European Sports Business Program

Content
Format & Modules
Faculty
Benefits
Participant Profile

About the Program

The Executive Education divisions of three leading European Business Schools – WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, Stockholm School of Economics (SSE), and ESSEC Business School – join forces to offer a new pioneer program for (future) leaders in sports business. Over 3 x 3-day modules, participants learn how to systematically look into the future and develop a strategy for growth (at WHU in Düsseldorf). Furthermore, they study how to turn strategy concepts into commercial success (at SSE in Stockholm) and they will learn about the role of leadership, goal setting, and culture in managing change (at ESSEC in Paris). Participants will not only discover new skills and explore new ways of thinking, but also have the opportunity to expand their network through a diverse group of international peers and world-class experts.

Participants will be awarded an Executive Education Certificate from each business school after successfully completing the program.

Program Content

The European Sports Business Program (ESBP) aims to prepare high potentials in sports business for the (future) challenges within their industry through a tailor-made executive education program. The program consists of 3 x 3-day on-site modules at the most prestigious European business schools specializing in sports business.

Module I – “Corporate Foresight & Strategy Making” at WHU in Dusseldorf:

Navigating strategic uncertainty (Delphi method)
Assessing strategic opportunities
Leading a strategy making process
Building strategies for growth

Module II – “Management & Execution” at SSE in Stockholm

Implementing strategies
Driving positive change
Measuring and monitoring performance
Ensuring business model funding

Module III – “Leadership & Culture” at ESSEC in Paris

Motivating teams
Creating a culture of initiative
Fostering openness to change
Instilling purpose

Learn from renowned faculty – full professors specialized in sports business will facilitate the learning process.

Benefit from experienced leaders – world-class experts share insights in guest speaker sessions.

Be challenged by your peers – the diverse cohort of ambitious peers will provide a network of new opportunities.

This sports leadership program includes a mix of in-class teaching, case studies, group work, guest speakers, applied projects, and networking sessions.

Program Format and Module Dates

The program consists of 3 x 3-day on-site modules taking place in Düsseldorf, Stockholm, and Paris.

Module I – Corporate Foresight & Strategy Making
February 10, 2025 - February 12, 2025, Düsseldorf

Module II – Management & Execution
April 28, 2025 - April 30, 2025, Stockholm

Module III – Leadership & Culture
June 16, 2025 - June 18, 2025, Paris

Program Faculty

WHU-Speaker

About

Sascha L. Schmidt is a Professor, Chair Holder and Director of the Center for Sports and Management (CSM) at WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management in Düsseldorf, Germany with the “Future of Sports” being his key research area. He is a lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sports Entrepreneurship Bootcamp as well as a member of the "Digital Initiative" at Harvard Business School in Boston. Schmidt is the editor of the book “21st Century sports: How Technologies will Change Sports in The Digital Age,” and based on this book, he developed the online course “Transformational Technologies: Applied Lessons from Sports” with MIT xPRO. He regularly publishes his work in various books and peer-reviewed journals, including Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Sloan Management Review, and Applied Psychology.

Guest-Speaker

About

Karoline Strauss is Professor of Management at ESSEC Business School and holder of the ESSEC Sports Chair. She teaches leadership, organizational behavior, and human resource management. Her research focuses on how leaders and employees bring about change and shape the future, such as by contributing to (or resisting) change and innovation. Professor Strauss has collaborated with organizations from a wide range of sectors, including health care, policing, telecommunications, and sports.

Guest-Speaker

About

Martin Carlsson-Wall is Professor of Accounting at Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) and Director of the Center for Sports and Business at SSE. In 2015, he founded the Stockholm School of Economics' Center for Sports and Business. It is an inter-disciplinary research center with faculty members from all over the world. It is supported by the Swedish Olympic Committee and many of the large Swedish sports (e.g., football, ice hockey, golf, equestrian, skiing, parasport, trot racing). Martin's research interests are in accounting, sports organizations, and in the areas of management control, innovation, growth, and risk management.

Program Benefits

Learn to:

Think and act strategically in a globalized and digital sports world
Manage a thriving business in professional sports
Lead high-performing teams and organizations effectively

Experience:

A diverse cohort of fellow future-leaders in sports across Europe
World-renowned experts in guest speaker sessions
Networking opportunities at European Sports hubs

Take home:

European best practices from various sports organizations
International peer network in sports business
Executive Education certificates from 3 leading business schools

Participant Profile

Distinct growth mindset
Undergraduate degree
Minimum of 2 years of postgraduate work experience, ideally in sports business related areas

Exceptions may apply for outstanding candidates with a strong track-record in sports.

A limited number of slots is available. You can expect to be part of a diverse cohort due to prorated allocation of participant slots to the home markets of WHU (DACH), SSE (Nordics), and ESSEC (Southern Europe).

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About ESSEC Business School

Founded in 1907, is one of the world’s top management schools and holds the “triple crown” accreditation from EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA. With 7,400 participants across 4 campuses (France (2), Morocco and Singapore); a faculty comprised of 169 full-time professors, 23 of which are emeritus professors, in France and Singapore, recognized for both the quality and influence of their research; a wide range of management training programs; partnerships with the world’s best universities; and a network of 69,000 alumni, ESSEC continues to foster a tradition of academic excellence and a spirit of openness in the fields of economics, social sciences and innovation.

ABOUT SSE EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Stockholm School of Economics Executive Education is Northern Europe’s leading partner for executive education and ranked number one in the Nordics according to the Financial Times. The wide range of programs offers training in leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainable growth, and financial economics, as well as specialist programs in finance and insurance.

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