Beyond Executive MBA
For the past 20 years, EFL has successfully delivered Executive MBA programs in partnership with the Lund University School of Economics and Management. Building on our winning formula and in the tradition of our learning philosophy, we have taken yet another step toward our goal of perfecting a high-impact executive management and leadership program – or, in other words, trying to find and unleash even more unexplored potential beyond Executive MBA.
We believe in creating a setting where the learning experience is closely linked to the strategic real-life challenges our participants face, further closing the gap between the learning environment and the reality of these challenges back at their organizations. These real-life business challenges are made an integral part of the learning environment to create the best possible conditions for creating both immediate and lasting IMPACT.
Leading IMPACT – Executive Management and Leadership Program helps managers, leaders and organizations navigate the future in a local and global market where conditions change every day.
Leading IMPACT will help you understand, explain and take charge of the challenges you and your company face. It’s both an opportunity to attain deeper knowledge of financial analysis and corporate finance for qualified decision-making and an opportunity for professional development in business analysis and strategic leadership.
A program with an immediate impact on you and your company!
Executive MBA
“Each module has added new knowledge that is directly useful in my everyday life. We have gained access to a lot of tools and models, and I will be able to use many of them for a long time to come.”
Pernilla Oskarsson, Regional Manager, Smile Tandvård
“Leading Impact has given me new insights on my own leadership. It has also widen my perspectives and I have gained a greater interest in the world around me. It has been a true eye-opener.”
Daniel Nilsson, CEO, Henda
“Leading Impact is the best training I’ve ever attended! I have started to look at tasks from different perspectives in a more active and structured way compared to before.”
Sara Kroon, CFO, Skåntrafiken
Philosophy
Our learning philosophy, program design and structure take your learning experience to the next level by reliably and effectively addressing the challenges that you and other leaders of today and tomorrow are facing.
Leading Impact in 6 minutes: Program Director and participants describe the program
Our pedagogic method
Our Leading IMPACT program uses a brand-new pedagogic method and a new approach to learning. You can forget about traditional lectures by “experts” going through a never-ending series of PowerPoint slides. We will not dictate what business challenges are most relevant to you – no one can do that better than you can. What we will do is provide a close-knit team of leading educators to help you along the way.
Together we are ready to accept the challenge. We are well aware that our learning philosophy places high demands on both the participant and the team of educators – but together, we can achieve fantastic results!
Fast-paced and efficient
Given our understanding of the workload managers of today face, work will be fast-paced and efficient when we meet. We do not waste precious contact time on preparatory lectures or other preparations. That’s something you can do when your schedule allows. Our aim is to deliver a program offering high-quality professional development that can be combined with the demands of a balanced life. We want to produce sustainable leaders!
Program Design
The program has been designed for professionals who wish to boost their leadership skills, broaden their general management knowledge, and elevate their strategic thinking. It is founded on reality-based learning, which involves constantly building on the challenges you and your company face today and will encounter in the future. The program is centered around three dimensions sharing common components, such as our learning philosophy, a close-knit team of educators and a variety of assignments integrating various business aspects.
13 modules
Module 1: Leadership
“You and your impact” - The main focus of the first module is to establish frameworks and structures for the learning process as well as starting relationship building and self-awareness exercises.
Module 2: Leadership
“Taking the lead” - In this module you will reflect upon your own assumptions, ideals and choices and we look into different modules and exercises.
Module 3: Foresight
“Creating foresight” - In this module we look into the world around us and how we can understand it; the models and methods that prepare us to exploit opportunities and mitigate threats.
Module 4: Macro economics
“Politics, Money markets and return on investment” - The objective of this module is to acquaint you with the essentials of macroeconomics and economic policy.
Module 5: Strategic Analysis
“Paths to the future” - Analysis of the present situation. Emphasis is on strategic thinking aimed at identifying future business opportunities and business models.
Module 6: Strategies for Sustainability
“Navigating in a dynamic world” - more information coming soon
Module 7: Marketing
“Overcoming marketing challenges” - In this module we will work through the basics of marketing with the necessary perspectives to the organization.
Module 8: Financial Value
“Understanding and analyzing the business” - In this module, we focus on creating value, in financial terms. We discuss concepts like Profit and loss statement, Balance sheet and Cash flow statement and crucial components to be observant on in a dynamic business environment.
Module 9: Business Finance
“Controlling what´s important” - In this module we will analyse organisations from a structural and cultural frame.
Module 10: Organization
“Managing people and learning”- During the module we will take a closer look at humans, human interactions and micro-politics in organizations.
Module 11-13 – SPECIALIZATION TRACKS
IMPACT Specialization consists of a menu of electives and open courses where you choose what area you want to immerse yourself in and develop your skills and ability to lead IMPACT. The program currently offers three elective specialization tracks:
-
Module 11-13: Leading Change
-
Module 11-13: Business Innovation
-
Module 11-13: Strategic Financial Management
Program design overview
An intensive part-time program over 15 months.
Impact Challenge
Maria Nyman, CEO at Skånetrafiken, describes her Impact Challenge on the Leading Impact Program
In the Leading Impact program, each participant bring an Impact Challenge into the program. We will put at large effort on the Impact Challenge throughout the program. The impact challenge has several very important purposes:
- A vehicle for learning – we believe that learning is facilitated by problem based learning. Having a hands-on challenge (problem) helps us focusing and staying motivated, it provides context for us to discuss relevance and value, it helps generating critical and constructive questions and it creates deeper insight.
