Kellogg School of Management launches new executive programme for IT professionals

Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management is partnering with ISACA, an international professional association focusing on IT governance to launch the new ROI of Transformative Leadership programme.

This new executive education programme is open to executives and aspiring executives in the Information Technology (IT) and information systems industry who are keen to build their leadership skills.

The executive education programme will consist of on-campus classes, providing training on several topics including business acumen, conflict resolution, and communication.

This new executive education programme is designed to address the current shortage of leadership skills among the cybersecurity workforce.

Through this unprecedented collaboration, IT professionals will also develop their leadership and persuasion skills in classroom sessions taught by faculty from the management school.

The programme will feature lessons that will be conducted over the three and a half-day on-campus sessions.  It will not only focus on classroom lectures but also on experiential learning.

Upon completion, graduates will receive a certificate from Kellogg and 28 CPEs.

This programme aims to solve the inadequate ability of professionals in the industry to grasp business insights, among some other skill gaps listed in the State of Cybersecurity 2020 report published by ISACA.

The programme will address these areas of need and provide IT professionals with specialised training to build leadership and communication skills.

The State of Cybersecurity 2020 report was produced in the last quarter of 2019 based on a survey that was conducted to study the current trends in cybersecurity workforce development, staffing, budget and gender diversity.

The survey findings reveal that businesses in the cybersecurity industry are short-staffed, have difficulty finding enough talent for open positions and cybersecurity budgets are expected to grow.

In a separate study conducted by ISACA and Protiviti titled IT Audit Benchmarking Survey 2019, it is stated that communications expertise is considered one of the top five skills in demand for IT audit professionals.

Consequently, ISACA and the Kellogg school of management will be launching the first course in the new ISACA ROI of Transformative Leadership series, in July this year. However, the event will be postponed until further notice due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The on-campus programme will cover topics such as how to negotiate, deliver and receive feedback, master storytelling, and hone influence, as well as how to build and implement personal leadership strategies and develop a framework for effective decision-making.

ISACA’s Executive Education Series is a new initiative following the recent appointment of Nader Qaimari as the association’s first chief learning officer.

Commenting on this recent innovative programme offering, Qaimari said that it is essential for the association as a global learning organisation and dynamic professional community to design and deliver educational experiences that meet the unique needs of IT professionals.

Qaimari added, “We are excited to partner with such a reputable institution as Northwestern University to address prevalent skills gaps and position our members to become stronger leaders.”

The ROI of Transformative Leadership programme also includes accommodations at the James L. Allen Center at Northwestern’s Chicago Lakefront Campus.

In addition to the educational experience, participants will have ample opportunities to network and will have access to full-service dining and refreshments, university libraries, the Sports Pavilion Aquatics Center (SPAC) and social hours at the Conference Center.