Chief Operating Officer (COO) Programme
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What is the INSEAD Chief Operating Officer (COO) Programme?
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) Programme by INSEAD Executive Education is a ten to 12-month programme designed for senior operations leaders looking to address evolving market challenges and lead cross-functional business development, guided by experts at one of the world's foremost business management schools.
Combining online learning, live virtual sessions, experiential business simulations and an action learning project (ALP), the programme helps participants translate operational insights into clear strategic initiatives and road maps that deliver measurable value. The programme has core modules on strategy, leadership and business acumen, which are complemented by dedicated live sessions on data governance, ethical AI and AI-enabled problem solving.
Note: Session topics are subject to change based on speaker availability.
What can you expect to learn in the INSEAD COO Programme?
Key takeaways
Strategic thinking: Develop your operational thinking into strategic thinking, and articulate new strategic initiatives.
Organisational transformation: Evaluate how a shift from an operational to a strategic mindset can transform your organisation, both inside and outside.
Large-scale problem solving: Tackle large-scale problems by leveraging your operational excellence, working beyond your boundaries and acting as a strategic leader.
Value creation: Articulate the concepts of value creation and value capture by adopting a customer-centric perspective.
Analytics and agility: Discuss how analytics, organisational agility, ecosystems' capabilities and sustainability may enable your organisation to create more value.
Leadership capacities: Evaluate your leadership capacities, including how to make decisions and navigate cognitive biases.
Team effectiveness: Understand how to leverage your team, and use negotiations to create value.
Driving change: Define how strong leadership ability can influence teams and drive change at an organisational level.
The INSEAD COO learning journey
What does this programme curriculum feature?
Core modules (online and live virtual | 19 weeks)
The COO as a strategic partner
Aligning operations with strategy: Examine the interconnections between customer value propositions, supply chain structures and financial performance and learn how to bring operational processes in line with broader organisational goals.
Achieving operational excellence: Build the skills to map and enhance processes, use Little's Law to optimise flow, manage bottlenecks effectively and assess lean methodologies.
Executing growth strategies: Examine how network effects, sustainability and technology contribute to growth. Learn to identify growing pains and apply mitigation strategies to address organisational challenges.
Becoming a strategic leader: Uncover how the COO role shapes strategy and value creation, examine emerging business trends that influence operations and assess how operational effectiveness strengthens your organisation's strategic position.
Leading digital strategy and transformation: Assess customer-centric operations and examine how digital transformation creates value for organisations, while evaluating the strategic decisions and leadership capabilities that determine successful digitalisation across your organisation.
Creative thinking for business: Use creative thinking and customer journey frameworks to look past conventional problem-solving approaches to reimagine processes, arrive at innovative operational solutions and secure organisational buy-in for meaningful change.
Developing business acumen
Customer centricity in a digital age: Assess how organisational culture impacts customer interactions, identify gaps in the customer experience, then develop actionable strategies to strengthen satisfaction and future market standing, sharpening your competitive positioning along the way.
Strategic drivers of financial performance: Review reporting standards and the part goodwill and intangibles play in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), while developing financial fluency through reading balance sheets, income statements and revenue recognition.
Value-based financial decision-making: Assess valuation methodologies alongside key financial metrics, building the financial decision-making skills needed to gauge your organisation's financial health and prioritise capital expenditure.
Operations analytics: Review how data limitations and bias influence performance and weigh the trade-offs between simple and complex analytical models before evaluating the challenges and solutions involved in using field experiments to test new business initiatives.
Agile organisations: Review organisational design levers and assess how agile practices shape ways of working, mindset and culture, then weigh the effectiveness and limitations of agile decision-making on overall organisational coordination.
Alliances and ecosystems: Assess the potential of alliances using the fit framework and recognise why organisations form them in the first place, and apply tools to examine business models and effectively manage your organisation's position within broader ecosystems.
The business case for sustainability: Build negotiation and decision-making skills through an immersive business simulation while examining resource acquisition and allocation strategies and pinpointing practical solutions to sustainability-driven disruptions.
The COO as a leader
Towards better decisions: Evaluate how cognitive biases and behavioural tendencies can impede sound judgement and examine the factors and heuristics that drive decision-making, building the self-awareness required for sharper, more effective decisions.
