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Executive development

Programmes built for the room they are taught in.

Twenty-five executive programmes. Fifteen hundred senior leaders: CEOs, CXOs, Directors General, scientists, policy economists and high-potential managers. Each one designed around the decisions that particular cohort is facing, and each one scored by the people in the chairs.

Prof. Sudhanshu Maheshwari with a public-sector executive programme cohort on the steps of Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode

Measured, not asserted

What the people in the room said.

1,500+

Senior executives engaged

Across public and private sector organizations

25+

Executive programmes

Designed and delivered across industries

4.6/5

Average participant rating

None below 4/5 across 2025-26 sessions

24+

Organizations served

Energy, government, banking and industry

Four ways in

Not a catalogue. A brief.

Every one of these started as a conversation about a business problem, not a request for a training module.

Leadership development programme

“Our next tier of leaders is not ready for the jobs above them.”

A multi-day programme for one leadership tier, built around the decisions that tier is about to inherit. Cohorts have run from thirteen people to a hundred and fifty.

Prof. Sudhanshu Maheshwari with a leadership programme cohort at the close of a session, the group’s work still on the whiteboards behind them

Muthoot FinCorp · TVS Mobility · IIM Kozhikode CEO Programme

In-company workshop

“One thing is going wrong and everyone knows what it is.”

A focused intervention on a single problem: conflict, difficult conversations, emotional intelligence, negotiation. Two days, one room, one subject.

Prof. Sudhanshu Maheshwari with an executive programme cohort in a tiered classroom

Petronet LNG · National Informatics Centre

Public-sector and policy leadership

“Our officers are excellent technically and untrained as leaders.”

Programmes for government cadres, where the constraint is rarely capability and usually the machinery those leaders operate inside.

Prof. Sudhanshu Maheshwari with an executive programme cohort wearing programme name badges in a training room

Ministry of AYUSH · Indian Economic Service · SEBI · Powergrid

Women’s leadership

“We keep losing women between middle and senior management.”

Advanced modules on strategic negotiation, conflict management and growth mindset, informed by his own published research on the barriers to women’s careers in India.

Prof. Sudhanshu Maheshwari surrounded by a large programme cohort, most of them women, at the close of a session

IIM Kozhikode WLP · Bank of India Thejaswini · Dept. of Public Enterprises

Organizations I have taught, advised and built programmes for

Muthoot FinCorp logo

41 senior executives

Bosch logo

Consulting client

Comcast logo

Executive learning

TVS Mobility logo

28 senior leaders

Petronet LNG logo

13 senior executives

South Indian Bank logo

Business Excellence Programme

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) logo

Senior Leaders Programme

NTPC logo

Leadership development

NHPC logo

Leadership development

Power Grid Corporation of India logo

Leadership development

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) logo

Leadership development

National Informatics Centre logo

Emotional intelligence

Indian Economic Service logo

Mid-career programme

Ministry of Ayush, Government of India logo

20 institution heads

Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) logo

Leadership development

Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) logo

Next Gen Finance Leader

Merck logo

Executive learning

Atos logo

Consulting client

Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Limited (HURL) logo

Consulting client

Comptroller and Auditor General of India logo

Performance audit

Delivered

Every cohort, with the score it gave.

Participant ratings are each programme’s own end-of-session feedback. Cohort sizes and seniority are as recorded in the programme documentation.

Corporate

01

5.0 / 5

41 senior executives

Leading for Growth & Excellence (LEDP)

Muthoot FinCorp · CEO, CTO, CBO and six other CXOs · 18–22 years’ experience

Co-Programme Director

02

4.79 / 5

28 senior leaders

Senior Leadership Programme

TVS Mobility · a CFO and leaders across EV, sales and service · approximately 45+ average age

Faculty

03

4.69 / 5

13 senior executives

Conflict Resolution & Team Building

Petronet LNG

Faculty

04

Business Excellence Programme

South Indian Bank

Co-Programme Director

Government and public sector

05

5.0 / 5

20 top leaders

MDP for Heads of Institutions

Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India · Advisers, Directors and Directors General · 25–30+ years’ experience

