Every week is designed with intent.
A curriculum that holds together across eight cities: each city adds a layer, and the Capstone runs through all of them.
One year, built to accumulate.
The curriculum is not a set of independent sessions. It builds progressively across Leadership, Global Diplomacy, Capital Markets and Emerging Technology, and each city adds a layer of understanding to the one before.
The Capstone runs as a thread through all eight cities, so that every module is also an input to the fellow's own strategic question.
- Weekly structure: typically morning sessions, with institutional visits or site experiences in the afternoon.
- Industry masterclass: one session per geography, matched to the sectors of the cohort.
Learn, apply, question and refine.
PESTEL is an integrated decision lens, not six additional courses. Political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal considerations are examined together around a real enterprise decision. ESG considerations cut across these perspectives.
The four domains build capability; the eight-city journey tests perspective. From week one, a structured Capstone log captures insights and enterprise implications. Fellows compare responses and their trade-offs, then refine the proposition through monthly senior-industry mentoring after the first module in Bangalore.
Bangalore
Course topics
- Frontier Technologies and Emerging Business Models
- AI, Advanced Manufacturing and Strategic Futures
- India's Innovation Ecosystem and Global Technology Positioning
- Digital Transformation and Enterprise Readiness
Partner institutions
- WMG
- IISc ARTPARK
The week-by-week programme for Bangalore is being finalised and will be published here once confirmed.
Dubai
Key learning areas
- Visionary Leadership and Nation Building (UAE as case study)
- Government Excellence and Digital Government
- Smart Cities, AI and Future Government
- Policy Design for Long-Term Competitiveness
- Engagement with UAE government institutions and ministers
Competencies
- Analyse how visionary governance shapes national competitiveness
- understand AI and smart city applications in governance
- design policies for long-term public value
Key learning areas
- Capital Markets and Investment in the GCC and Emerging Economies
- Sovereign Wealth, Family Office Governance and Capital Allocation
- Corporate Governance and Ownership Structures
- DIFC as a Global Financial Hub
- Private Equity, Venture Capital and Growth Financing
Competencies
- Understand capital markets for family enterprises
- apply family office governance frameworks
- evaluate private equity and VC opportunities
- navigate the DIFC regulatory architecture
Abu Dhabi
Key learning areas
- UAE Economic Transformation — Vision 2030 and Diversification
- Business Environment and Regulatory Frameworks
- Entrepreneurship and Startup Ecosystems
- Cross-Cultural Leadership and GCC Business
- Executive Leadership and Institution Building
Competencies
- Navigate the UAE business environment
- develop cross-cultural leadership capabilities
- evaluate entrepreneurship ecosystems
- apply strategic leadership in international contexts
Key learning areas
- Digital Transformation and AI for Business
- Sustainability, ESG and Responsible Leadership
- Innovation Strategy and Business Model Transformation
- Executive Decision Making and Leadership Simulation
- Business Strategy Capstone
Competencies
- Lead digital transformation
- integrate AI into business strategy
- apply ESG principles
- drive innovation and business model change
- develop integrated strategies balancing innovation, growth and sustainability
Singapore
Key learning areas
- Systems Thinking and Complexity
- Mental Models and Leadership Mindsets
- Building Shared Vision
- Collaboration and Organisational Learning
- Systems Mapping and Organisational Diagnosis
- Leading Organisational Transformation
Learning experience
Executive workshops, facilitated discussions, collaborative exercises, systems mapping, industry learning visit.
Competencies
- Apply systems thinking to complex challenges
- recognise interdependencies
- build strategic alignment
- design sustainable transformation interventions
Key learning areas
- Geopolitics and Strategic Leadership
- The Singapore Story — Nation Building and Economic Resilience
- ASEAN and Regional Cooperation
- AI and Innovation
- Skills Development and Future Workforce
- Leadership Under Uncertainty
Learning experience
Practitioner-led dual-engine model: morning sessions and afternoon learning journeys across Singapore. Visits to National Museum, Marina Barrage, URA, Duxton Housing, Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam, the ITE Singapore skills ecosystem and leading technology organisations.
