Henley Executive Management Programme
Gain the strategic skills, mindset and resilience to lead across your organisation and shape the future.
At a glance
- Explore innovation, neuroscience, finance, and AI through experiential learning.
- Build personal insight through 360° feedback and one-to-one coaching.
- Practise with tools such as actor-led simulations for difficult conversations and HRV monitoring for leadership resilience.
- Turn learning into action with a personal plan to embed change in your organisation.
- Learn with diverse peers to share perspectives and solve real leadership challenges.
- Subject area(s)
- Management, Leadership, Strategy
- Attendance
- Short course
- Fee
- £17,950 + VAT (including residential costs)
- Course length
- 2 x 5-day modules
- Suitable for
- Senior executives (e.g. directors, heads of department)
- Delivery
- In-person
Start dates
Looking for a date?
No problem. Get in touch with our team to be kept in the loop on future course dates.
Talk to our teamNOTE
All programmes are subject to limited availability. We recommend booking a minimum of 6 weeks before the programme start date, to guarantee sufficient time for your enrolment and on-boarding.
Overview
Evolving into and performing at senior leadership level is one of the most demanding challenges in a career. It requires a shift from functional expertise to leading across the whole organisation, navigating complexity to make decisions under uncertainty, as well as shaping, developing and executing strategy while staying resilient. Many executives face self-doubt, imposter phenomenon, and the pressure of balancing performance with wellbeing, while also needing to influence at board level and drive change.
The programme is designed for senior executives, directors, and heads of functions who want to thrive and perform through the career-defining transition into senior leadership. Combining academic rigour with real-world application, executives will develop the confidence, strategic perspective, and resilience needed to succeed at the highest levels of leadership.
The programme supports both individuals stepping up into greater responsibility to develop broader thinking, new behaviours and realigned relationships, and experienced leaders who want to deepen or expand their leadership capability. The programme also helps organisations seeking to build their senior leadership pipeline and succession planning capacity.
Key benefits
Gain the insights to think and act strategically across your organisation, and the tools to devise and implement effective strategy.
Develop the confidence and clarity to step beyond your comfort zone, tackling complex challenges with composure and conviction.
Unlock the mindset and influence to operate at board level, shaping strategy, driving execution, and leading change with purpose.
Elevate your ability to inspire, influence, and ignite action in others.
Position yourself for senior leadership and transformative opportunities, with the credibility and capability to make a lasting impact.
Learn alongside experienced peers, sharing perspectives and solving real-world leadership challenges together.
What does it deliver?
The programme equips you to:
- Step into senior leadership with confidence, credibility, and presence across the organisation.
- Think and act strategically across the organisation, shaping direction and driving performance beyond your own function.
- Make better decisions under pressure and in complexity and uncertainty.
- Inspire change, communicate with impact, and handle difficult conversations.
- Lead with resilience and humanity, creating balance and wellbeing for yourself and those you lead.
- Apply learning immediately through real-world business cases, feedback, and reflection.
How does it do this?
Through a unique mix of:
- Experiential learning across innovation, neuroscience, finance, AI, and more.
- 360-degree feedback and one-to-one coaching for personal insight and growth.
- Peer learning with leaders from diverse organisations and sectors.
- Practical tools, including actor-led simulations for difficult conversations, heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring and personal professional analysis for leadership resilience.
- A personal action plan to apply learning directly back to the organisation at pace and scale.
The Henley Executive Management Programme is designed for senior executives, directors, and heads of function who want to strengthen their impact and performance at the highest levels of leadership. It supports both those preparing to step into greater organisational responsibility, developing broader thinking, new behaviours and strategic relationships, and experienced leaders who want to deepen or expand their leadership capability. The programme also helps organisations build a stronger senior leadership pipeline and enhance succession planning capacity.
When you complete this programme, you will be able to:
- Perform confidently in your senior leadership role.
- Make better decisions under pressure and in complexity.
- Shape and execute organisational strategy effectively.
- Communicate and influence at board level.
- Lead with resilience, balance, and long-term impact.
The Henley Executive Management Programme is delivered through a combination of workshops, role-play activities, coaching and self-awareness sessions. You will study as part of a small but diverse cohort of peers, learning from each other’s shared experiences.
The programme takes place over four months, as broken down below:
EMP: Pre-Programme (3-4 weeks)Three to four weeks before your course starts, you will:
Academic authors
Dr Narendra Laljani
|
EMP: Module 1 (5 days residential)Module 1 is delivered on site at Greenlands. These immersive, practical sessions focus on leading self, leading others, and leading the change process. Topics include:
Content is delivered through a dynamic combination of workshops, role-play activities and 1:1 coaching. You can also choose to wear a heart rate monitor for four days to learn how your heart rate variability (HRV) impacts your well-being and effectiveness. Academic authors
Dr Narendra Laljani
Professor Patricia Riddell
Caroline Hitchens
Elizabeth Stephens
Kate Scott
John Neal
|
EMP: Back In Organisation (8-10 weeks)Between modules you will the opportunity to consolidate and apply the skills and techniques you have learned. You will also have a 1:1 executive coaching session and additional reading during this time. Academic authors
Dr Narendra Laljani
|
EMP: Module 2 (5 days residential)Module 2 is delivered on site at Greenlands and focuses on leading organisations effectively. Topics include:
The consultancy exercise is with a host organisation, normally a social enterprise, charity, or NGO. You will help them solve a particular business challenge, drawing from what you have learned on the programme to make recommendations. Academic authors
Dr Narendra Laljani
Claire Hewitt
Simon Lancaster
Andy Bryan
|
EMP: Post-Programme ActivitiesTo enable you to effectively implement your learning, support from the Programme Director and Henley continue after your course is completed.
Academic authors
Dr Narendra Laljani
|
Modules or course content marked as optional are indicative and may be subject to change. Please note, constraints in timetable scheduling may mean you are unable to take some optional modules at the same time as others.
Programme Director Narendra Laljani is a management educator, consultant and CEO coach with 25 years' experience in leadership development and helping organisations to become more effective. He has undertaken management development projects for a diverse range of clients and has consulted at board level with a large number of international organisations.
Set in sweeping parkland on the banks of the River Thames, Henley Business School's Greenlands campus provides an inspiring and reflective environment for focused work and study.
Why choose Henley?
(Financial Times Executive Education 2025)
For 80 years, Henley Business School has developed confident and resilient business leaders. Executive Education at Henley is:
- Practical: we combine academic rigour with a strong practical focus, so you can immediately apply what you have learned back in your organisation.
- Relevant: Henley faculty are experienced practitioners who can support you in exploring solutions to your organisation’s challenges.
- Collaborative: Open programmes enable you to expand your network, gain new perspectives and share ideas with peers from a range of backgrounds and sectors.
- Personal: deliberately small learning groups allow you to benefit from individual attention and a confidential environment. We encourage you to understand your unique strengths, leadership style, and areas for development.
Contact us
Open Programmes
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the programme, please contact our programme advisors.
Email: exec@henley.ac.ukTelephone: 01491 418767
“It was so practical, and I could apply what I’d learned directly to my work ... I find myself being comfortable in much more advanced strategic conversations.”
The quality of the teaching was exceptional … we always felt that we were being taught by world leaders in their fields.
I think I have a much better understanding of people, and I feel that I make better decisions as a result.
What I learned in 2 weeks from this programme would have taken me 4 to 5 years to learn otherwise.