Faculty

06

4.78 / 5

18 participants

Emotional Intelligence

National Informatics Centre, Government of India · Scientist-F and Scientist-G officers

Faculty

07

Senior policy economists

Mid-Career Training Programme

Indian Economic Service, Government of India · approximately 45–48 average age · 18–30+ years’ experience

Co-Programme Director

08

Senior Leaders Programme

ONGC

Co-Programme Director

09

CA rank holders

Next Gen Finance Leader: Ideas, Influence and Impact

Institute of Chartered Accountants of India

Named programme in collaboration with ICAI

10

Data Analytics Programme

ONGC executives

Faculty

11

Thejaswini Women’s Leadership Programme

Bank of India · January 2026

Faculty

12

Women Managers Programme

Department of Public Enterprises, Government of India · September 2025

Faculty

Business school

13

4.8 / 5

150+ leaders

CEO Programme, batches 02–04 (HRM)

IIM Kozhikode · CEOs, CXOs and senior business heads · 22 years’ average experience

Faculty

14

4.6 / 5

75+ participants

EPGP: Performance & Talent Management

IIM Kozhikode · experienced executive participants

Faculty

15

33 leaders

Women Leadership Programme (WLP)

IIM Kozhikode · high-potential and senior women leaders · 12–15 years’ experience

Faculty · strategic negotiation, conflict management and growth mindset

16

Enhancing Teaching: Learning Through Innovative Pedagogies and Engaging Classrooms

IIM Kozhikode · 14–18 January 2026 · faculty cohort

Sole Programme Director

Prof. Sudhanshu Maheshwari and participants beneath the Faculty Development Programme banner at IIM Kozhikode, 14 to 18 January 2026

17

Human Resource Strategy

ASMP and the Certificate in Advanced Strategic Management

Faculty

18

Leadership Lab

SPJIMR · mid-career and senior professionals

Faculty

Method

The design work happens before the room does.

Four decisions keep the programme tied to the sponsor’s problem and the cohort’s level.

Diagnose

Find the actual constraint.

Interviews with the sponsor and a sample of the cohort before anything is written, because the brief and the problem are rarely the same document.

Design

Build for the decisions ahead.

Sessions built around the decisions that cohort actually faces. The CEO Programme ran on judgment and trade-offs rather than frameworks, because CEOs already have the frameworks.

Deliver

Work at the seniority of the room.

Facilitation at the seniority of the room. A CFO, a Director General and a Scientist-G will not sit through material written for a general audience.

Embed

Leave something the organization can keep.

What the organization keeps afterwards: the policy, the performance system, the manager who can now run it themselves.

Subjects

Four groups. Fourteen subjects.

Grouped by the problem they answer. Open any group to see the subjects and where they have been used.

Leadership and judgment

Leadership development and executive effectiveness · executive communication and influence · conflict resolution and difficult conversations · leadership coaching and talent development. These subjects have been taught to CEOs, CXOs, public-sector leaders and high-potential managers.

Strategy and the HR system

Strategic HRM · organizational change and transformation · business excellence and performance management · strategic sales and business leadership. The work ranges from CEO programmes to Business Excellence for South Indian Bank and Human Resource Strategy in advanced management programmes.

AI and the future of work

Human-AI collaboration and the future of work · healthcare management and AI applications. The material draws on published work on AI, employee privacy and trust, and on executive masterclasses in AI and talent acquisition.

Who is in the room

Public-sector leadership and governance · women’s leadership and career advancement · organizational behavior and people management · innovative pedagogies and faculty development. Cohorts include government officers, women leaders, experienced managers and faculty members.

In their words

Written after the programme ended.

Accounts from the people in the room, each tied to the programme or classroom where the work happened.

When I first learned that we had a subject called HR Research Methods, I thought, okay… this is going to be a lot of explanations, derivations and theories. 😅 But Sudhanshu Sir gave it a completely different perspective.

The way he showed us how to actually identify a problem statement, approach a case and think about it from a practical HR perspective was genuinely fascinating.

And with the group case presentations, discussions, and even acting out the cases in class - the concepts didn’t just stay on paper. We actually experienced them. ✨

Definitely one of those subjects that changed the way I look at research.

