Owner/President Management Program

Addressing the Unique Needs of Owners and Entrepreneurs

As an owner and entrepreneur, your relationship to your business is very different from that of other executive leaders. Managing equity stakes, transition planning, and strategic and professional growth all require special consideration on your part. Owner/President Management (OPM) is an unparalleled opportunity to step back from your daily challenges and acquire the skills, insights, and vision you need to sustain a profitable enterprise in the new economy.

What You Can Expect
This Executive Education program is taught in three-week sessions over three years. OPM enables you to assess your company's position, develop long-term strategies, create practical action plans, and connect with members of the extensive HBS network for advice and support.

Who Is Right for the Program
OPM is specifically designed for senior executives who are major equity stakeholders in companies with annual sales of at least $5 million. You will join a diverse group of successful entrepreneurs for a transformative experience that will reenergize your career and your company.

Investment in the Future
This unique leadership development experience encourages both business and personal renewal supported by fresh insights, new tools, and proven techniques. By becoming a better business leader, you will generate ongoing returns for your company.

Your Course of Study
You will explore crucial business challenges—from finance, marketing, and business control to leadership, strategy, and global markets—all through the unique perspective of owners who are effectively balancing their personal and professional issues.

Dates and Fees
May 16–June 4, 2010
Fee:$31,000

FOR MORE INFORMATION, please contact Ms. Jacqueline Baugher, Portfolio Director at +1-617-495-6555

The program fee covers tuition, books, case materials, accommodations, and most meals.

Programs, dates, fees, and faculty are subject to change.

In accordance with Harvard University policy, Harvard Business School does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex or sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, veteran status, or disability in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its programs and activities.

What You Can Expect

There comes a time in the career of every successful business owner, entrepreneur, or leader when the next step forward demands something more: a broader, more global perspective; a greater capacity for identifying opportunities; more sophisticated approaches to innovation, marketing, and strategic growth; and a larger, more diversified network of like-minded peers.

In essence, Owner/President Management (OPM) is a bridge from where you are today to where you want to be tomorrow—an in-depth exploration of personal and professional transformation. OPM is an opportunity to realize even greater potential, to become a more effective leader, and to deliver superior value to your stakeholders.

Presented in a three-week session each year over three years, OPM provides the skills, tools, and network you need to expand your leadership expertise and achieve your company's long-term goals. Designed to balance your work and lifestyle requirements with the demands of an intensive education, OPM is structured to maximize the value of your learning experience, while minimizing your time away from work.

Your participation in OPM will:

After completing each year's session, you will leave with a wider global perspective and a greater capacity for charting and navigating your company's course as the economy recovers.

The OPM Approach

The program's three-year structure is highly adaptable to changes in the global business arena and to the needs and demands of executives. By focusing on a key aspect of running a successful business, each OPM unit serves as a building block that prepares you for subsequent units—and ultimately for greater personal and professional achievement.

Unit I: Building the Foundation
Unit II: Driving Performance
Unit III: Achieving Goals

"OPM was a career changer for me. I never thought that I would be building a $3 billion company, but I am launching a new firm in another country. Since the program, I have talked with five OPM alumni about bringing their businesses here to launch joint ventures, providing the service businesses we need to support our new venture."
Sutton Turner [Executive Director], Sorouh Real Estate, PJSC, United Arab Emirates

Your Course of Study

Designed to build your knowledge base over a three-year period, OPM's comprehensive curriculum delves into essential business topics as well as special areas of interest to business owners. Immersed in our pioneering case method, thought-provoking lectures, and enlightening group discussions, you will explore these topics:

Navigating the New Economy

To compete effectively in an evolving economy, entrepreneurs must expand their global viewpoint as well as their portfolio of leadership tools. OPM equips you to better understand, anticipate, and manage change—and drive performance in any environment. You will:

Executing Effective Strategies

As a business owner, you play an essential role in setting—and achieving—your firm's long-term strategic goals. This leadership development program provides the latest insights and proven frameworks you need to position your company for long-term competitive advantage. You will:

