Chief Investment Officer Program

Expand Your Influence as an Investment Leader

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Course Dates

STARTS ON

March 31, 2025

Course Duration

DURATION

9 Months
Online, Live Online, and In Person

Course Fee

PROGRAM FEE

US$22,000 and get a referral benefit US$200 application fee

Course Information Flexible payment available

Early Registration Benefit

Apply now to secure your place at US$19,000 by . Connect with a learning advisor for more information.

Shape the Future of Investment Leadership

As the global financial landscape continues to evolve, chief investment officers (CIOs) and senior finance professionals today face the challenge of navigating economic fluctuations. These executives must inspire their teams, make informed decisions, and develop robust investment strategies to drive resilience and growth. Additionally, they need strong leadership skills to guide their teams in managing the investment portfolio effectively.

The Chief Investment Officer Program from Columbia Business School Executive Education is designed for leaders like you, offering the frameworks and strategies needed to navigate today’s complex investment environment effectively. Over nine months, you will gain an in-depth understanding of evolving financial technologies, asset allocation, and strategic leadership, equipping you to guide your organization toward long-term success.

US$3 trillion

is the estimated size of assets to be managed by outsourced CIOs in 16 years, growing from US$90 billion.

Source: KPMG

68%

of CIOs say poor investment governance frameworks may result in a more than 1 percent negative impact on annual investment returns.

Source: KPMG

What You Will Learn

The Chief Investment Officer Program will enable you to:

  • Lead innovative investment strategies by integrating behavioral finance principles with empirical market analysis
  • Evaluate advanced portfolio management techniques through quantitative analysis and investing frameworks
  • Combine big data analytics with traditional investment approaches to forecast trends and guide strategy
  • Analyze complex asset classes to optimize strategic portfolio management within diverse market scenarios
  • Apply artificial intelligence and machine learning insights to drive organizational decision making in asset management
  • Cultivate a forward-thinking leadership approach to influence organizational adaptation and investment foresight

Program Highlights

Flexible Learning Journey

Balance learning with your busy work schedule by dedicating just three to five hours each week toward program sessions and learning activities

Comprehensive Curriculum

Kick-start your program journey with 18 weeks of core online learning, supplemented by live online workshops, and an in person open-enrollment elective

Live Sessions

Adapt to evolving industry trends with live online sessions led by faculty and industry leaders

World-Renowned Faculty

Learn from top Columbia Business School faculty via expert-led, case-based sessions offering practical insights and knowledge

Global Peer Group

Network with global peers to explore business challenges and career opportunities through structured engagement

Capstone Project

Work on a capstone project to refine your skills by applying program learnings to a challenge and drive immediate on-the-job impact in your organization

Success Coach

Craft your learning journey in line with your career goals with a success coach assigned to your cohort

Networking Event

Interact with faculty, peers, and global industry leaders at an optional two-day on-campus networking event

CIBE Holder Benefits

Receive Certificate in Business Excellence (CIBE) benefits upon completion and become part of a distinguished global community

Comprehensive Curriculum

The Chief Investment Officer Program offers senior investment leaders a dynamic experience with online sessions, expert lectures, and practical activities. It combines cutting-edge curriculum, case studies, and a capstone project to enhance investment acumen and leadership skills. It concludes with an optional two-day on-campus networking event in New York City, connecting you with Columbia Business School faculty and global peers.

    Phase 1: Investment Strategy (6 Weeks)

    Develop a comprehensive understanding of active investing and capital markets, enhancing your foundational investment strategies and knowledge. Session topics include:

      • Defining Investment Objectives: Risk, Return, Liquidity, Time Horizons in Evolving Dynamics
      • Measuring and Evaluating Investment Risks
      • Evaluation of Investment Strategies
      • Evaluation of Internal and External Managers
      • Market Efficiency and Behavioral Finance
      • Market Forecasting and Harnessing Big Data, AI, and Predictive Analytics in Asset Management


      Phase 2: Asset Allocation and Portfolio Management (6 Weeks)

      Deepen your understanding of practical portfolio construction and diversification across asset classes. Session topics include:

        • Accounting Principles for Chief Investment Officers
        • Value Investing Framework
        • Portfolio Considerations
        • Practical Portfolio Construction
        • Alternative Asset Classes
        • Real Estate


        Phase 3: Chief Investment Officer as a Strategic Leader (6 Weeks)

        Enhance your leadership skills to drive strategic decisions, foster ethical environments, and achieve organizational impact. Session topics include:

          • Future-Oriented Leadership: Leadership in the Face of Disruption and Transformation
          • Principled Leadership: The Art of Influencing with Ethics
          • Situational Dynamics: Influencing with and without Authority
          • Organizational Dynamics: Leverage Organization Structure to Create a Culture of Belonging
          • Performance Excellence: Creating and Leading with High-Impact Teams
          • Strategic Executive: Connecting Vision to Strategy to Implementation for Impact


          You will take part in a series of live online workshops led by Columbia Business School Faculty, applying learnings from core modules. These sessions will enable you to stay updated with the latest industry trends and receive guidance from experienced faculty. Insights from guest speakers, including leading CFOs, CMOs, VCs, and PE professionals, will offer actionable strategies for career success. This approach blends theoretical knowledge with practical skills, preparing you for effective implementation in your roles.