Sunidhi Dubey HR – Talent & Workforce Advisor HR Research Methods, XLRI Jamshedpur · August 2026 LinkedIn post

Sudhanshu was a professor at SPJIMR for the Leadership LAB, where I witnessed his profound expertise in combining behavioral science with strategic leadership principles. His method of explaining complex concepts was highly impactful and easy to grasp.

I have also sought his guidance on various other matters, and his advice has always been insightful and sincere. His ability to mentor individuals in transforming leadership into a strategic business driver makes him an exceptional mentor for anyone looking to elevate their leadership skills and drive organizational success.

Siddhartha Jhunjhunwala Plant Finance Head, Schneider Electric President Systems Leadership Lab, SPJIMR · September 2025 LinkedIn recommendation

I had the opportunity to attend Prof. Sudhanshu Maheshwari's engaging and insightful session on Strategic Negotiations during our IIM Kozhikode Women Leadership programme. The way he explained BATNA and ZOPA concepts was extremely clear and practical, helping me realise how to harness the power of negotiation in real scenarios.

While it's not a skill one can master overnight, his session made me more conscious of ensuring that I am neither undervalued nor overlooked, and that I can confidently articulate and protect the value I bring to the table.

I particularly appreciated how he kept the discussions light, relatable, and rooted in real-world applicability. The blend of theory and interactive conversation made the learning both memorable and impactful.

Ashwamegha Pai Consumer & Market Insights, CEO's Office, Tata Croma Women's Leadership Programme, IIM Kozhikode · August 2025 LinkedIn recommendation

Having depth of knowledge but using that knowledge for the benefits of others needs great skills — Professor Sudhanshu is well versed with impeccable skills of using vast knowledge for the benefit of others.

I had an opportunity to interact with him during IIMK course. I was impressed how easily Professor handled critical topics like organizational behaviour, culture, how to handle conflicts, team collaboration, reflection and so on.

I strongly recommend Professor Sudhanshu to organizations who are going through tough times in handling organizational behaviour or culture issues, or want to set up ideal SOPs.

Ramkrishna Koli Ideation, collaboration and revenue IIM Kozhikode programme · August 2025 LinkedIn recommendation

I had the chance to attend Prof. Sudhanshu's classes during my Executive Business Management program, and I genuinely admire him. He has an incredible knack for spotting potential in people and bringing out the best in them.

His sessions were never just lectures — they were lively, interactive conversations filled with real-life examples and thought-provoking questions. The depth of his knowledge and the way he made learning engaging left a lasting impact on me.

Mohamed Ashfaq Lead Site Reliability Engineer, Comcast Executive Business Management programme · August 2025 LinkedIn recommendation

It was really a mind opening session I had with Mr. Sudhanshu. His in depth knowledge and command on the subject is mind blowing, which is really based on the real world activities happening in today's life.

Being a scholar on various subjects in his academics, he binds all the participants in an active session — active participation, full engagement, open discussion, ideas generation, and narrating the case studies — converting the whole class to learn the reality as a lifetime lesson for everyone, by allowing each member to put forward their real experience into ease of learning.

Vishal K Chavan Senior Raw Material Manager, Jockey India August 2025 LinkedIn recommendation

Why the material holds

Taught from research, not from slides bought in.

Ten peer-reviewed papers, five in ABDC-A journals, and a teaching case other business schools teach from. The programmes draw on all of it.

Fairness, well-being and what it costs

Published work on unfairness, loneliness and knowledge hiding: the material behind the conflict and difficult-conversations modules.

Read the research

AI at work, and where trust breaks

Watch out, you are live! in Communications of the AIS, plus four Academy of Management papers on AI and employee privacy.

Read the research

A case other schools teach from

AMRG & Associates: Crafting Professionalization Through HR Transformation, first-authored, in the Journal of Organizational Behavior Education.

Read the case

Next step

Start with the problem, not the curriculum.

Tell me what the cohort is facing and who is in it. The programme design follows from that.

A useful first conversation

Book a consultation

Share a little context below. Prof. Maheshwari reviews each request personally and replies, usually within two working days.

Prefer email? sudhanshu@xlri.ac.in