Vlerick Business School

Advanced Management Programme Become a better strategic leader

Vlerick Business School

People Management & Leadership / Strategy / General Management

About Programme

#1

in Open Executive Education in the Benelux

985

Alumni

4.7/5

for Learning Impact

In a world where change is the only constant, you must challenge your thinking and broaden your strategic perspective, for yourself and your company. The Advanced Management Programme aims for precisely that: lasting impact. Think of it as a transformative general management programme for senior managers. In synergy with a group of high-calibre participants, we will redefine your leadership role and strategic mindset at different levels.

The goal? To return to your organisation with fresh leadership skills and a strategic plan.

This hands-on 16-day programme, spread over a year, challenges your strategic thinking and gives you the knowledge and tools to make an even greater impact within your company.

Programme Content

YOUR LEARNING JOURNEY

The Advanced Management Programme takes professional development to the next level. It combines rigorous academic insights with practical approaches, allowing you to learn by doing through activities, in-depth exploration and a strategic project tailored to your organisation. This holistic approach prepares you to take action. It delivers an immediate return on investment for your company.

The Advanced Management Programme is founded on two pillars – strategic decision-making and your role as a leader. The programme takes you on a journey that reframes your entire way of thinking and your approach to leadership and makes them future-proof.

The programme consists of four core modules, each lasting three consecutive days (including evening activities). Alongside your strategic project, supervised by a Vlerick faculty member, you will work on your personal 360° feedback process throughout the programme. This also helps you refine your leadership style and return to your company with greater confidence.

YOUR STRATEGIC PROJECT

Apply your new knowledge to your strategic project – and address a strategic challenge within your own company.

At the start of the programme, you will have the opportunity to form a sounding board group of four to five participants, with whom you will work closely on your strategic project throughout the programme.

At the end of the programme, you will present your project and new insights to a Vlerick faculty member and your fellow participants, who will assess your project based on its impact. This all takes place in a safe learning environment that allows you to adjust and refine your approach.

PROGRAMME

During the core modules, you will build a comprehensive toolkit. The aim is twofold: to increase your impact within the company and deepen your strategic understanding. After completing the programme, you will be equipped to navigate turbulent times as a leader and guide your organisation successfully through internal and external change.

Attending classes on campus and taking part in evening activities gives you opportunities to talk to fellow participants, expand your network and build lifelong connections.

Module 1: Your strategic arena

We begin with a sharp focus on the winning strategy for your business environment. We outline the key elements needed to formulate that strategy effectively. What are the critical decisions you need to make when selecting your strategy? How do you craft a winning strategy? And how do you set yourself apart from other players in the same strategic arena?

The final part of this module focuses on strategy implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. What makes or breaks a successful strategic implementation? You’ll work with tools like strategy maps and scorecards, applying them to your own company during a simulation. This way, you can measure and track the success of your strategy.

After completing this module, you will meet with your sounding board group for an initial discussion on the scope of your strategic project.

What we cover:

Strategy formulation
Strategic maturity
Successful strategy implementation
Strategy maps and scorecards

Module 2: High-performance leadership

In this module, you will reflect on your leadership role. What does impact mean, and how much influence do you have as a leader? Additionally, we will explore organisational culture and structure.

We will discuss how to drive change within your company. You will be introduced to a change model based on six organisational ‘batteries’. This model will help you manage both the tangible and intangible aspects of change more effectively.

You will work with the results of your 360° feedback process. Along with your sounding board group and your Vlerick coach, you will reflect on your personal leadership challenges.

What we cover:

Leadership with impact
Leading change
360° feedback and peer coaching
Organisational culture and structure

Module 3: Influence and value

During the third module, you will dive into the various aspects of corporate finance essential for every senior executive—such as raising capital, capital budgeting, and business valuation. You will then sharpen your negotiation skills and develop a framework that elevates your negotiations to true win-win deals.

After this module, you will have dedicated time to meet with your advisory group. You can also take advantage of additional one-on-one project coaching from our faculty.

What we cover:

Financial analysis
Corporate finance
Negotiation and influencing

Module 4: Strategic Resilience

During this module, we focus on strategy in turbulent times: how do you steer your organisation through periods of radical uncertainty? You will learn to recognise when existing strategic frameworks fall short and which approaches help you make sound choices even in unstable times.

We then explore the strategic impact of sustainability. Not as a compliance issue, but as a strategic driver: how can you turn ESG challenges into opportunities for your organisation, and what does this mean for your business model in practice?

Next, we turn our attention to emerging technologies and digital strategy. The digital revolution is rewriting the rules in almost every sector. We show you how to strategically translate the opportunities offered by digitalisation and AI into a stronger competitive position for your organisation.

Finally, we strengthen your decision-making capabilities. In a world where data is abundant, the challenge lies in turning it into better decisions. You will learn how to combine insights from decision intelligence, behavioural science, data analysis and AI to make well-informed, impactful choices, even under pressure and in complex situations.

Module 5: Strategic integration

In the final module, we bring together all the insights from the programme. An integration day gives participants the opportunity to work on a final strategic case that draws together the programme’s key models and frameworks. They also present the results of their in-company project, demonstrating how they have translated the programme’s insights into tangible impact within their own organisation.

Programme Audience

General managers who want to future-proof their strategy and leadership role
Business leaders and functional directors with a solid management background and a mandate to help shape key strategic decisions
Business unit, regional, and functional directors with a strong management background and the authority to influence essential strategic choices
Professionals with at least 15 years of work experience, including a minimum of four years of strategic responsibility at the business unit or corporate level
For companies with fewer than 50 employees, we recommend the Vlerick SME Excellence programme

In previous editions, we had the pleasure of welcoming participants from companies like:

Programme Benefits

Learn to think and act strategically
Finetune your leadership ability and become a driver of positive change
Strengthen your financial knowledge and insights
Create impact in your own company by tackling a concrete strategic challenge within your organisation—with a clear focus on the future
Gain expertise in proven Vlerick tools such as the strategic toolkit, the digital maturity scan, and the Vlerick change model—and apply them to your strategic project
Understand how to integrate different management disciplines within your strategic framework
Build a lifelong, diverse network with your fellow participants – and learn from their experiences
After graduating from this programme, you are entitled to join our alumni network. Visit the Vlerick Alumni website for more information

Testimonials

"The Advanced Management Programme helped me clarify Fiolas mission and values and connect them to our strategy. Today, we have a clear direction and a shared approach. I have also grown as a leader: I am better able to engage people in our strategic direction as a result of the programme. At the same time, we are making the transition from a service-focused organisation to a client-focused one. This transition and our new strategy are opening up new opportunities. We now have a strong foundation on which to build Fiolas future."

Brecht De Schepper

CEO of Fiola

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Speak with an Advisor

  1. Pedagogy (case method, experiential learning, coaching, simulations)
  2. Programme Objective
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Prashansa Uttam

Programme Advisor

+91 9403890085contact@echomind.oneMon – Fri, 9am – 5pm IST

Vlerick Business School

Executive Education Office

Sien Garré
+32 477 80 89 64
sien.garre@vlerick.com
https://www.vlerick.com
Brussels, Belgium

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Advanced Management Programme Become a better strategic leader | Vlerick Business School