Berlin School of Creative Leadership is an international business school headquartered in Charlottenburg, Berlin. The school was founded in 2006 with the purpose of ‘furthering the development of leadership executives in the creative industries’. The school offers two primary streams of learning — a Global Executive MBA in Creative Leadership Program and a catalogue of non-degree Executive Education programs. As part of Steinbeis-Hochschule, the school offers an accredited Executive Master of Business Administration degree to its Executive MBA graduates. The school's curriculum is aimed towards mid-career creative professionals from around the world, working in fields such as advertising, media, marketing, and design. The Berlin School Executive MBA stream operates as a registered non-profit organization.
History
The Berlin School of Creative Leadership was founded in 2006 by a group of executives and academics from creative industries. The school was initiated in partnership with the Art Directors Club Germany and the School of Management and Innovation. SMI is a branch of Germany's oldest and largest private business school, Steinbeis-Hochschule, which functions as worldwide academic network of 1,000 affiliated institutes in the fields of consultancy, research, development, and education. The Berlin School Executive MBA in Creative Leadership is internationally recognized and accredited by the Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation. Since its founding, the Berlin School of Creative Leadership has offered a part-time Global Executive MBA and Executive Education programs designed for professionals in creative industries. Programs are taught in the English language, with participants and alumni coming from over 60 countries. Michael Conrad, former Creative Director of Leo Burnett Worldwide, Inc., has been President of the school since its inception. Initially, the school's focus was within the advertising industry - recognising the need to educate creative professionals with the skills to lead their organisations. "Creativity and leadership skills are not mutually exclusive." This has since diversified to include all factions of the creative industries such as design, media, and music, as well as executives working outside of this sphere, such as finance, transport, and hospitality – "any professional or entrepreneur who believes that creative leadership is key to raising the standards of their organization or industry." In 2010, the Berlin School launched the first annual Cannes Creative Leadership Programme — a two-week non-degree leadership workshop, held in conjunction with Cannes Lions. In 2014, the school expanded its non-degree catalogue by launching the Executive Education learning stream, featuring workshops, custom-programs, and partner programs catering to individuals, organisations, and events.
Global Executive MBA Program
The Executive MBA in Creative Leadership is a master's degree program designed for those with significant professional experience looking to develop further as leaders, and to pursue innovation and change in their fields. Participants range from high-level executives and CEOs, as well as entrepreneurs and independent business-owners. While many initial graduates were advertising industry executives, recent classes have included entrepreneurs, journalists, radio executives, gaming professionals, and TV producers, as well as brand managers from global banks and insurance companies. The part-time structure of the program is designed fit flexibly around a full-time developing career. 98% of the participants keep their jobs while they complete their degree. The program is taught through a series of five two-week module residencies, situated in various global hubs. Each participant completes all five modules in the order of their choice, with three residencies in Berlin, as well as one in Asia and another in the US. Previous residencies have taken place in New York, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Silicon Valley. Matriculation period is two-years, with possible extensions available, up to 48 months. On average, most participants complete their degree within 36 months. The program includes the same foundation courses expected of any Executive MBA program, but tailors these to the creative industries, using case studies, scholarly journals, group projects, and 'President's Lectures' presented by renowned executives in the creative fields. Based on the school's Six Pillars of Creative Leadership, the Executive MBA curriculum is designed to be highly interactive, allowing degree candidates to work closely with international faculty members, industry thought-leaders, and academic professors from high-performing global business schools such as Stanford, Columbia, Berkeley, and Hitotsubashi. Guest speakers have included Sir John Hegarty, David Droga, and Keith Reinhart. As well as masterclasses and seminars, participants also complete group projects and a final Master's Thesis. Other guest lecturers include Charles Day, Todd Cullen, Warren Marenco Chase, Kitty Lun, Ivan Stankovic, Christer Windelov-Lidzelius, Michael Keller, and Michael Ben-David, as well as President's Lecture appearances from Paul Verdin, Sandra Matz, Faris Yakob, Amy Edmondson, and Tim Leberecht. Participants who successfully complete all academic program requirements and defend their research thesis earn the Master of Business Administration in Creative Leadership degree, conferred by Steinbeis University Berlin and accredited by the Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation. Applications to the program are accepted on a rolling basis, with start modules taking place every March and September. The Berlin School establishes a number of full and partial scholarship before each new intake, often in partnership with international creative industry organizations. Past and current partners include D&AD, igda, Rare Syd, Luerzers Archive, I Heart Media, Creative Review, inma, Gavi, Contagious, Indian Television, ADCE, Clube de Criativos de Portugal, InSource, The Webby Awards, and User Experience Awards. The average age of participants is 39 years, from a mix of professional environments such as global and mid-range agencies and organizations, as well as startups, entrepreneurs and freelancers. Roughly 40% of participants are European, with Latin America making up circa 20%, USA/Canada making up 15%, Asia 15%, and Mideast/Africa making up 10%. The most prevalent industry background include Media & Entertainment, followed by Advertising, Marketing/PR, Design, Journalism, and Technology. Amongst the most common job titles held by participants are CEO, Chief Creative/Executive Creative Director, Managing Director, Chief Marketing Officer, Branding/Communications Director, Producer, and Director of Strategy/ Planning.
Executive Education
The Executive Education program features regular and one-off programing throughout the year, aimed both at organizations and individual professionals. Depending on the course and customization, non-degree programs are positioned as training on an individual, teams, or organizational level. Most programs focus on the transformation of businesses in order to adapt to technology-driven changes in consumer/client needs, and changing market landscapes. The non-degree stream features a range of ‘Navigator Programs’ – one to four-day courses and workshops focusing on specific leadership-related topics including digital transformation, change management, and value-creation. The school also hosts regular ‘Partner Programs’ - workshops, seminars, and events in partnership with other industry organizations. Past partners have included Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute, Radiodays Europe, Advertising Week Europe, D&AD, Creative Review, LAJE, Reinvention, and dmexco. Many of the school's Executive Education courses and workshops have been hosted as part of global industry events and festivals, including its most well-known Cannes Creative Leadership Programme, which has been held in partnership with Cannes Lions since 2010. The Executive Education stream also includes custom programs – bespoke consultation offerings designed around the specific needs and strategies of a company or team.
