and AI-Driven Strategies: Identify critical inflection points and deploy strategies that drive organisational change.
Innovation and Intrapreneurship: Winning Strategies for New Venture Creation: Identify innovation opportunities and develop new venture pathways.
Mastering Change Management: Building Resilient and Adaptable Organisations: Lead organisational transformation by fostering adaptability and resilience.
Note: Electives are subject to change.
Meet your cohort peers and faculty in Cambridge for a two-and-a-half-day in-person capstone experience. You will complete your capstone project and build a lifelong community of global technology leaders.
Participants must attend the in-person capstone module in Cambridge to complete the programme and receive the certificate of completion.
AI-focused live online sessions
You will also gain access to AI-focused live online sessions that equip you to harness AI tools and strategies responsibly at your organisation, enabling you to exceed business goals and build a competitive advantage.
AI and Technology Strategy: Aligning Innovation with Business Impact
Learn how AI-driven innovation integrates into business strategy and evaluate its impact across complex innovation portfolios.
Responsible and Strategic Use of Generative AI
Strengthen your understanding of strategic risk, ethics and leadership to guide responsible generative AI adoption aligned with organisational goals.
AI-Driven Experimentation: Rethinking Agile and Process Design
Discover how AI enables continuous testing, rapid optimisation and autonomous, agentic workflows within agile processes.
Empowering Innovation Culture through AI-Enabled Decision-Making
Explore how AI enhances leadership, fairness and empowerment while balancing automation and reducing bias.
Note: Session topics are indicative and are subject to change.
Who is it for?
Aspiring and current CTOs
This programme is designed for experienced technology professionals in decision-making roles who are ready to step into enterprise-level leadership. Whether you are an established CTO or preparing for the role, the programme helps you build the capabilities to contribute to business strategy, drive innovation and lead transformation.
Strategic leaders with an innovative agenda
This programme is ideal for individuals looking to sharpen their influence, enhance communication and lead technology initiatives that deliver measurable business outcomes. It offers you the opportunity to develop both technological and leadership skills while expanding your global network.
Eligibility criteria
Participants typically have:
Over ten years of work experience
A successful track record in one or more functional areas of business and an agenda for change.
Immersion module at Cambridge
The in-person capstone module is a cornerstone of the programme, designed to ensure you, as a CTO, stay at the forefront of industry developments and build a network of like-minded peers. It takes place in Cambridge, UK, where you can meet faculty and peers. You will be able to interact with them and gain invaluable insights and perspectives that can shape your CTO career, empower your strategic thinking and broaden your understanding of the current trends and emerging opportunities.
Meet the faculty
Associate Professor in Innovation and Operations Management
Professor Jeremy Hutchison-Krupat’s research interests include how organisations can effectively implement their innovation objectives, particularly the impact of an organisat...
Professor of Strategic Leadership and Ethics at the United States Army War College (Retired)
Faculty (Professor Level) in Management Practice
Professor of Operations and Technology Management
Coach and Mentor, MSt Entrepreneurship
Margaret Thatcher Professor of Enterprise Studies in Innovation & Growth
Diageo Professor in Organisation Studies
Professor of Marketing
Professor of Operations and Technology Management
Research Fellow (Organisational Theory and Information Systems)
Management Practice Professor of Financial Economics and Policy
Honorary Professor of International Management, and Fellow and Director of Studies in Management at Jesus College
Programme highlights
This immersive programme will empower you to shape strategic technology agendas and accelerate your career growth. Through a blend of core and elective online modules, personal success coaching and a capstone module at Cambridge, you will gain insights from world-class faculty and collaborate with a global cohort of senior technology leaders. You will receive select Cambridge Judge Business School benefits and join an influential executive network upon programme completion.
Participate in live online sessions with faculty and industry practitioners.
Learn from thought leaders and leading researchers.
Interact with high-achieving peers from around the globe and build your network.
Kick-start your journey with 24 weeks of in-depth sessions on strategy, leadership, execution and technology policy.
Apply programme concepts to prepare a capstone project that addresses a real-world technology issue in your organisation.
Craft your learning journey in line with your career goals with a success coach assigned to your cohort.
Glean insights from global industry experts with guest lectures throughout the programme.
Interact with faculty and peers at an in-person capstone module and certificate ceremony.
Earn select Cambridge Judge Business School benefits upon completion of the programme.
Professionally designed for CTO success
The programme’s flexible format allows current and aspiring CTOs to balance demanding work schedules with targeted learning for maximum professional impact. You will engage in online and interactive sessions, including small group exercises, fireside chats and guest lectures led by influential technology leaders.
Tailored
Complete the programme and choose from topical elective modules that best suit your CTO journey and nurture your areas of interest.
Aspirational
Benefit from the experiences of world-class faculty and accomplished leaders from the Cambridge community and build a lifelong global network.
Practical
Draw upon the latest thinking and cutting-edge academic research to apply insights immediately and solve real-world problems.
Past participant profile
Diverse industries
A wide range of work experience
Global cohort
Testimonials
Certificate
Upon successful completion of the programme, participants will be awarded a certificate of completion in Cambridge by Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education.
Programme completion benefits
Earn select Cambridge Judge Business School benefits upon completion of the programme including:
Access to Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education’s Leader’s Club network
Regular newsletter with updates on the latest research, activities and events at the school
Discount on future CJBS Executive Education open-enrolment programmes
Invitations to worldwide networking events including in-person events and webinars
Join the exclusive CJBS Executive Education LinkedIn group
FAQs
The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Programme is a comprehensive learning journey designed to help senior managers like you advance into organisation-wide CTO and technology leadership roles.
This programme is ideal for experienced technology professionals who are aspiring to become Chief Technology Officers (CTOs). You will gain valuable insights into how to become a CTO and lead your organisation in today’s rapidly changing world.
The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Programme comprises online modules, live online sessions and an in-person capstone module in Cambridge. The entire learning journey can typically be completed in about 9 to 12 months, depending on the dates of the in-person module.
This programme is designed for participants with over ten years of professional experience, a proven track record in one or more business functions and a strong agenda for driving change. Fluency in written and spoken English is required, along with a desire to strengthen your technology leadership skills. Exposure to global work projects is preferred.
Our curriculum is updated to reflect the latest developments in technology leadership practices, ensuring that participants are well prepared for the dynamic technology landscape. We also ensure access to real-world case studies, enabling them to gain relevant practical industry insights.
Emeritus collects all programme payments, provides learner enrolment and programme support and manages learning platform services.
You can pay the full programme fee upfront or pay in easy instalments. If you apply well in advance of the programme start date, you can receive a programme fee benefit. If you believe you may qualify for other discounts, please check with your programme adviser to confirm the applicable discount that will provide the greatest benefit and whether there are specific terms and conditions for use. If you would like to approach your organisation with a sponsorship request for this programme, here is a customisable template that you can use.
For the programme refund and deferral policy, please click the link here.
Programme fees for Emeritus programmes with Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education 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 programme adviser for a 1:1 session
Our programme advisers have helped senior executives around the world choose the right programme for their career goals. Schedule a 1:1 to get a deeper understanding on why the Chief Technology Officer Programme is the right fit for you.
Email: cambridge_cto@emeritus.org
Phone: +971 80 0088601097 (UAE) / +44 1786 649936 (UK) / +1 573 527 3654 (USA) / +52 55970 73870 (LATAM) / 000 8009191970 (India*) / +65 3138 1820 (SG)
*If you are dialing the India number, please make sure to include the first three zeros (000).
Early applications are encouraged. Admissions are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Flexible payment options available.
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