PHILADELPHIA, September 10, 2025 – Wharton Executive Education today announced the launch of the Owner/President/CEO (OPC) Program, a new, immersive learning experience designed exclusively for leaders of established, often founder-led or family-owned enterprises who are ready to shape the future of their companies and their legacies.
Founders, owners, and chief executives face a set of challenges unlike any other. In a climate where disruption is the new constant, even accomplished leaders must adapt. The task is no longer just running the business, but rethinking strategy, planning for succession, and ensuring the enterprise endures. The OPC Program was created for this moment—offering the tools and peer community to step back from daily demands and plan for lasting impact.
“Too often, we get stuck fighting fires,” said Nancy Rothbard, Wharton management professor, deputy dean, and co-academic director. “We don’t stop to identify the opportunities that could shape our future. This program gives leaders that space to pause, think differently, and build a bold vision for their company and their legacy.”
Structured over 18 months across three immersive modules in Philadelphia and San Francisco, curated electives, and personalized executive coaching, the program blends Wharton’s academic rigor with practical insight. Participants will examine advanced finance, innovation, succession planning, and growth strategy while developing a five- and 10-year roadmap for their companies with the guidance of Wharton faculty, peers, and alumni.
“Many focus on predicting the future, some work on adapting to it,” added Jagmohan Raju, Wharton marketing professor and co-academic director. “OPC helps leaders create a future where they and their businesses can thrive. You learn not just to play the game but to influence the rules of the game.”
The program emphasizes not only strategic planning but also personal and organizational reinvention. Through lectures, case studies, workshops, and simulations, participants will explore new ways of thinking while trading insights with peers who share the experience of high-stakes decision making. This peer community, Raju noted, becomes “a pillar you can lean on for the rest of your life.”
Upon completion, participants will gain Wharton alumni status, joining a global network of more than 100,000 leaders. That enduring connection opens access to alumni events, introductions, and lifelong learning opportunities.
“We’re not just handing out frameworks,” Rothbard explained. “We’re helping leaders think critically and creatively about their specific business and the kind of company they want to lead into the future. This is about going from excellence to eminence, from what you’ve already achieved to the broader legacy you want to build.”
Enrollment for the Owner/President/CEO Program is now open. The inaugural cohort will begin with Module 1: Leadership and Finance, held April 27–May 8, 2026, in Philadelphia. Module 2: Innovation follows January 24–28, 2027, at Wharton’s San Francisco campus, giving participants direct exposure to the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The program concludes with Module 3: Legacy and Growth, September 20–October 1, 2027, in Philadelphia.
About Wharton Executive Education
Wharton Executive Education has served as the global leader in executive development for 35 years. Steeped in the heritage and analytical insights of the Wharton School, with an eye toward shaping the future of business, Wharton Executive Education’s individual, online, and custom programs prepare more than 100,000 professionals a year to transform their careers and organizations. For more information on Wharton Executive Education’s practical business solutions, visit executiveeducation.wharton.upenn.edu.
About the Wharton School
Founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With a faculty of more than 235 renowned professors, Wharton has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 100,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company-customized, and online programs, and thousands of pre-collegiate students explore business concepts through Wharton’s Global Youth Program. More than 105,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. For more information, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu.
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