Frequently Asked Questions

In today’s AI-driven world, businesses that fail to adopt digital strategies risk falling behind. Leadership is no longer just about managing people and operations—it’s about driving digital transformation. Companies need leaders who can leverage AI, automation, and emerging technologies to create new opportunities and maintain a competitive edge. Digital-first enterprises require decision-makers who can think strategically, bridge the gap between business and technology, and future-proof their organisations against rapid technological change.

The pace of digital disruption is accelerating. Traditional leadership skills are no longer enough—leaders must adapt or risk irrelevance. Upskilling in digital business leadership ensures that leaders can:

• Understand and apply AI-driven strategies to drive business innovation.
• Navigate evolving business models shaped by digital transformation.
• Align technology with business goals to enhance efficiency and growth.
• Lead organisations through change, ensuring resilience in an AI-first economy.

This programme is designed to help leaders thrive in a world where AI and digital technologies shape every business function. It combines:

• A strategic, multi-disciplinary framework that equips leaders to build and scale AI-first businesses.
• World-class insights from IIM Calcutta faculty and top industry experts.
• Hands-on, experiential learning through case studies, capstone projects, and ‘Sapere Aude’ talks.
• Immersive on-campus training, with 36% of the programme covered through interactive sessions.

Many leaders struggle to connect business strategy with emerging technologies. This programme provides the tools and knowledge to:

• Transform business models by integrating AI and digital innovation.
• Develop AI-first leadership strategies for long-term competitive advantage.
• Enhance decision-making through data-driven insights and automation.
• Create a digital mindset, enabling leaders to drive impactful transformation within their organisations.

This is not just an executive programme—it’s a leadership accelerator for those who want to lead digital-first enterprises with confidence.

A future-focused leadership program for aspiring & current business leaders, CXOs and entrepreneurs to master a strategic framework for leveraging AI and digital technologies for competitive advantage.

• Business Leaders with Digital Vision seeking to bridge business and
  technology to drive digital-first solutions
• Tech Leaders aiming to transform business and leverage AI for innovation
  and competitive advantage
• Functional Leaders seeking to drive digital and AI transformation
  within their departments
• Entrepreneurs & Startup Founders focusing on building and scaling AI-driven,
  customer-centric digital-first businesses
• Consultants working to redefine business models and lead digital
  transformation initiatives

The programme will be taught by the esteemed IIM Calcutta Faculty. To meet your future mentors, visit here

This is not just another executive course — it is a leadership transformation experience designed to help senior professionals master digital business strategy in the AI era. Here’s what makes it stand out:

IIM Calcutta Prestige
Earn a certification from India’s only B-School in the elite CEMS network, holding the Triple Crown Accreditation (AMBA, EQUIS & AACSB) — a distinction held by fewer than 1% of B-Schools globally.

Hands-On, Experiential Learning
Go beyond theory with real-world case studies, hands-on sessions, a capstone project on AI/digital transformation, ‘Sapere Aude’ talks, and two immersive IIM Calcutta campus visits.

Top Faculty & Industry Leaders
Learn from IIM Calcutta’s top faculty and digital transformation pioneers, bridging the gap between business and technology.

Executive Alumni Status
Join IIM Calcutta’s 32,000+ Executive Alumni Network, gaining lifelong access to industry leaders, insights, and career opportunities.

A certificate of successful completion is provided upon completion of all requirements of the program. All examinations and evaluations related to the certification are carried out by IIM Calcutta.

Yes, participants of this programme get an Executive Alumni status of IIM Calcutta, one among the top-ranked B-Schools in Asia.

The programme format with LIVE Interactive Sessions, capstones, group projects and case study analysis enables a conducive environment to network with your peers in the cohort. Most participants can continue to network even after the cohort by using the alumni portal.