Leveraging Marketing Tools

Knowing how to attract and retain customers is vital to business success. OPM examines proven ways to assess customer profitability and lifetime value, design and price products, and develop and evaluate promotions as well as other marketing and sales tools. You will:

Applying Effective Controls

Performance metrics provide the information you need to understand how your company creates value and consumes resources. OPM delivers the tools and analytics required for improving performance measurement and management. You will:

Maximizing Financial Resources

Having the ability to strategically manage your financial resources is essential to realizing your company's full potential. OPM provides the latest insights and critical tools you need to make more sophisticated financing decisions. You will:

Understanding Global Markets

Businesses large and small are global players in today's marketplace. OPM takes a macroeconomic view of the international business environment, providing strategic insights that help you lead your organization through convergence and conflict. You will:

Managing Disruptive Innovation

Executives in many established firms view disruptive innovation as a threat and react by protecting the business. Innovators, however, view disruptions as game-changing opportunities. OPM helps you to identify and exploit these emerging opportunities. You will:

Negotiation for Success

Exceptional negotiation skills are critical for executives at every stage of their careers. To that end, OPM addresses the inevitable tensions between self-interest and mutual interest, and competing and cooperating. You will:

Special Sessions for Business Owners

In conjunction with the modules listed above, OPM also offers special sessions that address the unique challenges facing business owners today. Relevant topics include "Family Business" and "Personal Investing."

In between the three OPM sessions, you will test your newly acquired skills and insights back at work. A unique program that matches participants with Harvard MBA field-study students also is available to help you implement your classroom learning across your company.

"The overall experience of meeting people in positions similar to mine from around the world really set the program apart. More than a year later, I am amazed at how we continue to network and reach out to one another. Along with the learning and networking, the program gave me the confidence to run and grow my company."
Anne Eiting Klamar [President and CEO], Midmark Corporation, U.S.

Who Is Right for the Program

OPM is designed for successful, ambitious business owners who are willing to demand more of themselves and are capable of contributing to vibrant group activities. Candidates must hold a significant equity stake in their firm and be actively involved in running the business. The ideal candidate is a chief executive officer, president, chief operating officer, managing director, or the equivalent at a company with annual sales of at least $5 million.

Representing a broad range of organizations, participants hail from countries around the world. This global diversity not only empowers you to negotiate, compete, and conduct business across borders, but also enables you to expand your professional network with successful business leaders worldwide.

Visit the admissions section for details about our application process.

Past Participants Represented:

Industries Nationalities
4% Chem/Pharm/Bio 4% Africa
3% Communications 11% Asia
11% Consumer Products 5% Australia/NZ
7% Financial 11% Europe
4% High Technology 9% Latin America
15% Manufacturing 2% Middle East
4% Nonprofit 52% North America
2% Other 6% Other
10% Other Services
12% Professional Services
3% Raw Materials/Energy
14% Real Estate/ Construction
10% Retail Services
1% Utilities/Telecommunications

"OPM was an outstanding experience. The interaction with fellow attendees on a personal level created deep, lifelong friendships, while at the same time facilitating powerful interlearning. The group interaction in the case studies coupled with the class discussions challenged my business mindset and helped me develop new and creative business models."
Padraig O'Ceidigh [Chairman], Aer Arann, Ireland

"One of the most energizing parts of the program is the amazing group of people that I have become friends with from all over the world. Since I graduated from OPM, our globe has become much smaller. I can call on any one of my fellow graduates in over 20 countries, and they will be there for me—as I would be for them."
Julie Levi [President], Progressive Promotions, Inc., U.S.

Meet the Program Faculty

Like all Harvard Business School Executive Education programs, OPM is developed and taught by a core faculty of HBS professors. Our faculty members are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors.

Through publishing, consulting, and teaching, they leverage their business expertise and field-based research to create new knowledge and enduring concepts that shape the practice of management. The result is a teaching team that exposes participants to multiple perspectives, challenging their thinking and encouraging new practices that result in superior business leadership. For more detailed biographies, click on each faculty name.