          You will choose one in person open-enrollment elective to deepen your expertise in a specific area of interest, further unraveling the complexities of your chosen specialization. Held in New York City, the world's financial capital, the electives are designed to provide an immersive learning experience and enhance your understanding of diverse financial and strategic management areas. They will position you as advanced strategists poised to thrive in an increasingly complex and volatile market environment and lead with confidence. Additionally, you will benefit from invaluable networking opportunities with your cohort peers.

          A list of select current availabilities is below:

            • Advanced Value Investing
            • AI-Driven Marketing Strategy: Leveraging New Technologies to Cultivate Enduring Customer Relationships
            • Behavioral Science in Business: Understanding People to Drive Results
            • Business and Climate: The Journey to Net Zero
            • Growing and Managing Global Customers
            • High-Impact Leadership – Dubai
            • Leading in a Data-Driven World: Developing Quantitative Intuition™
            • M&A and Corporate Strategy
            • Strategy and Leadership in the Future of Work
            • The Business of AI: Shaping the Future of Business with Generative AI
            • The Strategic Leader Program: How to Excel as Your Responsibility Increases
            • Think Bigger: Start Choosing Innovative Solutions
            • Value Investing
            • Women in Leadership: Next Level Success

            Note: While Columbia Business School Executive Education will attempt to accommodate participant preference selections, we cannot guarantee that all preferences will be granted due to the high demand for our open-enrollment programs. Electives are subject to change.

            Meet your cohort peers and faculty in person on the Columbia Business School campus in New York City during an optional two-day networking event. This event provides you with an opportunity to network with your peers as well as professionals from other cohorts to create a lifelong community of global executives.

            Note: Session topics and networking event duration are subject to change.

          Capstone Project

          The capstone project is an immersive, team-based exercise where participants create an investment policy statement (IPS) for an organization such as a pension fund or insurance company. This project mirrors real investment practices and consists of three interconnected parts, each building on the previous and fostering collaboration and practical application.

          Section 1: Defining Objectives
          Establish the foundational objectives and parameters to guide all portfolio decisions.

          Section 2: Portfolio Implementation
          Develop and apply a comprehensive investment strategy, including asset allocation and risk management.

          Section 3: Governance and Leadership
          Create governance frameworks and ethical standards to support effective team development and decision making.

          Meet the Faculty

          The faculty members represent a dynamic blend of accomplished academicians and seasoned finance professionals, each bringing a unique perspective and wealth of experience to the program. Their diverse backgrounds and specializations provide you with a multifaceted and comprehensive learning experience.

          Faculty Member Harry Mamaysky

          Harry Mamaysky

          Professor of Professional Practice in the Faculty of Business, Finance Division; Faculty Director, Program for Financial Studies

          Harry Mamaysky’s research focuses on equity, exchange rate, volatility, and credit markets, market microstructure, and the role of information in the trading process. He teaches capital markets and asset pricing to PhD, Masters, and MBA students as well as Executive Education programs on the use of text data in finance and corporate bonds. He is also on the Steering Committee of the Columbia-IBM Center for Blockchain and Technology. Prior to his return to academia, Mamaysky founded the Systemic Risk Group at Citigroup and served as a member of the firm's Risk Executive Committee. Before that, he was a senior portfolio manager in Citi Principal Strategies with a focus on relative value credit trading. He has held positions with Old Lane, Morgan Stanley, and Citicorp. He leads the news and finance research initiative of Columbia’s Program of Financial Studies and has used large textual data sets, including news articles, earnings call transcripts, and central bank communications, in his research.

          Contributing Faculty

          Faculty Member Modupe Akinola

          Modupe Akinola

          Barbara and David Zalaznick Professor of Business, Management Division; Faculty Director, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics

          Faculty Member Adam Galinsky

          Adam Galinsky

          Paul Calello Professor of Leadership and Ethics, Management Division; Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Dean's Office

          Faculty Member Doron Nissim

          Doron Nissim

          Ernst & Young Professor of Accounting & Finance, Accounting Division

          Faculty Member Tomasz Piskorski

          Tomasz Piskorski

          Edward S. Gordon Professor of Real Estate, Finance Division

          Tano Santos

          Robert Heilbrunn Professor of Asset Management and Finance, Finance Division

          Certificate in Business Excellence

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

          Certificate in Business Excellence

          Upon completion of the Chief Investment Officer Program, participants are awarded the Certificate in Business Excellence from Columbia Business School Executive Education. The certificate is a recognition of their achievement and the investment they and their organization have made in their education and development.

