Executive education courses in finance deliver among the most tangible returns: they aim to raise the profitability of organization and generate shareholder value. Many executive courses in finance are run by the world’s top business schools in global financial centers like London or New York City. 

Many of the programs are for non-finance executives looking to get up to speed on the fundamentals of corporate finance – cash flow management, valuations, mergers and acquisitions. From there, participants learn how to evaluate investment opportunities and acquire assets and to create shareholder value. They also learn how corporate funding decisions are made, and how to win finance for their projects and teams. 

Some are certificate programs that enable participants to tailor the learning to their professional needs by choosing from a wide array of course options that come together into a single qualification. 

Often, the programs cover novel technologies such as financial technology (fintech), artificial intelligence and machine learning in finance, with participants learning how to harness the power of technology to make better business decisions and to boost efficiency and accuracy. 

The best executive courses in finance tend to be short, lasting a few days to a few weeks, either in person, online or a combination of delivery methods. Here are the top 10: 
 

COVID-19 forced companies to reconsider the just-in-time supply chains that the global economy has come to rely upon: the pandemic has exposed companies to increasingly expensive disruptions. The need to trade-off efficiency for resilience, along with the growing body of evidence that suggests supply chains have a material impact on financial performance, has convinced many top business schools to roll out supply chain management programs for senior executives. 

Many of the best executive courses in supply chain management focus on how to build resilience into supply chains. Sustainability is another strong theme across the programs, with participants learning how to manage risks stemming not just from coronavirus but broader global instability such as geopolitical tensions and trade wars, leading to higher tariffs. 

Generally, participants in supply chain executive courses learn about procurement, demand management, forecasting, sales and operational planning. They also study broader management challenges too, such as finance, economics, people management and leadership. 

There is a strong digital flavor to many of the programs, which cover analytics and  robotic process automation, which is increasing transparency, responsiveness and agility. Participants learn how to streamline logistics and create value for their company, employing innovative technologies to boost business performance.  

The variety of content means the executive programs attract both supply chain managers and executives in other functions who recognize that supply chains have a big impact on overall performance.   

Often, the programs balance theory with practice. One some courses, the participants use simulations, applying solutions to real-world business challenges. 

Students learn how to connect supply chain design to business strategy and financial planning. Ultimately, participants will use supply chain management to improve organizational performance. That’s the bottom line. 

See the Top 10 Executive Courses in Supply Chain Management below.

Companies today are having to respond to rapid changes in business and society amid increasing competitive threats but also business opportunities for companies bold enough to shape their market. 

Happily, there are a wide range of executive education courses in strategy or strategic management offered by some of the world’s leading business schools around the world. On these courses, participants learn how to assess threats and opportunities, and build a compelling vision for transformation based on the broader environmental, political and social landscape. 

In these strategy-oriented executive courses, participants discover how to choose the right team members and nurture the best ideas, putting together a strategic plan of action. Then, the executives enrolled in these 10 leading programs learn how to build innovation capability and lead change management. They come away with the confidence to take on tough challenges and develop solutions that drive organizational performance. 

The best executive courses in strategy cover a wide range of topics that are important for managers with increasing responsibility.

See the top 10 executive courses in strategy below.

People managers have been vital in supporting workers during the Covid-19 crisis, and in designing more diverse and inclusive workplaces in response to calls for equity. There are many executive education programs in human resources (HR) management, run by top business schools around the world. 

Drawing on the latest academic research and industry best practice, participants in these HR executive courses learn effective strategies for hiring, recruitment, performance evaluation, promotion and compensation. Participants also explore and learn to anticipate rapid changes in business and society. 

Many of the best executive courses in HR also cover how companies can use data and people analytics to improve human resources management. The programs are practical, with participants getting stuck into lively classroom discussions and interactive exercises to help identify individual strengths and communication styles.

The learning outcomes include enhanced leadership capability and bolstered confidence to influence decisions that have a tangible impact on the bottom line, in terms of raising employee engagement and productivity, leading change management and performance measurement. 

Participants learn to build up the cultural and human capital of their company, which is one of the most important assets on the balance sheet. That ultimately creates customer and business value.  

See the top executive courses in human resources management below.

Family companies are the engines of economic develop across the world, and they play an important role in labor market, employing the vast majority of private sector workers. They also tend to be more resilient than other companies with lower insolvency rates through crises. 

However, family business face unique challenges, and that is where executive education can help. A number of the world’s leading business schools cater to family-owned companies with specific executive courses. 

A common theme among the course providers is how to transition from one generation to the next, along with the unique governance challenges faced by family firms. 

Many of the best executive courses in family business management also offer executive coaches to support the implementation of academic theory into the real world, and may even offer a personalized leadership development journey. The programs are hands-on, with participants learning through a blend of theory and role-play.