All participants are required to execute, before the start of the program, an agreement that consists of the standard programme Terms and Conditions. It has the following components:

Part A:

• Etiquette and Platform Rights

• Classroom Etiquette & General Policy Guidelines

• Tools and Platforms in Use

• Tools and Platforms: Terms of Use

Part B: Honor Code

Part C: Certification

Part D: Programme Fee, Refund, and Termination Policy

Candidates will be selected based on the details of education, work experience, and a statement of purpose submitted along with the application.

A programme advisor will be assigned to the applicant, who will gather all the necessary information and represent his/her candidature to the selection committee for review. The profiles will be sent to IIM Calcutta for selection.

• Education: Bachelor/Master’s degree in any discipline with a minimum 50% marks
• Experience: Senior Leaders with minimum 12 years of experience or aspiring leaders with an impactful career path, having less than 12 years of experience*

*subject to approval from IIM Calcutta

Enrol for the programme through these easy steps:

Master a strategic, multi-disciplinary framework to harness digital technologies and AI as the foundation for competitive advantage

Each multi-disciplinary module is structured with ideas, concepts, frameworks, and tools drawn from different management disciplines

Module 1: Sense Digital

• Understanding Disruptive Technologies and Digital Transformation

• Digitalization amidst Deglobalization

• Discovering the Self Amidst Change

  • Self-Assessment, aided by faculty.

  • What do our personality traits say about our openness to change?

  • Do we have what it takes to become TKBLs?

• Problem Framing Amidst Ambiguity & Uncertainty

• Platform Businesses in India

• Design Thinking

  • Mental Models; Assumptions;

  • Thinking on the Edge;

• Sectoral Perspectives on Digital Business Leadership [Sapere aude]

Module 2: Think Digital

• Economics of Digital

  • Digital and information goods

  • Bundling and Unbundling;

  • Information Pricing Strategies;

  • Monetizing digital services

• Demystifying Deep Tech and the Pillars of Digital Business

  • Cloud; Big Data;

  • Machine Learning, and AI as vectors of digital business capability;

• Customer-Centricity in the Digital Age

Module 3: Craft Digital

• Succeeding with Digital Products

  • Design and user experience

  • A/B testing

  • Ethical Aspects of Design

• Strategic Thinking and Digital Business Models

  • Fundamentals of Business Strategy;

  • Business Agility through Digital;

  • Digital Business Models

  • Digital Platforms; Ecosystems; Network Effects

• Recrafting Marketing in the Digital Era

  • Digital Marketing Analytics;

  • Integrating traditional and digital marketing;

  • Omnichannel Strategy;

  • AI powered Digital Marketing

  • Mass Personalization through AI

  • Customer Experience & Engagement Marketing

• Embedding DeepTech and AI in Organizations

  • Applications of Emerging Technologies in Industry 4.0

• Digital: A Policy Perspective [Sapere aude]

Module 4: Act Digital

• Engaging the Self Amidst Change

  • Self-Assessment, aided by faculty

  • How do we leverage what we have to become TKBLs?

• Managing Change

  • Embracing the Digital and AI first Mindset

  • Rewiring the Firm DNA;

  • Transitioning with Digital Partners and AI applications

• Strategic Leadership for Enterprise Growth

  • Driving Disruption: The Challenger’s Perspective;

  • Renewing through Disruption: The Incumbent’s Perspective;

  • Organizational Ambidexterity;

  • Strategic Choice in the Age of AI

• The Agile Organization

• Storytelling and Strategic Communication in the Digital Era

• Digital Dilemmas and Ethics in the Age of Big Data and AI [Sapere aude]

Applications Open for Batch 4

It is a 12 months programme comprising of

• 2 Campus visits of 5-days each to IIM Calcutta

• Live Interactive Sessions by IIM Calcutta Faculty and Industry Experts and

• 36% program covered on-campus through Projects, Case Studies and Hands-on Sessions

The programme will be delivered through faculty-led interactive live sessions on TalentSprint’s ipearl.ai. These online sessions will be held at a schedule convenient for working professionals. Participants will be able to interact with the faculty through video, audio, and chat. They will also be able to chat with fellow participants of the programme during online sessions.

