Chief Digital Officer Certificate

Digital leaders have to be ready for a dynamic future. To thrive, you need a diverse skill set, the agility to pivot as markets and business needs rapidly shift, and the resilience to weather change and ambiguity. CMU is in a unique position to accelerate the rise of next-gen digital leaders with a broad cross-section of relevant topics, the latest best practices, and an invaluable network of experts and peers. Mark Yolton | VP, Digital | Salesforce

• Cohort 4 Program Dates & Schedule
  To be announced.
• Class Location

  The program mid-session and practicum will be held in person at our main campus in Pittsburgh:
  
  Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy
  Carnegie Mellon University
  4800 Forbes Avenue
  Pittsburgh, PA 15213
  
  A virtual option will be offered for the program mid-session and practicum; students will not be required to travel to complete the program.

   

• The Executive Advantage Program

  Earning your executive education certificate is just the beginning of a lifelong relationship with CMU; we're here to help you advance your career throughout your professional life. The Heinz College Executive Advantage program is meant for people who always want to be ahead of the curve—those who want to lead the conversation, not just be a part of it. 

  Executive Advantage was designed with you—C-suite executives and lifelong learners—in mind. In addition to the valuable skills you gain through our executive certificate programs, you now have access to workshops, leadership summits, and conferences. 

• Digital Strategy Development and Execution

  Instructor:
  The Hon. Dana Deasy | CIO (ret.), U.S. Department of Defense; former Global CIO, JPMC

  In this module, students will gain a better understanding of how companies use a well-defined digital strategy to transform their organization. Key elements of this strategy include improving business performance, managing toward performance, value creation, cost reduction, and how to align technology to the digital strategy to gain a market competitive advantage.

• Role of the Chief Digital Officer

  Instructor:
  Dr. Sameer Badlani | EVP, Chief Digital Officer, M Health Fairview

  This module focuses on defining the roles and responsibilities of a Chief Digital Officer. As part of these core responsibilities, students learn how the CDigitalO integrates effectively in organizational governance and operations, as well as best leadership and management practices that enhance the ability of today’s CDigitalO to succeed in any organization. This session will also help to set the stage for the overall CDigitalO certificate program and the subsequent modules.

• Digital Innovation and Culture

  Instructor:
  Chris Labash | Associate Teaching Professor, Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College

  Becoming digitized and digital requires new ways of working as well as a mindset shift. Failing fast through a culture of experimentation is a necessity, but how can this be done in a risk-averse organization or a company that is not equipped for rapid experimentation? Chief Digital Officers must understand what an organization wants to achieve; assess incremental change; and map that back to culture, processes, and capabilities for growth.

  This module will discuss some processes and methods to develop a strong digital-focused culture in the organization.

• Platform Dynamics

  Instructor:
  Tim Derdenger | Associate Teaching Professor, Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business

  This module introduces participants to the many ways networked markets are transforming the economy and provides strategies for designing, monetizing, and launching a digital platform. In this module, you will leverage the fundamentals of digital transformation to identify why platforms beat products and how you can make your business a platform. This module also equips you with knowledge on governing your platform and strategically evaluating your competition.

• Aligning Data Strategy in Digital Transformation

  Instructor:
  Krishna Cheriath| CDAO, Zoetis

  This module will discuss the business case for enterprise data management, and the foundational importance to digital transformation initiatives, through the development of a mission-aligned, data-driven strategic roadmap. This module will also focus on data utilization best practices and how digital and data leaders collaborate to effectively impact organizational outcomes.

• Technology Planning and Execution

  Instructor:
  Steve Agnoli| CIO, Reed Smith

  This module will focus on how a Chief Digital Officer works with their technology peers (CIO/CTO) to assess pros and cons associated with emerging technologies, such as 5G, cloud infrastructure, IOT, digital twins, augmented reality, and others. This module will also focus on how to develop a strategy for the implementation of disruptive technologies for business advantage.

• Human-Centered Design and the Customer Journey

  Instructor:
  John Zimmerman| Tang Family Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Human-Computer Interaction, Carnegie Mellon University's School of Design

  Design thinking is a user-centered, collaborative process used to identify problems and the definition of innovative solutions. Design thinking can be applied to developing new products, solving for societal challenges, creating new business models, and improving existing processes. This module will work to improve the design thinking skills. This module will also work to improve the communication/persuasion skills of the Chief Digital Officer role to advance digital initiatives.

