Wharton Fellows: Ongoing Network and Master Classes for Senior Executives

Annual membership fee of $1,200 is required to participate in master classes and virtual lectures.

Disruptive change and uncertainty are now the norm: conflict in the Middle East, the threat of global disease, the China boom, a unified yet fractured Europe, declining investor confidence, opportunities and political backlash of outsourcing, increasingly wider swings in global markets, information overdrive — the list grows daily. Yet past experience has not adequately prepared top executives for today's unprecedented and unrelenting pace of change. Organizations lack flexibility. Many are stuck.

For this reason, we created Wharton Fellows — a lifelong network of thought leaders, senior executives, Wharton faculty, and leading experts that provides continuous critical knowledge and unparalleled decision support to meet the business challenges of nonlinear, disruptive change. The program's unique format — short, global master classes and a continuously linked community of experts — helps senior leaders to constantly challenge their assumptions, develop and test new ideas, and stay ahead of the competition.

2009 MASTER CLASSES: Risk and Opportunities in Evolving Markets

Master Classes offer an integrated set of sessions on the changing business environment. While Fellows can benefit from attending any of the Master Classes individually, the full set of classes provides a more complete set of tools and fresh perspectives to challenge your view of the world and your own business.

January 12–13, 2009  •  Wharton Campus, Philadelphia, PA
The U.S. and the World under the New Administration and the Lessons from the Global Financial Crisis
Academic Director: Professor Jerry Wind
Talk with leading finance and economic experts, government officials from the SEC, representatives of the World Bank and Federal Reserve, and members of Congress. World-renowned keynote speakers include CEOs and published economists. Don't miss the opportunity to share your views and get feedback from Wharton's top finance professors about the long-term outcome of your business.

March 8–10, 2009  •  Berlin, Germany
Leading the Green Revolution for Global Business
Academic Director: Professor Jerry Wind
Explore insights into how Berlin and the EU are leading worldwide business in the Green Revolution: discuss "green' and sustainability issues with the German Federal Ministry for the Environment and other top elected officials. Meet leading technology executives; learn about alternative fuel resources from top R&D companies; visit "Solar Valley" and tour the world's largest thin-film solar power plant; and experience Berlin's integration of "green" practices in their city operation as well as the impact of the multi-ethnic workforce in Europe. This Master Class will revolutionize how you operate your business.

June 14–16, 2009  •  Beijing, China
The Impact of China's Booming Economic Growth on the Global Economy
Academic Director: Professor Jerry Wind
Over 300 million Chinese have joined the middle class in the past 10 years. As China becomes an open economy, see how your company can benefit from marketing, exporting and manufacturing there. Will China be the next global power, overtaking the U.S.? Experience unparalleled access to the top business and government leaders in the capital city as you learn how to harness the growth of China for your business.

October 26–28 2009  •  São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Brazil's Strategy to Become a Top Five Global Economic Power
Academic Director: Professor Jerry Wind
Participate in multiple site visits with Brazil's top business leaders to learn why they are the largest economy in South America and the eighth largest economy in the world. After decades with a protectionist economy, Brazil is opening for foreign competition, the government is committed to privatization and lower tariffs, and the consumer market is poised for huge potential growth. Brazilian business people like to meet more than once and like to get to know one another before doing business, so join this Master Class to make the contacts to grow your business.

Wharton Fellows Program Features

Wharton Fellows goes beyond traditional executive education. It is designed by and for senior leaders, offering:

• Immediacy: Ongoing real-time decision support on immediately critical issues.
• Relevancy: Sessions take place several times per year in geographic centers relevant to the critical issues at hand.
• Networking: Webinars, regional events, and an online community give continuous access to the global Fellows community.
• Access: Faculty and experts are drawn from the best of academia, business, and other relevant fields (technology, science, politics, the arts, etc).
• Intimacy: Each master class is limited to 50 participants to encourage interaction and dialogue.
• Efficiency: Each master class is compressed (typically two-days) for maximum knowledge gain in minimal time.
• Exclusivity: The program is limited to top executives and high potentials/change agents.
• Action: Master classes and the ongoing expert network are action oriented, helping you apply critical knowledge and test new concepts/ideas immediately.

VIRTUAL LECTURES

The Fellows annual membership fee entitles members to participate in virtual lectures throughout the year on a variety of topics. Undertaken in Wharton's Virtual Classroom, these lectures will focus on cutting-edge business issues that may not yet be affecting business today but will certainly have an impact in the future. The class environment, while virtual, is conducted live and in realtime, with a video broadcast and two-way audio participation with all participants. Attendance at lectures will be limited to encourage an active dialogue between faculty and participants, and among Fellows. The topics for 2008 have not yet been chosen, but topics such as Gaming Theory and How to Think About Catastrophic Risk are being considered. The Fellows will also play a role in the selection of topics for the Virtual Lecture series.

ONGOING EXPERT NETWORK

Upon admission, new Fellows immediately join an exclusive expert network that provides rich opportunities for ongoing, real-time, peer-to-peer interaction around your critical issues. Components of the network include:

• An exclusive ongoing community that extends knowledge sharing on critical topics as identified by Fellows and faculty, allowing for rapid topic selection and knowledge creation. Executives can attend and interact online and/or via phone from any location in the world.
• Regular updates from Wharton via Knowledge@Wharton (the School's acclaimed business knowledge source), the Fellows Forum monthly e-newsletter, and Fellows Field Reports that recap and summarize each master class in real time.
• Reverse mentoring with MBA students and entrepreneurs for a unique cross-generational exchange of new ways of thinking.

About Fellows

• Fellows status is obtained after admittance to the Fellows program.
• Fellows receive Wharton Alumni status after completing 36 full days of classes or 12 Master Classes.
• Annual dues of $1,200 is required to maintain membership in the Fellows program.
• Attending one Master Class is required every two years to maintain membership.
• A partners program is available for spouses at 75% of cost for full participation in Master Classes, or a flat fee of $2,500 to attend three sessions, dinners, and social events.

AUDIENCE

Admission is exclusive to Board of Directors, C-level executives, direct reports, presidents, and heads of business units with 15 to 25 years of experience. All candidates must submit an application for acceptance into the Fellows program prior to registering for any Master Classes.

FACULTY

JERRY WIND
Academic Director
The Lauder Professor, Professor of Marketing
The Wharton School

Yoram (Jerry) Wind joined the Wharton faculty in 1967, after receiving his doctorate from Stanford University. Since 1988, he has served as the founding director of the Wharton "think tank" — the SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management — and is currently leading the development of the X-Functional Integration initiatives of the School. He is also the founder and academic director of the Wharton Fellows program and the initiator and founding editor of Wharton School Publishing, the joint venture of Wharton and Pearson/Financial Times. Dr. Wind has consulted and conducted research for more than 100 companies. His most recent books, The Power of Impossible Thinking, with Colin Crook, Driving Change, with Jeremy Main, and Convergence Marketing, with Vijay Mahajan, have received wide acclaim.

Wharton Fellows draws on more than 50 additional faculty and experts who are closely matched to each master class theme.