Executive Transition Program
Succeed in the transition to general management
The Executive Transition Program (ETP) prepares experienced senior-level managers and functional executives for the next stage of their career; the transition to general management.
Advancing to the highest levels of an organization represents a major shift in responsibilities. It demands a new way of business thinking, advanced managerial skills and technical knowledge, as well a fundamental change in the way that you lead yourself and others.
The ETP will take you on a transformational journey, equipping you with tools that will allow you to:
- Manage complex cross-functional activities and decisions on a global scale
- Adapt to the increasingly dynamic and quickly evolving needs of the modern business environment
- Lead in your general management role with advanced leadership skills
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Key facts
Your profile
- You are about to or recently have moved into a general management role
- You are leading a business unit, department or regional entity, or are in charge of a new product, market, or major project initiative
- You are a leader of leaders with at least 10 years of business experience and 5 years of leadership experience
- You have a confident command of written and spoken English
Benefits
- Fill gaps in your foundation, with top speakers, competitive activities, and simulations that challenge you to confront and master the complex responsibilities of a general manager
- Improve your sense-making capability by exchanging perspectives on what is happening across your organization and the wider market
- Build the confidence to lead others your way, through peer and group coaching as well as once-in-a-lifetime experiences that allow you to step out of your comfort zone in a supportive, "safe" environment
- Practice your competencies to lead a business with a team of peers by participating in a business simulation
- Benefit as an alumni from continued support and growth opportunities with the exclusive ETP Salon and gain access to a growing network of top-level leaders and change-makers.
Program highlights
- Top faculty for leading edge insights from ESMT Berlin and partner business schools that discuss key theories and cases
- A variety of experiential growth opportunities among others with actors to experiment in a safe environment
- Group discussions to exchange perspectives and practical experiences
- Group and monthly facilitated peer coaching sessions to deepen your individual learning
- Like-minded peers and opportunities for networking
- Inspiring locations and unique spaces for personal growth
- In-between-module online nuggets and webinars
Topics
- Financial Management & Sustainability
- Operations & Supply Chain Management
- Marketing & Commercialization
- Analytics & AI
- Strategy Definition and Change Implementation
- Innovation Management
- Sustainability
- Business Ethics & Responsibility
- Crucibles of Leadership
- Mindful and Inclusive Leadership
- Authorizing Your Leadership
- Your presence and story
Downloads
Executive Transition Program
Application form
Program structure
Module 1
Advanced general management functional competencies
You will...
- get to know your classmates, tackle several team challenges to form group bonds, get started with peer coaching, and receive practical inputs on how to collaborate effectively – offline and online
- dive deep into core business functions and learn their language and thought processes; develop an informed point of view to base decisions on
- practice taking evidence-based decisions and leveraging analytics and AI
- “bring it all together” by working on a business simulation that requires you to orchestrate value creation across all functions in an international, dynamic, and competitive context
- start exploring challenges of executive transitions and how to address them
Module 2
Strategic sense-making in the context of larger geopolitical ecosystem challenges
You will...
- broaden your view from a functional to a company-wide perspective and understand key levers for future competitiveness and growth, such as strategy, innovation, digital transformation, and sustainability
- practice agile methods, particularly design thinking, in order to strengthen a customer-centric mindset and tap into the power of adaptability
- learn to make effective, debiased decisions in a leadership team and leverage strategic networks
- understand how to build authority as a leader and explore leadership skills that will help you navigate the shifting business environment as well as demands of a senior role.
Module 3
Leadership skills and self-leadership mastery to lead self and others toward a sustainable future
You will...
- reflect on your leadership vision and value contribution and practice storytelling and leadership presence as a means of fostering loyalty and gaining followers
- understand what it takes to drive large-scale transformations of an organization and its culture
- dive deep into methods for inspiring high performance and boosting engagements in order to succeed in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environments
- practice effective collaboration and grounded leadership when under pressure and learn how to lead in an ethical and responsible way at all times
- benefit from group and individual transition coaching and opportunities to reflect on, and accelerate, your own leadership transition.
Sarah Horn
Program Director, Executive Education, ESMT Berlin
Urs Müller
Visiting Lecturer, ESMT Berlin and Associate Professor of Practice, SDA Bocconi
Gianluca Carnabuci
Professor of Organizational Behavior and Ingrid and Manfred Gentz Chair in Business and Society, ESMT Berlin
Nora Grasselli
Lecturer in leadership and member of the faculty, ESMT Berlin
Konstantin Korotov
Professor of Organizational Behavior and Faculty Lead of the Executive MBA Program, ESMT Berlin
Olaf Plötner
Professor of Management Practice, ESMT Berlin
Hanna Setterberg
Affiliated researcher, ESMT Berlin
Francis de Véricourt
Professor of Management Science and the founding Academic Director of the Institute for Deep Tech Innovation (DEEP), ESMT Berlin
“The move from functional to general management requires a fundamental change in capabilities, skills, and attitudes.
”
ETP gave me the opportunity to learn, experiment, develop, and build a network of great people – while preparing for my transition.
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Chairman of the Board, Investitions- und Förderbank Niedersachsen NBank
Scholarship Opportunities
To increase the number of female executives, ESMT Berlin awards two full scholarships and two partial scholarships (value €14,250) for women in leadership positions.
Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Management
Having completed the Executive Transition Program, you will receive the ESMT Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Management, a prestigious recognition of your professional development.
Need more information?
Contact our program advisors:
- Fill out our Request Information form
- Phone: +49 30 21231 1490
- Email: bd@esmt.org
Recommended
Next dates
Executive Transition Program
Module 1
Location
area Stockholm (Sweden)
Next Intake
Nov 14-21, 2025
Duration
8 days
Format
Face-to-face
Module 2
Location
Berlin
Next Intake
Feb 09-13, 2026
Duration
5 days
Format
Face-to-face
Module 3
Location
Berlin
Next Intake
May 18-22, 2026
Duration
5 days
Format
Face-to-face
Tuition
€28,500