Chief Digital Officer (CDO) Program

Excel as a digital innovation leader

Download Brochure

Get Your Brochure

Course Dates

STARTS ON

TBD

Course Duration

DURATION

10 Months
Online and In Person

Course Fee

Program Overview

The Berkeley Chief Digital Officer (CDO) Program offers a comprehensive curriculum delving into the tools, techniques, and frameworks that can enable and sustain digital innovation and strategy. Additionally, you will also gain a deeper understanding of analyzing and interpreting data while keeping in mind technology architectures and business objectives. Participants will develop advanced digital acumen to craft future business strategies, identify and prioritize monetization opportunities, and improve the customer experience across all touchpoints.

87%

of senior executives consider digitalization as an organizational priority.

SOURCE: GARTNER

65%

of executives anticipate increased investments in digital transformation.

SOURCE: BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP

<30%

of companies successfully capture value from digital transformation without clear vision and leadership commitment.

SOURCE: BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP

Program Highlights

Image to accompany text - High Touch

High Touch

Live online sessions, project coaching, and guest lectures by industry experts.

Image to accompany text - High Tech

High Tech

Theater-style virtual classroom brings the world-class Berkeley experience to you, wherever you are.

Image to accompany text - Core Curriculum

Core Curriculum

Kick-start your program journey with 14 weeks of in-depth core sessions in digital leadership.

Image to accompany text - Short Courses

Short Courses

Engage in two required short courses to gain skills specific to your career.

Image to accompany text - Real-World Application

Real-World Application

Apply lessons learned to your job immediately.

Image to accompany text - World-Renowned Faculty

World-Renowned Faculty

Learn from subject matter experts and digital leaders.

Image to accompany text - Peer Learning

Peer Learning

Learn from high-achieving peers from around the globe and build your network.

Image to accompany text - Interactive Sessions

Interactive Sessions

Take advantage of over 150 hours of interactive learning with faculty, industry experts, and an accomplished peer group.

Image to accompany text - Capstone Project

Capstone Strategy Project

Apply your learnings to a real-world project guided by an industry expert learning facilitator through coaching sessions.

Image to accompany text - Expand Your Network

Expand Your Network

Interact with peers, industry leaders, and faculty at the three-day in-person networking and graduation event.

Image to accompany text - Alumni Benefits

Alumni Benefits

Earn select Berkeley Haas alumni benefits upon completion of the program.

Curriculum

Embark on an immersive, online learning journey featuring core modules and two asynchronous short courses, followed by an in-person event.
  • Managing the Digital Innovation Ecosystem

    • Managing technological innovation in established firms
    • Navigating digital disruption
    • Driving disruption through open innovation and intrapreneurship
    • Managing alliance networks and ecosystems
    • Engaging in strategic technology outsourcing and co-creation with partners
    • Leadership and risk-taking in high-tech environments
    • Digital strategy, innovation, and organization during times of uncertainty: navigating the current pandemic and beyond

    Designing and Executing Digital Strategy

    • Entrepreneurs need strategy and choosing your customer
    • Choosing your organization and technology
    • Choosing your competition and strategy
    • Intellectual property strategy and negotiation exercise
    • Negotiation debrief and disruptive strategy
    • Value chain strategy
    • Architectural strategy

    Leading Organizations from the C-Suite

    • Driving change and dynamic execution
    • Executive decision making with data: enabling more rational decisions for you and your company
    • Persuasion and influence
    • Negotiation and conflict resolution
    • Executive presence: communication impact for the C-suite
    • Taking it back: program review and action plan

    Note: There will be 14 weeks of accelerated core module learning. The faculty-led sessions are conducted usually twice a week in the mornings (PT) lasting 3–6 hours each. Connect with our learning advisor for more details on the schedule of the core modules. Topics and sessions are subject to change.

  • Artificial Intelligence: Business Strategies and Applications

    Gain insights into the applications of AI, ML, neural networks, and deep learning in shaping strategic initiatives. This is facilitated through a balanced blend of live interactive sessions and recorded lectures on topics such as the future of AI in business, building AI teams, and developing and executing AI strategy. Extend this knowledge to leverage generative AI models in building a robust strategic road map for your organization.

    Future of Technology

    Take a deep dive into tools and frameworks for conceiving and assessing tech-driven futures and key disruptive technology trends (e.g., AI, IoE, Robotics, Quantum Computing, Cybersecurity, and Blockchain) in order to create a roadmap to implement innovation strategies.


  • The Global Leadership Conference is held annually on the Berkeley campus in the spring/summer time frame (before the end of June) to bring participants of the CDO Program together. The networking conference and graduation event gives you the opportunity to interact with peers from your cohort, faculty, and industry leaders.

    The three-day event will include an immersion into the Berkeley ecosystem, networking opportunities, guest speaker sessions, and other activities to make this a memorable, insightful, and meaningful program culmination experience.

Capstone Strategy Project

Across the core modules, participants will apply classroom lessons to a capstone project that evolves throughout the program. You are organized in groups or can work individually on an opportunity or problem in which you are interested.

