Leadership roles have evolved dramatically over the past decade, calling for professionals who can pivot, adapt, and lead transformation across technology, sustainability, and governance. IMD’s new Executive Masters deliver the flexible, future-ready learning needed to drive meaningful, lasting change where it matters most.
Today, the pressure to lead digital transformation, tackle sustainability challenges, and keep pace with constant change impacts roles, sectors, and industries. But while demand for transformation has surged, the supply of leaders with the subject expertise and strategic skills to deliver it hasn’t kept up. Organizations are investing heavily in areas like AI, data, and ESG, but many still lack the people who can connect that knowledge to business strategy and create successful transformation that lasts.
That’s the gap the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) aims to close with the launch of the Executive Master in AI & Digital Business Transformation and the Executive Master in Sustainable Business Transformation.
The degrees offer a modular, flexible format and combine deep subject expertise with the strategic leadership skills needed to turn knowledge into enterprise-wide change. The goal is to better support professionals looking to step up, pivot, or accelerate their careers in the areas where business needs leadership most.
“These degrees are designed to help professionals become the go-to experts in digital or sustainable transformation,” says Misiek Piskorski, Dean of Executive Education and Professor of Digital Strategy. “We want to equip people with the tools, confidence, and credibility to lead what’s next in a way that fits their lives.”
What’s different about these degrees?
The short answer? Flexibility without compromise.
These Executive Masters are designed to allow participants to balance study with their careers and life commitments. They adapt to what professionals actually need from a degree today. Instead of one fixed path, the degrees offer a more adaptive journey; one that gives structure where it’s helpful and freedom where it matters.
Instead of one fixed path, the degrees offer a more adaptive journey; one that gives structure where it’s helpful and freedom where it matters.
At the core of each degree are two foundation modules. The first builds deep expertise in either sustainable business or AI and digital transformation. The second focuses on how to lead business transformation. Both are made up of programs from IMD’s open program portfolio: a suite of short, focused executive programs that serve thousands of professionals every year.
From there, participants shape the rest of their learning through a curated selection of electives. These include a mix of online and in-person programs, as well as learning opportunities through IMD’s participation in the Global Network for Advanced Management (GNAM): a collaboration of top business schools offering shared programs and global exposure. This flexibility allows participants to focus on the areas most relevant to their goals while learning alongside diverse professionals tackling real-world challenges around the globe.
This format opens up something different from the typical cohort model. Instead of moving through the degree with the same group from start to finish, participants engage with a wider network of professionals at every stage. These are people from other industries, geographies, and roles who share a similar drive to grow and lead. That kind of variety not only keeps the experience dynamic but brings in fresh perspectives that sharpen thinking and spark new ideas.
But that doesn’t mean participants lose a sense of belonging. Executive Master participants still connect regularly with others in their degree through tailored workshops and shared touchpoints across the journey. It’s a shift from cohort focus to community focus, one that mirrors how transformation happens in organizations: across functions, across silos, and experiences.
In many ways, the open program portfolio is what makes this all possible. It allows participants to build a degree that reflects who they are and what they want to explore while keeping the quality, structure, and learning outcomes consistent. It also means participants benefit from IMD’s faculty and peer learning model, one that’s been tried, tested, and refined through decades of executive education.
Subject depth. Strategic reach.
The open program portfolio is what makes this all possible. It allows participants to build a degree that reflects who they are and what they want to explore while keeping the quality, structure, and learning outcomes consistent.
Each Executive Master begins by building deep, practical expertise. In the AI & Digital Business Transformation degree, participants explore topics like AI, data strategy, emerging technologies, and digital innovation. The Sustainable Business Transformation degree offers topics such as circular economy, sustainability strategy, and managing and measuring sustainability impact.
But knowledge alone doesn’t move organizations forward. What sets these degrees apart is their focus on turning expertise into action. Participants learn how to influence decisions at the highest level and guide transformation with purpose.
Applied learning. Real-world value.
From start to finish, these degrees are designed to be lived, not just studied. The learning happens in the context of real work, real challenges, and real ambitions. From engaging in interactive, case-based programs to exploring live business scenarios, everything is geared toward helping professionals connect what they learn to what they do.
This is supported by IMD’s continued investment in learning innovation. AI tools help participants stay focused, engaged, and supported as they move through their degree. Smart recommendations highlight relevant content to them. Nudges help build habits and accountability. Gamified learning and diagnostics allow for deeper reflection and sharper insight, all woven into the experience, not added on top.
Each degree culminates in a Capstone Project or Thesis. It’s an opportunity to go deep in an area that matters, whether that’s solving a business challenge in their organization or contributing new thinking to their field. Some participants may use the Capstone to design strategy or implement change inside their company. Others may choose to explore a research topic, build original insight, or lay the groundwork for a future pivot.
Throughout the process, participants are supported by IMD faculty and expert mentors. The result is a final deliverable that reflects both the learning and the leadership growth that’s taken place and one that can act as a powerful signal to organizations, peers, and future employers.
Who are these degrees for?
The Executive Masters are designed for professionals with at least eight years of experience. People who’ve built strong foundations in their field and are now asking bigger questions about what comes next.
Some are specialists who want to connect their deep expertise to broader business strategy. Others are stepping into more senior roles and need the confidence, clarity, and skills to lead transformation across an organization. Many are looking to pivot into high-impact areas like sustainability or digital business and want the credibility to match their ambition.
Across the board, these are professionals who want more from their learning, as a chance to grow in a way that delivers lasting value.
In a world where skills are constantly evolving, these degrees are about building capabilities that are future-proof. Strategic thinking. Cross-functional leadership. The ability to influence decisions, shape outcomes, and lead in complexity.
A final word
The Executive Masters mark a new chapter at IMD. But more importantly, they respond to what professionals are asking for: learning that fits into their lives, builds in-demand skills, and helps them lead where it counts.
These degrees are focused on what matters most right now, giving leaders the depth, perspective, and strategic tools to grow their careers and create meaningful impact.
— David Bach, IMD President and Nestlé Professor of Strategy and Political Economy
For professionals ready to take that next step, these degrees offer a powerful way forward.
Explore the new Executive Master degrees at IMD:
- Executive Masters in AI & Digital Business Transformation →
- Executive Masters in Sustainable Business Transformation →
About the International Institute for Management Development (IMD)
The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) has been a pioneering force in developing leaders and organizations that contribute to a more prosperous, sustainable, and inclusive world for more than 75 years. Led by an expert and diverse faculty, with campuses in Lausanne and Singapore, a Management Development Hub in Shenzhen and an Innovation Hub in Cape Town, IMD strives to be the trusted learning partner of choice for ambitious individuals and organizations worldwide. Our executive education and degree programs are consistently ranked among the world’s best. Through our research, programs, and advisory work, we enable business leaders to find new and better solutions, challenging what is and inspiring what could be. To learn more, visit www.imd.org.
