The elite degree to fast-track your career into top management

For those hoping to gain that competitive edge and fast-track their ambitions to the top, the SMU Executive MBA (EMBA) programme is a potent ingredient in an elite executive's recipe for success.

The SMU EMBA is known as one of the region's most rigorous programmes of its kind, with a distinctive curriculum geared towards globalising Asian businesses and Asianising international businesses. Targeted at world-class professionals with vast corporate experience, candidates have the opportunity to learn alongside high-calibre peers in a cohort that transcends cultures, nationalities and corporate backgrounds. This immersive global exposure provides a broad perspective upon which participants can build their leadership foundation, reinforcing the ability to fuel business growth, motivate and manage associates, and inspire passion in the face of adversity.

Here are innovative leadership paths one can explore with our SMU EMBA:

Chief Executive Officer

Also often known as the head honcho or main leader of an organisation, the chief executive officer (CEO) is the top-ranking executive in a company, responsible for managing the overall resources, operations and activities of the business. In recent years, the role of the CEO has also evolved, especially amidst major technological breakthroughs that have impacted the way we do business and the need to navigate changes arising from the pandemic adeptly.

CEOs are expected to steer their organisations through such massive transformations and need to recalibrate how they lead to adapt and create impact in a new business climate. Only the most agile of leaders with a true passion for lifelong learning can reimagine the potential of their organisations when faced with such challenges.

The SMU EMBA programme is uniquely engineered to sharpen the competencies of top organisational leaders. Consciously co-designed by 100 senior executive and business leaders in Asia, the curriculum ensures that its graduates have the competencies to sustain business growth, manage associates and inspire passion in the face of adversity.

Chief Technological Officer

Today's CTO is no longer just a tech guru but a leader who aligns digital transformation with organisational goals. Beyond being the highest-ranking role in an organisation's Information Technology (IT) ecosystem, a Chief Technical Officer or Chief Technologist has to keep pace with technological advances and employ their executive powers to make decisions and investments that further the company's objectives.

With digital transformation touching every aspect of business and industry, technology plays a pivotal role, enabling disruption that can unlock opportunities for any organisation — and the CTO is at the front and centre of this technological shift. Today's CTO requires a blend of technical expertise as well as softer business and management skills. An EMBA can deepen core competencies ranging from analysing key metrics for resource allocation to top-level strategic thinking to help a business stay competitive and venture into uncontested market spaces.  

Chief Sustainability Officer

As organisations ramp up efforts to boost their triple bottom line of profit, people and the planet, the role of the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) is in peak demand. The strategic C-level position primarily champions the business case to engage more meaningfully in sustainability, social responsibility and environmental efforts. Moreover, as consumers, clients, investors and other stakeholders are increasingly demanding accountability from corporate organisations, the CSO is responsible for monitoring impact and meeting milestones to improve ESG (environmental, social and governance) performance.

To excel, a CSO needs to possess both outstanding leadership and communication skills to obtain the cooperation and buy-in of multiple department heads and co-workers, as well as successfully incorporate sustainability efforts into a business's operations. Moreover, they will benefit from honing their business acumen through a programme like the EMBA, as a keen business sense and a solid internal compass are critical for helping organisations continue a long-term trajectory of success.

Global entrepreneur

According to a study by the Graduate Management Admission Council, 30 per cent of candidates interested in postgraduate business studies (including an EMBA) aspire towards an entrepreneurial career. While it may seem intuitive to make the move from a corporate leadership position to running one's own company, an EMBA programme can expand a prospective business owner's approach to management by learning from the experiences of international faculty and peers, as well as learning to manage change and agility in a volatile digital economy.

Besides fuelling a transition from employee to being self-employed, an EMBA can also help existing entrepreneurs propel their businesses to the next level. While starting up and growing one's business into a successful enterprise is no easy feat, the LKCSB programme empowers entrepreneurs to continue their businesses' growth stories, and extend their reach beyond familiar shores and cultivate new markets for greater opportunities.

Other C-suite opportunities

Possessing more than 60 per cent of participants at a directorial or C-suite executive level, the SMU EMBA programme is a hotbed for networking with and learning from fellow elite candidates. Besides accelerating the trajectory towards executive positions, the EMBA helps current business leaders sharpen their edge and provide exposure to a mix of Asian and global perspectives.

EMBA candidates are immersed in the business, political, social and legal issues of four countries through study stints in world-class universities, during which they have the opportunity to study the problems, challenges and issues unique to each of these business environments*. This ability to deep dive into both Eastern and Western business insights is valuable for shaping one's understanding of the contours of business, and being better prepared to excel as a global leader of tomorrow.

*Depending on prevailing travel restrictions at time of study.