Lynda M. Applegate, Martin Marshall Professor of Business Administration. Head of the Entrepreneurial Management Unit, member of the General Management Unit; faculty chair of "Owner/President Management," "Building Businesses in Turbulent Times: Leading Privately Held Companies," "Key Executives Program," and "Launching New Ventures: Jump-Starting Innovation for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners."

John A. Davis, Senior Lecturer of Business Administration. Member of the Entrepreneurial Management Unit; and faculty chair of "Families in Business: From Generation to Generation."

Rohit Deshpandé, Sebastian S. Kresge Professor of Marketing and Henry B. Arthur Fellow for Business Ethics. Member of the Marketing Unit.

Josh Lerner, Jacob H. Schiff Professor of Investment Banking. Member of the Finance and the Entrepreneurial Management Units; faculty chair of "Private Equity and Venture Capital" and faculty cochair of "Private Equity and Venture Capital – Asia."

Deepak Malhotra, Associate Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Negotiation, Organizations, and Markets Unit.

Cynthia A. Montgomery, Timken Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Strategy Unit.

V.G. Narayanan, Thomas D. Casserly, Jr. Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Accounting and Management Unit; and faculty chair of "Compensation Committees: New Challenges, New Solutions."

Forest L. Reinhardt, John D. Black Professor of Business Administration. Chair of the European Research Initiative; member of the Business, Government and the International Economy Unit; and faculty cochair of the "Global Energy Seminar."

OPM: A Transformative Experience

The time you invest in OPM is an investment in your company's future that will deliver long-term return-on-investment for both you and your company. Rooted in Harvard Business School's world-renowned case study method, this life-changing experience provides more than just information—it transforms you. Not only will you interact with Harvard Business School professors, renowned thought leaders who have redefined modern management practices, but you also will share in dynamic case discussions with other accomplished business owners from around the world.

Time to Learn – Learning takes time—a valuable resource for business owners who often forego opportunities to experience the benefits of executive education. OPM offers a realistic solution by limiting participation to three weeks a year. The program's length and intensity enable you to step back from the daily demands of your business, reassess your role within the company, and evaluate your company's performance over time. Most important, OPM allows you to develop a broader and more accurate perspective on your business without requiring an extended absence.

Shared Experiences – Every facet of the program—from participant selection… to discussion group design… to social activities—is structured to promote dynamic interchange. Small learning teams provide a range of experiences and talents, as well as a unique context for constructive feedback and professional development. To reinforce the School's extraordinary sense of community, OPM participants live on campus in suites of single, private rooms arranged around a common area, providing ready access to colleagues and fostering peer-to-peer engagement.

In-Depth Immersion – To achieve its ambitious goals, OPM requires on-campus residency and expects active involvement in all program activities. Classes are held six days a week, and you typically will remain fully engaged 14 hours a day. During your stay at HBS, you must remain free of outside responsibilities. Furthermore, due to the intensive curriculum, we strongly recommend that your family not accompany you to Boston. Within this challenging setting, you are free to focus on yourself—your company's biggest business asset.

Relationships for Life – You and your peers will learn and work together, creating a unique sense of community that often lasts a lifetime. Many OPM alumni keep in close contact with one another by attending OPM reunions and other alumni events, embarking on joint business ventures, and developing a lifelong network of global colleagues.

"Simply put, the OPM experience changed how I envision both my business and my personal life. I was able to step back, look at my business from 30,000 feet, and plan comprehensively. By broadening my perspective, the program has helped me to ask better questions-and expect better answers. OPM is a must for all."
Kevin Bohm [President], Alarcon Bohm Corporation, U.S.

An Alumni Network that Sustains Your Growth

Ongoing Connections, Learning, and Networking

Reflecting the School's commitment to foster lifelong learning and to strengthen individual leadership capabilities, HBS will continue to provide OPM graduates with relevant educational resources and opportunities long after the program ends. After completing the program, you will become part of the Harvard Business School alumni network with exclusive access to:

"The opportunity to learn with a diverse group of talented and influential peers is an incredible gift that has changed my perspective on both learning and business. I've formed lifelong friendships with my OPM classmates that will be invaluable throughout my career."
Dennis P. Murphy [President], Hayden Homes, U.S.