Effective negotiations: Discover interest-based information through strategic questioning as you build critical negotiation skills, reservation points and aspiration frameworks, drafting win-win solutions in complex, mixed-motive contexts.
The future of leadership: Analyse how sources of value shape organisational culture, pinpoint network gaps and assess your leadership capabilities across connection, culture and trust.
Managing global teams: Apply team effectiveness frameworks to improve collaboration, build your professional network and develop the leadership skills needed to overcome complex challenges across diverse global teams.
Exercising influence to drive change: Recognise key change agents and examine competitive strategy alongside organisational readiness for change, while assessing the critical factors that drive successful change initiatives.
*Session topics are subject to change.
Live virtual webinars (includes three sessions on AI)
Interact with your cohort peers through engaging live virtual sessions that are part of the core learning modules. The sessions are led by INSEAD faculty who have expertise in their respective fields.
Reflections on the COO role with José Luis Alvarez
Observe how the COO position is changing as the C-suite itself transforms and what that shift means for career trajectories and influence. Consider how these dynamics vary by industry, the power structures at play and approaches for moving into wider leadership positions.
Fair process leadership with Ludo Van der Heyden
Gain an understanding of fair process leadership as a way of pairing process improvement with strong leadership practice. Cover practical applications of the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) framework and ways to foster organisational engagement and transparency.
CarSmart simulation debrief with Noah Askin
Reflect on your approach to giving feedback, leading under pressure and balancing results with culture. Discuss the impact of virtual presence and interpersonal dynamics, as well as AI's growing role in transforming how people interact and grow at work.
Data governance, ethics and responsible AI for COOs with Ville Satopää
Discover the core principles of data governance, privacy and ethical AI as operations become more AI-driven. Look at frameworks designed to reduce bias, promote transparency and keep pace with emerging regulations.
Thinking with many minds: Leveraging AI to enhance human problem-solving for business with Phanish Puranam
See how AI agents can function as thinking partners that strengthen analysis, creativity and decision-making. Gain practical techniques for pairing human and AI insights while recognising the risks and limits of AI as a cognitive tool.
Leading AI-driven operational transformation: AI strategy, governance and execution with Theodoros Evgeniou
Translate AI concepts into action by building out strategy, road maps and governance structures. Gauge organisational readiness, spot opportunities for value creation and address risk to support responsible, effective AI adoption.
Leveraging AI-powered solutions for rapid decisions: The case of operational resilience
Look at how interoperable AI platforms pull together enterprise and third-party data into a single, decision-ready view, supporting structured, scenario-based modelling. The session will also weigh the trade-offs between building and buying next-generation platforms.
Electives (online | five weeks each and 1 week orientation | choose any three)
Rethinking global strategy – online:
Build the ability to assess the forces shaping globalisation and recognise strategies for leading businesses on a global scale, using international expansion together with established open innovation and knowledge-sharing practices to create competitive advantage.
Supply chain strategies for business – online:
Develop the strategic skill set needed to work through the complexities of today's supply chain environment and bring about meaningful transformation within your organisation.
M&A success strategies – online:
Gain the tools and frameworks needed to strengthen M&A decision-making at every stage of the process.
Agile strategy execution – online:
Close the gap between how strategy is rationally developed and how it plays out in practice, offering the insights and tools to do so. It supports spotting hidden traps, weighing rational thinking against emotional factors and building the internal capacity needed to sustain successful strategy implementation.
Strategies for a circular economy – online:
Explore circular economy business models and approaches for embedding circularity within existing processes, while mitigating roadblocks.
Impactful leadership for sustainability – online:
Build the ability to work through the complexities of a leadership position, drawing on courage, emotional intelligence and a sharpened sense of room dynamics to address challenges. Develop an understanding of your leadership capacity in relation to your role, and learn to handle change within complex systems while accepting that action within dynamic systems inevitably has consequences.
Immersion and networking (two-days | on campus)
Connect face-to-face with your cohort peers and faculty during the INSEAD campus immersion and networking event, a valuable chance to build a lasting global business community.
Note: Participants may take anywhere from eight to ten months to complete the programme depending on individual schedule and programme selections. Some topics are subject to change based on speaker availability.
See how the programme drives operations, leadership and transformation
How does the INSEAD COO Programme enable applied learning?