• Measuring Social

  Instructor:
  Ari Lightman | Distinguished Service Professor, Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College

  Online social activity provides new and meaningful ways for individuals to engage, communicate, and organize as well as create, distribute and share information. As corporations explore and invest in this area, many are finding that there is a plethora of unstructured data that can be valuable in many different corporate functions including marketing, customer service, internal
  collaboration and innovation. This module will examine how to measure outcomes from online social activity including brand awareness, customer loyalty, revenue generation, community activation, etc.

• Marketing Analytics

  Instructor:
  Param Vir Singh| Carnegie Bosch Professor of Business Technologies & Marketing, Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business

  Digital technology has changed how consumers search for information, interact with each other, and buy products and services. Given the many digital technologies—like online search, social media, mobile, content sites, A/B testing, etc.—how should a firm design its digital marketing strategy? How can the firm measure the effectiveness of its digital marketing efforts?

  This module will discuss how a Chief Digital Officer should approach this process to maximize opportunities for digital initiatives.

• Chief Digital Officer Organization Structure and Operations

  Instructor:
  Rafeh Masood | Former EVP, Chief Digital Officer, Bed Bath & Beyond

  This module is an overview of practical day-to-day operations of the Chief Digital Officer organization. The module will cover how to properly plan and structure the digital team, obtain “buy-in” from the organization, budget for needed resources, and report (metrics) on the team and initiatives to management. This module will also cover key project management principles/methods that a Chief Digital Officer would utilize in operations to support the team and meet the strategic objectives of the organization.

• Applied Data Science and AI

  Instructor:
  Rebecca Nugent | Professor, Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Statistics and Data Science

  This module will provide students with an understanding of the latest in data science and modeling methodologies, and the ability to formulate and solve problems. This module also provides digital leaders with a practical guide to using AI in the near future. We give some tips for finding, organizing and retaining data science and AI talent and conclude with some tips for creating an enterprise AI strategy.

• Business Process Reengineering & Automation

  Instructor:
  Jennifer Honig | CEO, Techstra Solutions
  Larry Honig | CDO, Techstra Solutions

  Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is changing the way organizations digitize and transform business processes and how they interact with their employees, customers and competitors. This module will provide a solid understanding of RPA and how it is transforming the world by combining software robotics with the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). During the module we will also dig into the technology, understand how advanced RPA delivers business value, identify processes ripe for this automation, and build an RPA business case. In addition, we will discuss the talent implications of bringing bots to work and the impact it has on the organization and its workforce.

• Digital Product Development

  Instructor:
  Jason Pausman, Sr. | Director, Head of Global Commercial Development, Zoetis

  This module will provide a more in-depth view of the strategy, process, and needed resources for the development of digital products to support the growth strategy of the organization. We will explore various product development processes and dig into how the CDigitalO’s responsibilities span all phases as both an executive and technology leader. We will use case studies to address how trends in product development impact the organization and how the CDigitalO is an essential player in business strategy and innovation.

• Security and Privacy

  Instructor:
  Greg Porter | President, Allegheny Digital
  Lisa Martinelli | Former Privacy and Data Ethics Officer, Highmark Health

  Data security enables organizations to protect revenue, facilitate digital transformation, comply with regulatory mandates and generate customer loyalty. Effective data security can be a critical differentiator for today’s digital businesses. Collecting and sharing information raises opportunities and creates challenges for organizations. Understanding how consumers/organizations think about their data (value, or not), their privacy, and what individual, organizational, and societal economic consequences of data collection/protection decisions can help managers navigate these complex trade-offs. This module will discuss the latest data security and privacy best practices that all CDigitalOs need to be aware of to protect the business to achieve its objectives.

• Leadership & Team Building

  Instructor:
  Leanne Meyer | Leadership Author and Speaker

  This module focuses on improving effectiveness as a manager and leader by introducing frameworks for understanding organizations and organizational processes. Today’s business world requires leaders who have a strong sense of empathy, sharp critical-thinking skills, and a diverse view of society. As such, an effective CDigitalO should be able to lead and inspire, foster teamwork, and create a culture which helps them be better managers.