DeGroote School of Business launches new EMBA program

The DeGroote School of Business launched its new Executive MBA in Digital Transformation at the Toronto headquarters of founding partner theScore Inc. last week.

The program is the latest offering in DeGroote’s portfolio and aims to provide the core management training of an MBA program with a focus on new strategic approaches, organizational structures and sources of value creation proposed by the influx of digital innovations in business.

John Levy, theScore’s founder and CEO, explained why he was eager to have his business – one that is wholly digital since the sale of their television network in 2012 – to be involved from the start, “companies are being [digitally] disrupted all the time and there is a lack of understanding of how to cope with that. We wanted to do something to have an impact on how modern businesses work.” James Bigg, manager of communications, adds that the digital world “is moving so fast that if you don’t stay ahead of the game, you’ll be left behind. This program will offer tangible results for organizations.”

theScore’s offices were filled with a diverse group, representing program partners, faculty, organizations and prospective students. Levy and the DeGroote School of Business’ Dean, Leonard Waverman, welcomed the attendees with a toast to the program’s official launch before Waverman added some remarks about the goal of the new EMBA, noting that, while the program is novel at this point, “in ten years, [digital] will be a part of every MBA.” He also stressed that though there will be some technical content, “this is not a technical program; it’s a leadership program. We want our graduates to be able to ask the right questions.”

Waverman also called attention to a recent Find-MBA.com ranking that placed DeGroote third on the list of the top business schools for “Business Analytics and Big Data” – before the EMBA was even officially launched – and pointed to the School’s new strategic plan that emphasizes “Digital Transformation.”

Program directors Michael Hartmann and Milena Head presented a short overview of the program’s content, outlining the who, what, why and how of the EMBA in Digital Transformation, with Hartmann reiterating the intent to train managers who understand how “digital innovations like the cloud, social media, big data analytics and mobility fundamentally alter the traditional way of doing business … we don’t want to see innovative business cases just divert into another conversation about risk.”

Developed in partnership with theScore, CIBC, IBM and SAS, the 13-month, four-module program will begin accepting applicants this fall for a September 2016 start.

To find out more about the program, click here.