The next generation of technology leaders is built here.
Modern organizations face a leadership gap: senior technologists who can deliver at scale but struggle to translate their expertise into boardroom value. The AI-CTO program bridges that gap.
This 25-week, live-online program, developed by WatSPEED in partnership with upGrad, equips experienced technology leaders to combine deep technical mastery with strategic, financial, and organizational fluency. Learners emerge ready to lead complex digital transformations, drive AI initiatives responsibly, and communicate in the language of the board: revenue, risk, and ROI.
Transform from a technical expert into a strategic enterprise leader. Built by the University of Waterloo, Canada’s innovation engine, in collaboration with global CTOs and AI pioneers.
Key highlights
- Duration: 25 weeks (6 months)
- Format: Online (live + interactive group sessions)
- Commitment: Six to eight hours per week
- Cost: $10,000 US (limited scholarships available)
- Launch Date: March 31, 2026
Why WatSPEED?
As the University of Waterloo’s platform for professional and executive learning, WatSPEED translates world-class research and innovation into programs that empower leaders to act.
Building on Waterloo’s six-decade legacy in AI, data science, and systems engineering, WatSPEED connects academic rigour with real-world application. The AI-CTO program exemplifies this mission—combining the University’s entrepreneurial spirit with industry insight to prepare technology leaders who can turn innovation into enterprise impact.
Lead the next wave of intelligent transformation.
Join the AI-CTO program and become the kind of leader who translates innovation into impact. Applications are now open for the inaugural April 2026 cohort.
Learning outcomes
- Translate technical initiatives into measurable business outcomes
- Lead enterprise-scale AI adoption with financial and ethical rigor
- Communicate technology strategy to boards and investors
- Manage digital transformation and organizational change
- Make high-stakes decisions with confidence and speed
- Position themselves as board-ready technology leaders equipped to drive enterprise-level change
Unique advantages of this program
- Integrated tech + business curriculum
- Learn MLOps, FinOps, and platform engineering alongside P&L and board-level financial strategy.
- Real-world deliverables
- Produce eight practical artefacts — from a 90-day plan to a board-ready deck — that demonstrate immediate workplace impact.
- Dual-track design
- Choose between venture-focused or enterprise-transformation pathways, each culminating in a War Games crisis simulation.
- Practitioner-led faculty
- Taught by Waterloo professors and global CTOs, founders, and investors, combining research insight with field experience.
- Velocity fund access
- Entrepreneurship-track learners can pitch directly to Velocity for incubation and funding support.
Receive a certificate from the University of Waterloo
Upon successful completion of this program, you will receive a professional education certificate from the University of Waterloo.
This program is offered through our partnership with upGrad, a global leader in higher online education.
Designed for experienced technology professionals with more than eight years of leadership experience, including:
- CTOs, CIOs, CDOs, CAIOs, and their leadership teams
- VPs, directors, or heads of engineering, product, AI, or data
- Principal and enterprise architects
- Senior technologists preparing for executive or board-level roles
- Startup founders scaling tech-driven ventures
This program is not intended for those seeking tactical, certification-level or introductory training.
The AI-CTO program follows a four-phase structure built to accelerate both strategic and technical leadership.
Phase 1 – Strategic leadership and business fluency (weeks 1–3)
- Translate technology strategy into business value
- Build a 90-day CTO plan aligned with executive priorities
- Master P&L, ROI modelling, and executive storytelling
- Deliverables: Executive onboarding package, strategic priorities dossier
Phase 2 – Modern technology and AI leadership (weeks 4–12)
- Architect scalable cloud and AI systems
- Apply FinOps, MLOps, and responsible AI frameworks
- Build real-world investment cases and scaling blueprints
- Deliverables: AI investment dossier, architecture decision record, FinOps model
Phase 3 – Boardroom influence & transformation (weeks 13–18)
- Lead M&A and digital transformation
- Present to boards with clarity and confidence
- Design ethical-AI and governance frameworks
- Deliverables: Board presentation deck, transformation playbook
Phase 4 – Crisis decision-making in context (weeks 19–25)
Choose your path:
- Entrepreneurship track – venture building, fundraising, IPO readiness
- Intrapreneurship track – innovation at scale, change management, enterprise transformation
- Both culminate in war games-style, high-stakes leadership simulations built around real-world crises.