Ted Rogers School’s Executive Education program celebrates 10 years
The Ted Rogers School of Management’s Executive Education (Xed) program, which offers faculty-taught sessions to help individuals and organizations succeed in today’s business world, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
“The decision to start an Executive Education program at the Ted Rogers School a decade ago has grown into a meaningful business, and has created exciting opportunities for our faculty to work with employers in a multitude of industries,” explains Frank Miller, Director, Executive & Corporate Education. “Whether our clients come to the school, or we deliver training on their premises, our faculty teach current topics in an application oriented, hands-on approach. This is what has distinguished us from other business schools operating in this space.”
"Learning should be a lifelong pursuit, for personal and professional fulfillment," said Cynthia Holmes, Dean of the Ted Rogers School. "Industry leaders also recognize that the opportunity to enhance the skills and knowledge of their teams is a competitive advantage, too, and that's why so many firms have turned to our Xed programs over the past decade."
Miller adds that reaching the 10-year milestone is something to celebrate because as the program’s tagline says, “Our course changes yours.” Over the past decade, Xed has had an impact on the countless number of people who have taken a course. “For this we are forever grateful, and we look forward to the next 10 years of innovative programming and meeting new clients,” he says.
10 years of achievements
Over the past decade, Xed has remained committed to their vision to ignite innovation, harness diversity of thought and empower organizations to lead and thrive in a fast-paced global marketplace. Through its work with clients across Canada and internationally, it has delivered top-tier programs that enable professionals to enhance their skills, advance their careers and drive success within their organizations.
There has been an increase in programs and engagements Xed has had over the last 10 years. When it started in 2015, Xed had just four engagements. That grew to 16 in 2020, and to 40 in 2024. Some of its clients include: CIBC, Kellogg’s, Canadian Tire, Sobeys, RBC and Rogers Communications.
One of the programs Xed created for Rogers Communications was the Rogers Elevate Program, an initiative to help the company work towards their goal of diversifying their executive team.
“Over the past two years, we have been working closely with the Executive Education team at TMU in the development of our Leadership Programming at Rogers Communications,” explains Liz Matthews, Senior Director, Corporate Learning and Leadership Development, Rogers Communications. “TMU has been a thoughtful and creative partner, bringing academic excellence into our programs and elevating participants in their careers at Rogers. It has been a true partnership and fantastic experience!”
Other notable programs Xed has created for organizations over the past decade include:
- Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto - Health Administration Program: A Mini-Masters program aimed at preparing racialized newcomer women for employment in health care.
- RBC Opt-In: Women's Career Continuation Program: A return-to-work program designed for women who are making the decision to return to the corporate workplace after a prolonged absence.
- Lancaster House - Labour Relations Certificate Program: A program to provide labour relations professionals with the core skills and knowledge required to create and maintain effective union-management relationships that foster fair and efficient workplaces.
Xcelerators
Xcelerators have also been a tremendous success for the Xed program. These intensive half-day sessions are designed to enhance performance and to develop a strategic mindset on a wide range of topics, including Conflict Management, Customer-Centric Marketing, Mindful Leadership and Mindful Communication.
Ellen Choi, Associate Professor, Human Resources & Organizational Behaviour, teaches the Mindful Leadership and Mindful Communication sessions. She says that teaching to executive audiences has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences as a faculty member.
“While teaching to undergraduate students is also rewarding, there is considerably less persuasion required in Executive Education as participants typically arrive with a genuine voraciousness to learn,” Choi explains. “In the spirit of circular learning, it is humbling and fascinating to hear about the situations and decisions executives are toiling through, and learning about their day-to-day work experiences teaches me about the contemporary workplace outside of the ‘ivory tower.’
“The ability to share my research with audiences in real time has also been a gift given to me by Executive Education,” Choi adds. “Publishing is necessary (and certainly a relief when it occurs), but it's hard to get a sense for whether the research is impactful. Transferring knowledge from my research to executives in the field gives me a sense of meaningfulness that I'm very grateful for.”
Future plans
The Ted Rogers School recently signed a partnership with Sandals Corporate University (SCU) in Jamaica. Through this five-year agreement with SCU, both institutions will facilitate internships and placements at Sandals Resorts while developing specialized executive training programs to further enhance team members’ skills and expertise.
New projects for this collaboration are currently being developed and include courses on topics such as strategic direction, strategic communication, mindfulness in leadership and big data in strategic decision-making. These initiatives are set to launch later this year.
