IIM Kozhikode Launches India’s First Chief Operations Officer Programme — Redefining the COO Leadership Blueprint for a Tech-Driven Era

Mumbai, India, 2026-04-27 — /EPR Network/ — India’s operational landscape is undergoing a fundamental restructuring. As AI-driven automation, digital supply chains, and platform-based business models redefine how organisations create and deliver value, the Chief Operations Officer has emerged as the most pivotal C-suite role in enterprise transformation. The COO is no longer a back-office executor — today’s COO is a strategic co-driver of growth, directly partnering with the CEO to deploy multi-pronged strategies spanning operating models, cost architecture, market expansion, and technology-led innovation. Responding to this shift, IIM Kozhikode — in association with Emeritus — has launched India’s first dedicated operations management course built exclusively for aspiring and evolving COOs: the IIM Kozhikode Chief Operations Officer Programme — a landmark 12-month, fully live online initiative that is the first of its kind from any premier Indian management institution.

An Operations Management Course Built for the Modern COO Mandate

The operations management course is structured to address the complete mandate of the modern COO — not just operational efficiency, but strategic leadership, financial acumen, technology adoption, and C-suite executive presence. Delivered through weekly live online sessions over eight to eight-and-a-half months by distinguished IIM Kozhikode faculty, the programme features unique modules in operational transformation, operational excellence, and global supply chain design — areas rarely covered at this depth in any Indian executive education offering. Participants also engage in immersive business simulations that replicate real-world challenges in strategic and global supply chain management, a faculty-guided capstone project, and live exposure to industry practitioners from across sectors.

The programme fee is INR 6,50,000 + GST, with a 3-day residential immersion at the IIM Kozhikode campus featuring leadership-building workshops — adding an in-person dimension to the otherwise online learning journey. Participants who meet completion requirements earn IIM Kozhikode Executive Alumni Status — a credential that carries lifelong institutional association with one of India’s top-ranked B-schools.

Chief Operations Officer Program — Global Edge Through Kellogg Executive Education

What gives this chief operations officer program a genuinely global dimension is its dual-certification feature. In addition to the IIM Kozhikode curriculum, participants receive two online certificate courses from Kellogg Executive Education — Northwestern University’s globally recognised business school — covering AI Applications for Growth and Leading Growth Strategy. This pairing ensures COO candidates are not only operationally sharp but equipped to lead AI-driven growth initiatives and communicate strategic vision at the boardroom level — the precise combination that separates transformational COOs from conventional operations managers.

The programme also develops financial acumen, design thinking, agile methodologies, and risk resilience capabilities — giving participants a 360-degree COO toolkit that spans the full strategic-to-operational spectrum. Business simulations embedded across the curriculum allow participants to test decisions in high-pressure, risk-free environments before applying them in their organisations.

IIM Kozhikode — Dual-Accredited, Globally Ranked, India-Trusted

IIM Kozhikode holds the distinction of carrying both EQUIS and AMBA accreditation — a dual recognition achieved by fewer than 2% of business schools globally — and is ranked #4 in India and #72 globally by the Financial Times Open Enrolment Rankings. Established in 1996 and consistently ranked among India’s top management institutions by NIRF, IIMK’s faculty depth in quantitative methods, operations management, and supply chain strategy is among the strongest in the country. The Chief Operations Officer Programme is developed and delivered by this faculty cohort — ensuring participants receive both theoretical rigour and applied, practitioner-relevant insights.

Who Should Apply

This programme is designed for:

• Senior operations and supply chain managers with ten or more years of experience targeting COO or VP Operations roles

• Current COOs and Deputy COOs looking to upgrade their AI, digital, and strategic leadership capabilities for the next phase of their career

• Business leaders responsible for large-scale operational transformation, cost optimisation, or supply chain restructuring

• Manufacturing, logistics, retail, and technology sector professionals seeking C-suite readiness credentials

• Mid-to-senior leaders aiming to develop financial acumen and executive presence alongside operational expertise

Programme Curriculum at a Glance

1. COO in the Modern Enterprise — Role, Mandate, and CEO-COO Partnership

2. Operations Strategy and Competitive Advantage

3. Digital Supply Chain Design and Global Operations

4. AI and Technology in Operations — Automation, IoT, and Industry 4.0

5. Design Thinking for Operational Problem-Solving

6. Agile Operations and Change Management

7. Operational Transformation and Excellence — Lean, Six Sigma, and BPR

8. Risk Resilience and Business Continuity Planning

9. Financial Acumen for COOs — Cost Architecture and P&L Ownership

10. Business Simulation — Strategic and Global Supply Chain Decision-Making

11. Kellogg Module I: AI Applications for Growth

12. Kellogg Module II: Leading Growth Strategy

13. C-Suite Leadership and Executive Presence

14. Capstone Project — COO-Led Transformation Blueprint

About Emeritus India

Emeritus India is part of the global Emeritus group, which collaborates with more than 80 leading universities and institutions across the United States, Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, India, and China to offer executive education programmes. With a learner community of over 500,000 professionals across 80 countries, Emeritus delivers online, on-campus, and hybrid programmes that enable working professionals to upskill, reskill, and advance their careers. In India, Emeritus partners with premier institutions including IIM Kozhikode, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Indore, ISB, MIT xPRO, and IPAG Business School to bring world-class education to ambitious professionals.

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