The project asks you to take the next steps in leveraging digitalization to drive your organization's business objectives. Coaching sessions will be led by an industry expert serving in a learning facilitator role and include high-touch discussions. Participants submit a presentation that covers the following:

  • Summarize the opportunity
  • Submit digital inventory
  • List prioritization criteria for the opportunity. Include data alignment, cultural alignment, and success metrics
  • Use techniques to test your digital strategy
  • Assess the strategy implementation and propose next steps
  • Present your project outcomes

Faculty

Berkeley’s proximity to Silicon Valley’s cutting-edge disruptors will help you gain insights to lead transformation in your organization. You will attend live interactions with guest speakers and thought leaders at the forefront of innovation. The world-renowned Berkeley faculty will provide you in-depth insights into the role of a CDO and take you through changing industry trends.

Profile picture of professor Saikat Chaudhuri

Saikat Chaudhuri

M.E.T. Faculty Director, Grimes M.E.T. Chancellor's Chair, Innovation, Strategy & Engineering Professor

Saikat Chaudhuri is the inaugural faculty director of the Management, Entrepreneurship, & Technology (M.E.T.) Program, a flagship dual-degree program in engineering and business at the University of California at Berkeley. He holds the Grimes M.E.T. Chancellor’s Chair at the University, with a joint faculty appointment in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation as well as Management of Organizations groups at the Haas School of Business, along with the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering.

Profile picture of professor Abhishek Nagaraj

Abhishek Nagaraj

Assistant Professor, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Management of Organizations

Abhishek Nagaraj is an assistant professor in the Management and Organizations (MORS) group at Berkeley Haas. He earned his PhD in Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management in the Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management (TIES) group. He also holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta and a B.Tech in Computer Science from the College of Engineering, Pune (COEP).

Alumni Benefits

Earn select Berkeley Haas alumni benefits upon completion of the program.

Networking and Events

  • Ability to join local alumni chapters or clubs in your region
  • Access to a private network of distinguished Berkeley Haas alumni
  • Invitations to the annual Berkeley Haas Alumni Conference
  • Opportunity to attend select Berkeley Haas and Berkeley Executive Education networking events

Berkeley Resources

  • Access to Haas Amplified — latest research and thought leadership from Industry speakers and faculty
  • 30% discount on the list price of eligible future programs after completion of your Certificate of Excellence in Digital Strategy
  • Get an @haas.executivealumni.berkeley.edu email forwarding address
  • Public visitor access to select campus libraries and university database services. (Remote and onsite access available for select services)

News and Communication

  • One-year complimentary digital subscription to the California Management Review
  • Berkeley Haas alumni newsletter
  • Subscribe to the Berkeley Haas alumni jobs e-newsletter with the latest job postings from distinguished employers

Note: All benefits are subject to change.

Participant Profile

The Berkeley CDO Program is ideal for senior executives, leaders, and aspirants who are responsible for driving digital strategy or who aspire to lead enterprise-wide digital innovation. It is for those aiming to grow in their existing leadership roles or stepping into one by building a multi-functional, digital-first skill set. The program design is best suited for those who wish to reciprocally share insights with a diverse group of global peers aiming to drive digital innovation in their organizations.

Participants are required to:

  • Have a digital innovation agenda
  • Be in a role that requires them to develop and drive strategy based on the latest digital developments
  • Have 10+ years of experience
  • Be fluent in written and spoken English

Certificate of Excellence

Example image of certificate that will be awarded after successful completion of this program

Certificate of Excellence

Upon completion of the Berkeley Chief Digital Officer Program, participants are awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Digital Strategy from Berkeley Executive Education.

Download Brochure

Note: This program results in a digital certificate of completion and is not eligible for degree credits/CEUs. After successful completion of the program, your verified digital certificate will be emailed to you in the name you used when registering for the program. All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of Berkeley Executive Education.

FAQs

  • The Berkeley Chief Digital Officer Program is an immersive learning journey into the tools, techniques, and frameworks that can enable and sustain digital innovation and digital strategy. Additionally, you will also gain a deeper understanding of executive leadership to advance business objectives.

  • The Berkeley Chief Digital Officer Program is ideal for senior executives and leaders who are responsible for driving digital strategies or who aspire to lead enterprise-wide digital innovation. This comprehensive CDO Program is for those aiming to grow in their existing leadership roles or step into one by building a multi-functional, digital-first skill set.

  • The Berkeley Chief Digital Officer Program has three core modules, followed by two asynchronous short courses — Artificial Intelligence: Business Strategies and Applications and the Future of Technology. The core modules include Managing the Digital Innovation Ecosystem, Designing and Executing Digital Strategy, and Leading Organizations from the C-Suite. This highly transformative CDO Program concludes with an in-person networking and graduation event on the Berkeley campus in California.

  • Upon completion of the Berkeley Chief Digital Officer Program, participants will be awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Digital Strategy from Berkeley Executive Education.

  • Applications to the Berkeley Chief Digital Officer Program can be made online and should include an updated resume or LinkedIn profile as well as professional references. The application fees vary by rounds — applying earlier will help your chances of being accepted into the program.

Apply Now

Early registrations are encouraged. Seats fill up quickly!