WBS adds more courses to its Executive Education Open Programme portfolio

Warwick Business School is launching two new short executive courses as part of its portfolio of part-time Open Programmes designed for people wanting to step away from the office to gain new skills and perspectives, which can then be used to address key challenges in their organisation.  

One of the courses aims to help business people negotiate the common pitfalls of the Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) process, focusing on elements such as strategy, due diligence, deal-making, and the crucial integration process.

Participants will gain valuable insights from industry guest speakers sharing their real-world M&A experiences, as well as exploring the lessons to be learnt from the private equity approach to M&A and value creation.

“M&A is not without risk,” said John Colley, Professor of Practice in Strategy & Leadership and Course Director of Mergers and Acquisitions: How to Maximise Success.

“Many acquisitions destroy value and the majority fail to meet expectations. This programme will help you to successfully navigate this difficult terrain with the latest insights from leading academics and practitioners.”

The other course is Finance for Non-Finance Leaders, which is aimed at helping professionals feel more confident in handling financial and accounting information.

Jodie Lucas, Associate Professor and Course Director, said: “Our Finance for Non-Finance Leaders programme is your key to unlocking the power of financial literacy.

“This isn't just a course; it's your passport to decoding complex financial jargon, aligning your initiatives with business goals, communicating confidently with finance teams and making data-driven decisions that resonate.”

Both of these short programmes have very practical real-world problems in their sights. Many company boards turn to M&A to meet investor growth expectations. Yet between 70 per cent and 90 per cent of acquisitions fail.

At the same time, many professionals who hold leadership or management roles feel sidelined by financial jargon because they lack formal financial training.

Like many of the School’s short executive programmes, Mergers and Acquisitions: How to Maximise Success and Finance for Non-Finance Leaders blend theoretical insights with practical applications, and will be delivered face-to-face at WBS London at The Shard.

To be held in May and June 2025, respectively, the courses will allow participants not only to learn from the experts but also to expand their networks.

Camilla Jonsson, Director of Executive Education, said: “We know business leaders want to build better organisations, and our Open Programmes can help them do that. 

“From strategy and leadership to behavioural science and finance, we bring our Change Maker values of curiosity and excellence to bring new knowledge and research to the classroom.”

In the past three years, Warwick Business School has climbed 20 places in the Financial Times Executive Education Open Programme rankings. It is now 30th in the world for its Executive Education Open Programmes, with geographical placings of 21st in Europe and fifth in the UK.

In addition to open-enrolment courses, the School continues to design and deliver a number of significant programmes for industry clients through its custom partnerships, with the Financial Times ranking WBS 36th in the world for custom programmes. 

Discover more about our Change Makers at Warwick Business School.