Some of the courses are partnerships delivered between multiple institutions, with participants spending their time at both schools in different parts of the world to develop a more global perspective on family enterprise. Other programs are delivered entirely online, offering greater flexibility and convenience to participants. 

These executive education programs are for all members of family-owned companies in addition to non-executive directors and board members, along with investors and other stakeholders. 
 

There are many changes afoot in the world of sales from evolving consumer and customer needs to digital acceleration and disruptive events. One way to get ahead and grasp these rapidly evolving concepts is to take an executive education program. Helsinki to Salt Lake City, the courses are offered by business schools across the world, through a mixture of in person and online learning. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharper focus the importance of using digital technology to create new distribution channels and sales strategies to satisfy changing consumer tastes. Therefore, many of the emerging executive courses in sales focus on digital transformation, but not so much on technology but rather people and culture, and how they can benefit the sales function.  

Thus, some of the programs focus on managing a sales workforce in terms of strategy, structure, motivation and performance management. But many will focus on the technology behind sales itself, including data analytics, with companies spending millions of dollars to collect and analyze their data to generate revenue and increase profit. Sales analytics is also about uncovering how salespeople can improve their own performance. 

Another area of focus is on ethics and how to make sound decisions, not solely based on economics. Here are the top 10 courses that encompass all of this and much more. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming business and life more broadly. Referring to the development of computer systems that can perform tasks that once required human intelligence, AI is being applied to a number of business settings to create new economic value. 

In a data-driven world, executives need a thorough understanding of the power of AI to boost their individual and organizational performance, as well as its ethical implications for wider society and the threats it represents. Indeed, by 2025 the global AI market is expected to be worth almost $60 billion. 

To compete in a tech-driven economy, many business leaders, managers and technical specialists are enrolling in executive education programs—in artificial intelligence or machine learning—now run by dozens of the world’s leading business schools. In these programs, participants will learn about the current capabilities and business applications of the technology, and its future potential. More than that, executives will learn how to manage integration projects and communicate with technologists. There are also lessons to be learnt in avoiding common pitfalls. 

Other courses focus on specific and significant economic sectors such as financial services, where AI and machine learning are driving radical changes in the decision-making processes of financial institutions. Here are the top 10 executive courses in AI and machine learning:

Social entrepreneurship and nonprofit organizations are part of a rapidly growing movement that seeks to create societal value and protect the environment alongside generating economic value. A number of business schools offer excellent executive education programs for managers who operate in this dynamic and rewarding space. 

The programs typically offer a flexible schedule, practical application of classroom learning in the workplace and a sophisticated curriculum offering a strong foundation in nonprofit management and leadership. The executive courses help mission-driven leaders develop their strategy, financial and fundraising skills. Participants also learn a great deal from one another. 

The programs will either be either for social enraptures or nonprofit leaders. Participants who are social entrepreneurs will develop entrepreneurial skills, learning how to integrate design thinking and social innovation, in addition to measuring the impact of their social venture model.  The nonprofit executive courses focus on strengthening people’s leadership capabilities and encouraging them to spark innovation and lead change within their organizations. 

Building and leading a diverse workforce has become a key focus for executives in every business sector and geography in recent years, reflecting social movements such as MeToo and Black Lives Matter, along with the growing body of evidence proving that diverse team outperform. 

Building an inclusive workforce — one that takes into consideration characteristics including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation — is widely seen as the key to unleashing innovation and creativity, along with making better business decisions. It’s also a moral imperative.

However, creating a diverse organization is no easy feat, and business schools, who have their own social responsibility, are creating executive education programs focused on diversity and inclusion, whether that’s courses designed for LGBT executives, women in leadership or executives more broadly who want to build their self-awareness and develop their intercultural skills. 

Participants in these programs will develop an inclusive mindset and learn how to work within and lead diverse teams, as well as how to mitigate bias through self-reflective exercises and group work. They also learn to tackle difficult questions and issues like privilege. 

Companies are increasingly demanding leaders who empathetic and compassionate. Leaders who can motivate and engage employees, promote wellbeing and improve productivity. These concerns have come into sharper relief because of the coronavirus pandemic, the pressures of remote working, and the growing calls for greater diversity in the workplace.

In response to such calls, business schools and their executive education departments are not standing still. A number of schools have created courses focused on “positive leadership”, which focus on the virtues of trust, inclusivity, gratitude, and generosity. Participants learn how to transform working relationships so that employees are focused on collective gains.

Other courses focus on specific aspects of positive leadership, including diversity and inclusion, which has become a business imperative. Some schools empathize emotional intelligence, which helps leaders harness the power of emotions to boost motivation and performance. Many of the programs are action-orientated, with the executives working on real challenges faced by their companies, helping to diagnose dysfunctional processes and toxic cultures. They walk away with a concrete plan of action for change – and the tools to achieve it.