Live virtual sessions on AI
Data governance and responsible AI
Human–AI problem-solving
AI-driven operational transformation
Note: The AI specific topics listed in this non-exhaustive list are part of live virtual sessions embedded in the core learning modules. These session topics are subject to change based on speaker availability.
Action learning project
Working on the project includes examining your own leadership style, building your capability to influence teams and organisations and developing the credibility required to step into or advance within a COO role. You can keep refining your road map through regular check-in sessions and feedback from your programme facilitator and peers.
Note: The final action learning project (ALP) presentation is required to complete the programme.
Optional networking event
Note: The networking event is held once a year, which brings together participants from different senior executive programmes.
The INSEAD COO Programme experience
Live virtual learning
A series of live virtual sessions gives you the chance to interact with leading INSEAD experts and fellow cohort members.
Action learning project
Turn programme concepts into practice by building an action plan for a high-impact business strategy.
Experiential sessions and case studies
Work through award-winning case studies centred on issues facing today's COOs, alongside business simulations and strategic frameworks.
Elective courses
Choose from a variety of elective topics to tailor your learning path and sharpen your expertise in areas that matter most to your role and organisation.
INSEAD alumni network
Completing the programme grants you INSEAD alumni status along with access to a select set of alumni benefits.
Dedicated programme facilitator
A programme facilitator will be assigned to your cohort to help steer your learning journey toward your career goals.
Who is this programme for?
New and emerging COOs | Build strategic insight to strengthen operational excellence within their organisations |
Heads of operations and operations leaders | Progress toward C-level roles while developing executive leadership capabilities |
Testimonials from past participants
Past programme participants
Work Experience
Top Industries
Top Countries
Where do past programme participants come from?
Disclaimer: All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of product and company names does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by the holders.
The list of companies is only indicative and not exhaustive.
Meet the INSEAD COO Programme faculty
Guillaume Roels
Programme Director for the Chief Operating Officer (COO) Programme, Professor of Technology and Operations Management, The Timken Chaired Professor of Global Technology and In...
Noah Askin
Visiting Professor of Organisational Behaviour
Atalay Atasu
Professor of Technology and Operations Management, The Bianca and James Pitt Chair in Environmental Sustainability
Daniel A. Bens
Professor of Accounting and Control
Maria Guadalupe
Professor of Economics, The Goltz Fellowship in Business and Society INSEAD
Li Huang
Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour
Chengyi Lin
Affiliate Professor of Strategy
Ville Satopää
Assistant Professor of Technology and Operations Management
Andrew Shipilov
Professor of Strategy The John H. Loudon Chaired Professor of International Management Chair, Strategy Area
Manuel Sosa
Professor of Technology and Operations Management Chair, Technology and Operations Management , Director of the Heinrich and Esther Baumann – Steiner Fund for Creativity and B...
Wolfgang Ulaga
Professor of Management Practice Co-Director of INSEAD Marketing and Sales Excellence Initiative (MSEI)
José Luis Alvarez
Professor of Management Practice
Ludo Van der Heyden
Emeritus Professor of Technology and Operations Management, The INSEAD Chaired Professor of Corporate Governance
Phanish Puranam
Professor of Strategy, The Roland Berger Chaired Professor of Strategy and Organisation Design, Research Director of the INSEAD-Wharton Alliance
Theodoros Evgeniou
Professor of Technology and Business
From the programme director
“Organisations today require visionary COOs who can balance innovation with operational leadership to achieve growth and profitability in the uncertain business environment. INSEAD Executive Education imparts essential skills and knowledge to help you spearhead strategic planning, champion change and excel as a partner to the CEO.”
– Professor Guillaume Roels
The Timken Chaired Professor of Global Technology and Innovation
Guest speakers
Aarti Samani
Founder, Shreem Growth Partners
Aarti Samani founded Shreem Growth Partners, a leading advisory organisation specialising in deepfake resilience. With 25 years of experience spanning deep technology, financi...
Frank Visciano
Startup Advisor and Fractional Executive
Frank Visciano is an experienced startup leader with close to 20 years of experience across multiple functions, including operations, marketing, international expansion, produ...
Note: Featured here are past guest speakers. Guest speakers for the upcoming cohort are subject to change.
Facilitators of the programme
Rudolf Falat
Executive Education Coach
As a senior corporate finance and strategy professional, Rudolf Falat holds deep international experience across financial services and consumer goods.
He holds an MBA from I...