          As a Certificate in Business Excellence holder, you will receive a 25 percent tuition benefit for full-price Executive Education in person programs lasting three and four days and all full-price online programs. Exclusions apply**

          Certificate holders will also be awarded select Columbia Business School alumni benefits.

          Download Brochure


          Your digitally verified certificate will be issued in your legal name and emailed to you, at no additional cost, upon completion of the program, including all modules of the program (online, in person, or live online, inter-module). All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of Columbia Business School Executive Education.

          CIBE Holder Benefits

          • Access to Columbia Business School Alumni Career Services resources, including unique career content, a job board, an online networking platform, the alumni directory, and more
          • Invitations to alumni events and programs around the world
          • Eligibility to join Columbia Business School alumni clubs
          • Global networking opportunities
          • Lifetime Columbia Business School forwarding email address
          • Subscription to our alumni publication Columbia Business

          Executive Peer Learning and Networking Event

          The enriching environment of the networking event provides participants with the invaluable opportunity to build a robust network with global executives who bring diverse experiences, cultures, and perspectives. Engaging in thoughtful discussions, they can exchange cutting-edge insights and knowledge that are integral for staying abreast of industry trends. The networking event showcases the vibrant community that participants of the Chief Investment Officer Program become an invaluable part of.

          Who Is It For?

          The Chief Investment Officer Program is ideal for:

          • Chief investment officers and senior institutional investors looking to formulate and communicate the investment strategy and manage the investment portfolio for their organization
          • Senior investment professionals seeking to enhance their understanding of investment management, asset allocation, risk management, and portfolio management

          Participants are required to have:

          • A minimum of 10 years of work experience
          • Fluency in written and spoken English
          • International exposure (preferred)

          Application Details

          Round 1

          Deadline: January 15, 2025
          Application fee: US$200

          Round 2

          Deadline: February, 13, 2025
          Application fee: US$200

          Round 3

          Deadline: March 05, 2025
          Application fee: US$200

          Round 4

          Deadline: March 25, 2025
          Application fee: US$200

          The program fee covers teaching fees, all academic material, and access to online coursework. The fee does not include accommodations for the two-day annual in-person reunion and networking event, travel expenses (domestic, international, visa fee, and more), and other expenses not specifically mentioned in the program fee.

          FAQs

          • The Chief Investment Officer Program has been designed with your busy schedule in mind. You will be required to commit not more than three to five hours per week, enabling you to benefit from this transformative program while fulfilling your day-to-day work responsibilities. The impactful program offers a blend of self-paced modules and live interaction.

          • The nine-month learning journey includes live online and video online sessions with renowned faculty, industry experts, and global peers. You can take advantage of weekly live sessions and the Slack channel to ask questions and discuss ideas with your success coach and cohort participants. Real-world examples and a debrief of the program learnings are delivered through a combination of recorded video and live online lectures. The program concludes with an optional two-day on-campus networking event on the Columbia Business School campus in New York City.

          • The program fee covers teaching fees, all academic material, and access to online coursework. The fee does not include accommodations for the two-day in-person networking event, travel expenses (domestic, international, visa fee, and more), and other expenses not specifically mentioned in the fees.

          • You can pay the full program fee up front or pay in easy installments. If you apply well in advance of the program start date, you can receive a fee benefit. If you would like to approach your company with a sponsorship request for this program, here is a customizable template that you can use.

          • Yes. Closed-captioning and transcripts for all pre-recorded videos as well as closed-captioning for recordings of live sessions is available.

          • Emeritus collects all program payments, provides learner enrollment and program support, and manages learning platform services.

          • For the program refund and deferral policy, please click the link here.

          • Program fees for Emeritus programs with Columbia Business School Executive Education may not be paid for with Title IV financial aid funds. Participants may be able to pay the program fee with funds from the GI Bill, the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Act of 2008, or similar types of military education funding benefits. Participants must contact the Columbia University’s Office of Military and Veterans Affairs to determine benefit eligibility.

          Questions? Connect with a Program Advisor.

          Our program advisors have helped senior executives across the world choose the right program for their career goals. Schedule a 1:1 to get a deeper understanding on why the Chief Investment Officer Program is the right fit for you.

          Email: columbia_cio@emeritus.org

          Phone: +1 567 587 1669 (U.S.) / +44 1156 471398 (U.K.) / +971 80 0035703759 (U.A.E.) / +52 55966 08595 (LATAM)

          Apply Now

          Early registrations are encouraged. Seats fill up quickly!

          Flexible payment options available. Learn more.