As per the programme norms, participants are required to maintain at least 67% attendance in each module to be eligible for the module evaluation. In case of unavoidable circumstances, if a participant misses a class and is marked absent, the recorded archive of the same will be provided for 7 days from the date of the class.

The programme includes continuous formative and summative assessments. The final scores will be determined based on the sum of scores of various assessments.

Yes, participants are required to have their laptops.

Reading material (pre/post session) will be shared regularly through the Online Learning Management System. The access will be available for 1 year from the date of the commencement of the programme.

A certificate of successful completion is provided upon completion of all requirements of the programme. All examinations and evaluations related to the certification are carried out by IIM Calcutta.

For programme fee-related details, please visit here

Yes, flexible EMI options are available that enable you to pay the programme fee in installments. Please reach out to your programme advisor to know about the details of the schemes available.

No, the application fee is non-refundable.

No. The programme fee is non-refundable and non-transferable under any circumstances.

iPearl.ai (Interactive Platform for Experiential and Remote Learning) is created by TalentSprint’s engineering team led by our Chief Technology Officer, an IIT Kanpur alumni. The platform integrates best-in-class open source technologies and SaaS services and perfected them over the last seven years.

When this platform was built, we intended to offer it to our partners and customers for digital learning and delivery. Since 2013, the platform has been extensively used by IIM Calcutta, IIT Kanpur, IIIT Hyderabad and IIT Hyderabad, and many more of our customers and partners. To date, more than 300,000 students have used this platform, which is reputed for user experience, quality, and scale.

This feature-rich platform has become so popular that some of our partners are now using it for their academic needs.

The tried and tested direct-to-device platform enables 24 x 7 learning for its users. Some key benefits of the platform are:

• Intuitive student experience through a user-friendly LMS

• Seamless faculty experience through state-of-the-art Studios

• Highly Interactive Online Classes

• Effective group/peer learning/projects through Breakout Rooms

• Proctored Online Assessments with detailed analysis

• Insightful Reports on student engagement and performance

• Flexible integration with other components, as needed

A comparative study of iPearl.ai against Canvas, Impartus, Moodle, Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom was conducted.

Features in the following categories were compared:

• Instructor-led Learning

• Self-paced Learning

• Assessments/Evaluations

• User Experience

• Customer Support

• Scalability and Performance

• Integration and Customization

• Others

You will be given one-time access to watch the missed session. This recording will only be available for 7 days from the day of the actual session.

An internet-connected device, Computer/Laptop/Tablet/Smartphone, is enough to access the platform.

Web-camera and Mic with necessary power backup will be needed for proctored online assessments.

• 50+ Years of Academic Excellence
• Triple Accredited: First B-School in India to get accreditation by EQUIS, AMBA and AACSB
• Ranked #1 in BT-MDRA Best B-School 2023, Fortune India Best B-School Survey 2023, Open Magazine's Best B-School Survey 2024
• Ranked #5 in NIRF India Ranking 2024
• Member of CEMS: Only Indian B-School to be part of this global alliance of leading business schools, multinational companies and NGOs
• Ranked #65 in QS Global MBA Rankings
• Unmatched Alumni Network

The Indian Institute of Management Calcutta was established as the first national institute for Post Graduate Studies and Research in Management by the Government of India in November 1961, in collaboration with Alfred P. Sloan School of Management (MIT), the Government of West Bengal, The Ford Foundation, and the Indian Industry. Over the years, IIM Calcutta has grown into a mature institution with a global reputation, imparting high-quality management education. It has been playing a pioneering role in professionalizing Indian management through its Post Graduate and Doctoral level Programmes, Executive Training Programmes, Research and Consulting Activities. For more information please visit the IIM Calcutta website.