Andreas Dannenberg
Director Global Logistics and Head of Supply Chain Switzerland SHL Medical
Andreas Dannenberg has consistently delivered successful, complex, multinational transformation initiatives as an accomplished global supply chain and operations leader. Some ...
INSEAD COO Programme: Credentials and benefits
Certificate of completion
On successful completion of this programme, you will receive a verified Certificate of Completion from INSEAD Executive Education.
The certificate image shown is for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of INSEAD Executive Education.
INSEAD COO Programme alumni benefits
Join INSEAD’s powerful global network of more than 73,000 alumni in over 180 countries, and receive benefits, including:
Access to more than 1,000 events and programmes annually organised by INSEAD and the INSEAD Alumni Association
Access to the INSEAD Alumni Lifelong Learning programme
Career development for alumni, including career coaching, peer-to-peer advising and mentoring programmes
Benefit from preferential rates on in-person INSEAD Open Enrolment Programmes and Open Online Programmes
Networking tools and a lifelong INSEAD email.
*Upon completion of the programme, graduates of the Chief Operating Officer Programme will gain complimentary alumni status for a period of three years. A minimal annual membership fee will be required to maintain the status thereafter.
Frequently asked questions
Programme
What does the INSEAD COO Programme cover?
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) Programme from INSEAD Executive Education has been designed for senior operations leaders as a ten to 12-month COO course. It supports participants in transitioning from operational oversight to strategic leadership, with topics spanning strategy, business acumen and executive leadership. The programme brings together online modules, live virtual sessions, electives and a learning project.
Is an INSEAD COO Programme worth the investment?
Whether the INSEAD COO Programme is worth it comes down to your career goals and leadership ambitions. The programme:
Is led by world-class INSEAD faculty;
Connects participants with global peers and case studies; and
Provides a structured path towards greater strategic impact and leadership influence for aspiring or current COOs.
Participants receive a verified digital certificate from INSEAD Executive Education on completing the programme, adding credibility to their standing in senior executive roles.
What does the abbreviation COO mean?
COO is short for chief operating officer, a senior executive role focused on overseeing day-to-day operations and working alongside the CEO to execute strategy and fuel growth. The INSEAD COO Programme prepares leaders to thrive in this evolving position.
What are the entry requirements for this chief operating officer course?
Participants are generally expected to have:
At least 10 years of work experience
Fluency in written and spoken English
International exposure (preferred)
The course is well-suited to new and emerging COOs, as well as heads of operations working towards C-suite roles.
What does it take to become a COO?
Becoming a COO calls for a combination of operational expertise, strategic vision and leadership skills. Many step into the role from backgrounds in operations, finance or strategy. A structured programme, such as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) Programme from INSEAD Executive Education, helps executives develop the business acumen and leadership mindset needed to succeed as a COO.
Does the COO rank above the CFO?
Both the COO and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) sit at the C-suite level, though their responsibilities are distinct. The CFO is responsible for financial strategy and reporting, while the COO concentrates on operations, execution and organisational performance. Which role ranks higher depends on the organisational structure, with both typically reporting to the CEO.
What does COO training involve?
The COO training combines building cross-functional leadership experience with formal executive education. The Chief Operating Officer (COO) Programme from INSEAD Executive Education helps executives prepare themselves to step into or excel in the role through a structured curriculum spanning:
Strategy and operations
Financial decision-making
Leadership and digital transformation
What sets this COO programme apart?
Unlike other leadership courses, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) Programme from INSEAD Executive Education is purpose-built for the COO role.
Curriculum: It brings together strategic leadership, operations management and innovation.
Programme features: It includes electives, live faculty interaction, an action learning project and an optional on-campus networking event at the INSEAD campus in Fontainebleau.
Who is this Chief Operating Officer training programme designed for?
This programme is well-suited to:
New and aspiring COOs looking for strategic insights
Heads of operations moving towards the C-suite
It is built for professionals ready to transition from operations into strategy and long-term value creation.
Learning experience
Is an INSEAD certificate worth having?
The value of the COO Programme goes well beyond the certificate alone. Participants in this COO Programme:
Receive a verified digital certificate;
Gain access to live virtual faculty sessions and case-based learning; and
Connect with a diverse cohort, opening up opportunities for professional growth and connection within the worldwide INSEAD executive community.