Competencies
- Analyse geopolitical developments
- apply strategic thinking under uncertainty
- evaluate AI opportunities
- strengthen decision-making through simulation and scenario analysis
Key learning areas
- Complexity Science and Systems Thinking
- The AI.DEA Leadership Framework (Awareness, Intelligence, Direction, Execution, Adaptation)
- Leadership for the AI Era
- Change Management for AI Transformation
- Innovation and Future Leadership
- Global Ecosystems and AI Innovation
Learning experience
Leadership laboratories, simulations, case discussions, systems thinking exercises, collaborative workshops with AI practitioners.
Competencies
- Apply systems thinking to lead AI transformation
- evaluate technology opportunities and risks
- build organisational resilience
- lead teams in dynamic technology-driven environments
Key learning areas
- Digital Government and Smart Nations
- Innovation and Economic Development (EDB, Enterprise Singapore, MAS)
- Startup and Innovation Ecosystems (One-North, Block71, NUS Enterprise)
- Infrastructure and Global Connectivity
- Leadership Integration and Applied Learning
Learning experience
Curated learning expeditions, institutional visits, executive interactions. Visit GovTech Singapore, EDB, MAS, One-North, Block71, NUS Enterprise, PSA Port / Changi Airport. Concludes with the Singapore Country Capstone Presentation.
Competencies
- Evaluate innovation ecosystems as drivers of national competitiveness
- understand the relationship between public policy and industry
- translate learning into practical leadership solutions
New Delhi
Course topics
- Geopolitics and the Global Business Environment
- Economic Statecraft, Trade and Supply Chain Strategy
- India's Foreign Policy and Strategic Interests
- Technology and National Strategy
Partner institutions
- India Foundation
The week-by-week programme for New Delhi is being finalised and will be published here once confirmed.
Vienna
The Diplomatische Akademie Wien has trained diplomats since 1754. Vienna is seat of multiple UN organisations and one of the world's foremost diplomatic capitals. Fellows engage directly with the international diplomatic community and European policy practitioners.
Key learning areas
- International Institutions, Law and Global Governance
- Diplomatic Negotiation — Strategy, Communication and Conflict Resolution
- Geopolitical Risk and Cross-Border Business Strategy
- Internationalisation — how enterprises expand across jurisdictions
- European Enterprise and the EU Institutional Landscape
- Cultural Intelligence and High-Stakes Negotiation
Competencies
- Navigate international regulatory and institutional frameworks
- apply diplomatic negotiation skills
- assess geopolitical risk for cross-border strategy
- develop cultural intelligence for international business
New York
This component draws on the wider US academic network, including State University of New York at Buffalo (University at Buffalo) and partners in Rochester and Michigan. Learning from all eight cities informs the enterprise Capstone.
Key learning areas
- Entrepreneurship and Family Business Succession — how great enterprises transfer across generations
- Venture Capital, Private Equity and Growth Financing
- Innovation Strategy and Sustainable Competitive Advantage
- Global Expansion and Internationalisation of Family Enterprise
Competencies
- Design enterprise succession and governance frameworks
- evaluate global financing options
- build an international expansion strategy
- integrate year-long learning into a strategic enterprise proposition
Washington DC
Fellows connect policy and geopolitical insight to their enterprise strategy. All learning from eight cities is brought together in the Capstone proposition, refined with the mentor ahead of the final presentation in India.
Key learning areas
- Technology and National Strategy
- The US–India Relationship
- Geopolitics and the Future of the Global Order
- Strategic Leadership and Enterprise Risk
Competencies
- Assess geopolitical developments for enterprise strategy
- evaluate policy and national security implications for business
- integrate the four domains into a strategic enterprise proposition
The year that changes how you lead.
The December 2026 cohort is now forming. Places are limited and allocated through personal conversation.