From the Wharton Leadership Digest, September, 2001 

Few newly appointed CEOs have served as a governing board chair prior to their selection, but all must master the art of board leadership as soon as they take office.  As the new number one, they must also instantly learn to act like number one within the firm as well. 

The M&A Group recently established the CEO Academy to recognize the fact that many new chief executives have limited exposure to best practice in critical areas of decision making within the board, inside the company, and on the Street in the early days of their tenure.  

Established as a kind of one-day CEO “boot camp,” the Academy brings together a diverse array of experienced executives for frank discussion of how to run a company.  The discussion leaders are business experts, academic faculty, and seasoned CEOs.  At the academy’s first offering on June 21, the new chief executives were coached by: 

American Express former CEO Harvey Golub
Burger King CEO John H. Dasburg
Dupont former CEO John A. Krol
Honeywell CEO Lawrence A. Bossidy
Merck CEO Raymond V. Gilmartin
Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio
Xerox former CEO G. Richard Thoman 

At the next offering on November 29, discussion leaders include GE former CEO Jack Welch.  

The business experts and academic faculty have included Geoff Colvin of Fortune magazine, Joseph L. Badaracco and Jay Lorsch of the Harvard Business School, Daniel Casse of White House Writers Group, Ira M. Millstein of Weil, Gotschal & Manges, Nell Minow of The Corporate Library, Christoph Walther of DaimlerChrysler, and Michael Useem of the Wharton School. 

Though designed for recently appointed chief executives, the program also attracts more experienced CEOs.  Program participants on June 21 included CEO’s Rajiv L. Gupta of Rohm and Haas, Henry A. McKinnell of Pfizer, Marilyn Carlson Nelson of Carlson Companies, Kevin W. Sharer of Amgen, and John D. Zeglis of AT&T Wireless.  

The topics of the day:  investor relations and Wall Street, business and financial press, leadership and ethics, and financial and operational excellence. 

Note:  To learn more about the CEO Academy, contact Dr. Marie-Caroline von Weichs, President and Chief Operating Officer, M&A Group at mcvonweichs@MnAgroup.com.  She can be reached by telephone in Germany at 1-4969-7593-8219 or by mobile telephone at 1-917-412-4084.  A Business Week article on the CEO academy is available by clicking here.