What is the duration of the INSEAD COO programme?
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) Programme from INSEAD Executive Education runs as a ten- to 12-month learning journey. It brings together:
Core modules, electives and live virtual sessions; and
An optional on-campus networking event in Fontainebleau.
This flexible online format enables executives to balance their learning alongside work and busy schedules.
What does the ALP involve in the COO Programme?
The ALP is a hands-on component where participants apply COO Programme concepts to address a real business challenge within their organisation. It helps ensure that learning results in measurable impact in the workplace.
What do I need to complete to successfully finish the programme?
The INSEAD Chief Operating Officer (COO) Programme is built around an immersive learning process. To earn the certificate of completion, participants need to meet certain minimum criteria, including the successful completion of core and elective activities along with an ALP.
You will earn points for each activity as you work through the weekly content in every core module and elective. A minimum number of points must be earned by the end of each core module and elective, and you are also required to submit a core ALP at the end of the core phase.
To finish the programme and receive the certificate, participants must:
Achieve a minimum of 80 percent of all in-platform learning activities;
Submit at least three weekly ALP assignments for every core module and elective; and
Submit the ALP on time.
Is a visit to the INSEAD campus required during the programme?
On-campus attendance for this programme is optional. Towards the end of the programme, you will have the chance to take part in a two-day immersion and networking event. The curriculum is delivered entirely online, comprising a mix of recorded video and live virtual sessions with fellow participants, a learning coach and faculty.
Can I interact with other participants during the programme?
Yes, absolutely. The learning journey has been specifically designed to foster interaction and facilitate a face-to-face experience as closely as possible. Participants can connect with one another through:
Discussion forums;
Live forums; and
Webinars and virtual networking interspersed throughout the experience.
The programme also ends with an optional in-person immersion and networking event.
Can I interact with INSEAD faculty during the programme?
Yes, class sizes are deliberately kept manageable to ensure sufficient faculty-to-participant time. INSEAD faculty also regularly read and respond to comments posted in the discussion forums. A learning coach supports these interactions, serving as a bridge between participants and faculty.
I work full-time. How much time commitment will the programme require each week?
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) Programme has been built with busy schedules in mind. You will need to set aside three to five hours per week to gain from this impactful programme while managing your work commitments. The programme combines self-paced modules with live interaction.
How do the live sessions work?
The learning journey includes live and asynchronous online sessions with renowned faculty, industry experts and global peers. You can take advantage of live sessions and the Slack channel to ask questions and discuss ideas with your programme facilitator and cohort participants. Real-world examples and a debrief of the programme learnings are delivered through a combination of recorded video and live online lectures.
Can I take more than the specified electives?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to take any more electives than the specified number. The electives are designed to help you gain specialised skills in areas that are aligned with your career so that you can dedicate focused time to learning and honing those skills.
Does the programme offer closed-captioning for videos included in the curriculum?
Yes, we provide closed-captioning and transcripts for all pre-recorded videos as well as closed-captioning for recordings of live sessions.
Payment and policies
Who will be collecting the payment for the programme?
Eruditus collects all programme payments, provides learner enrolment and programme support, and manages learning platform services. INSEAD is collaborating with Emeritus (part of the Eruditus Group) to offer a portfolio of high-impact programmes.
What is the programme refund and deferral policy?
For the programme refund and deferral policy, please click the link here.
Are there any restrictions on the types of funding that can be used to pay for the programme?
Programme fees for Emeritus programmes with INSEAD may not be paid for with (a) funds from the GI Bill, the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Act of 2008 or similar types of military education funding benefits or (b) Title IV financial aid funds.
Accessibility
How does Emeritus support accessibility for learners?
Emeritus is committed to making high-quality education accessible and affordable to individuals, companies and governments around the world. If you have questions about accessibility or would like to discuss available support options before enrolling, please contact accessibility@emeritus.org. For more information about our accessibility practices, please review our Accessibility Policy here.
Connect with a programme adviser for a 1:1 session
Email: INSEAD_COO@emeritus.org
Phone: 000 8009191971 (India*)/ +65 3129 7301 (Singapore)/ +44 1416 732351 (UK) / +1 234 603 6577 (US)/ +971 80 0088601096 (UAE) / +52 55965 46131 (LATAM)
*If you are dialing the India number, please make sure to include the first three zeros (000).