Cambridge
Academy
In London

Introduction

This course equips executive office professionals to operate as a strategic hub for the CEO and leadership team—translating priorities into an effective operating rhythm, strengthening decision support, and ensuring smooth execution across stakeholders, governance, and key initiatives. 

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

·        Translate CEO strategy into clear priorities, cadence, and workflows

·        Build a reliable executive operating system for meetings and follow-up

·        Produce decision-ready briefs, dashboards, and executive updates

·        Coordinate governance, stakeholders, and high-stakes engagements

·        Strengthen risk, confidentiality, and issue escalation practices

Target Audience

This course is designed for:

·        CEO Office Managers / Executive Office Managers

·        Senior Executive Assistants supporting C-suite leaders

·        Executive coordinators and Chiefs of Staff (early to mid-level)

Course Outlines

Day 1: Strategy Translation and CEO Office Priorities

·        Understanding strategy, KPIs, and executive priorities

·        Turning goals into quarterly/monthly focus areas

·        Defining the CEO office “service menu” and standards

·        Activity: Build a priority map aligned to CEO goals

Day 2: Executive Operating Rhythm and Meeting Governance

·        Designing weekly, monthly, and quarterly operating cadence

·        Meeting governance: agendas, pre-reads, decisions, actions

·        Action tracking: owners, deadlines, and accountability loops

·        Exercise: Create a meeting rhythm and action tracker template

Day 3: Decision Support and Executive Communications

·        Decision briefs: problem, options, risks, recommendation

·        Writing concise updates: one-page reports and talking points

·        Managing information flow: intake, triage, and version control

·        Workshop: Draft a decision brief and executive update

Day 4: Stakeholder Management and High-Stakes Execution

·        Stakeholder mapping: influence, interests, and alignment plan

·        Coordinating cross-functional work without formal authority

·        Planning high-stakes events: board, investor, VIP, media-ready moments

·        Case practice: Deliver an end-to-end engagement plan

Day 5: Operational Excellence, Risk, and Continuous Improvement

·        Confidentiality, discretion, and records management basics

·        Issue escalation and crisis support: roles, timelines, comms loop

·        Continuous improvement: simplifying workflows and removing bottlenecks

·        Action planning: 30–60–90 day roadmap for your executive office