- An opportunity for testing – managing and leading is much more than theories and models. Developing as a leader is mostly about learning by doing. There is a huge difference in understanding a theory and being able to apply it in real life. It is often said that managing and leading is more about tacit knowledge (know-how) than explicit knowledge (know-about).
- An opportunity to linking back to home organization – developing as a leader does not happen in isolation. It happens in a context. By involving the home organization in the process, you will share your new insights and experience the feedback – both are vital for learning and development.
Impact coach/mentor
Impact coach Anders Yngve Söderstjerna describes his role as an Impact coach on the Leading Impact Program:
All participants will be matched with an impact coach. The Impact Coach is there to give the participants someone to talk to that “knows what you are dealing with”.
The coach will help you define your Impact Challenge, challenge you to think outside the box, to support you when needed, to provide feedback when appropriate, to share their experience if asked.
The coach is primarily focusing on the Impact Challenge but will also help you to get the most out of the program. The coach is there to help you make meaningful Impact!
Impact Team
The Impact Team is there for many reasons – two are very important.
Number one, the Impact Team should be able to help you with (or be involved in) your Impact Challenge.
Number two, the Impact Team provides a forum for you to share your new insights and a sounding board for new ideas.
Nothing helps learning as being a teacher. The Impact Team could also be a way for you to pay back by developing people in your organization, to create a group that might help identify other challenging issues in the organization, and ultimately to help develop an Impact culture.
Benefits
Leading IMPACT – Executive Management and Leadership Program gives you and your company hands-on benefits right from the very start – in fact, even before the program officially starts. The reality of your company is integrated into the program and you will work both independently and with supervision on assignments linked to strategic challenges.
As a key figure in your company, the program ensures that you attain a solid foundation of theoretical knowledge and develop the skills to apply this knowledge in real life. On a personal level, you will rapidly develop a more analytical, professional and managerial approach. You will feel comfortable actively engaging in executive decision-making and personally make a strategic impact within your company.
Your company gains a leader who acts as a catalyst in ongoing business development. Additionally, the companies are offered the opportunity to submit relevant cases to be addressed in the program. Your company will also have the option to set up an Impact Team around the participant in order to create the best possible conditions for impact success.
The program will provide a network for life, and a business network for you and your company.
ROI
INDIVIDUAL RETURN ON INVESTMENT
- Increased strategic analytical capability from both a financial and market perspective, leading to more secure decision-making
- Next level of leadership ability to initiate and achieve changes and build learning organizations
- Enhanced capability to handle complexity and difficult challenges
- Significant competency development in leading and driving business development and innovation
- Improved insight and capacity to manage and make decisions based on financial information
- Ability to choose the right analysis or implementation tools for different occasions
- Personal and professional development, as well as a business network for life
COMPANY RETURN ON INVESTMENT
- More competent leadership and more confident decision-makers
- Sharper processes and work structures that contribute to increased efficiency and profitability
- Increased ownership of financial flows that can generate savings and increase revenues
- Development and assurance of business strategies that ensure a clearer path towards long-term sustainability and achieving profitability goals
- A more structured change management process that accelerates progress towards desired results
- Increased motivation among key employees who thrive in their roles, stay longer, and positively impact the organization
- Ability to work proactively and respond quickly to challenges and opportunities
Our team
The program is run by a close-knit team that has been working together for many years. This ensures that hence all their various perspectives on running a business are connected in a comprehensive and holistic manner. We strongly believe that the true value of the Leading IMPACT program lies not in the pieces themselves but in the ability to put them together.
You’ll meet some of the most experienced business educators in our program. We also strengthen our team by bringing in additional expertise in all modules, such as international lecturers from universities and interesting names from the business community and public sector.
Academic Director
Thomas Kalling
Academic Director of Leading IMPACT since Class of 2021
Professor in Strategy at Lund University
“Leading Impact is a special program in many ways, not least because it combines, in a unique way, the core qualities of the tailor-made and open program structure. The participants develop along with their sharp real time challenges, and do so in an environment which also benefits the home organization, thanks to the continuous focus throughout the program on the organization’s strategic challenges. The program is designed to create and manage impact on the participant’s organization because the support offered by fellow participants, coaches, the colleagues, and, of course, the EFL faculty.”
Module owners
In each module we make sure to have a great mix of excellence. We always bring in additional expertise in all modules, such as international lecturers from universities and interesting names from the business community and public sector.
EFL – Executive Foundation Lund
EFL is a foundation founded in 1969 providing executive education in partnership with the Lund University School of Economics and Management. EFL brings together academia and the business community, earning it a reputation as southern Sweden’s “go-to career school” on account of its broad alumni and strong ties with the business community. We have more than 50 years of experience in developing and implementing executive education programs for individuals and companies in the fields of finance, leadership, marketing, corporate governance, law, business development, innovation, technology management and business acumen. www.efl.se
Lund University – one of the best universities in the world
Lund University is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in the world. In the QS ranking Lund University is ranked among the top 100 universities in the world. It is also highly placed in the Times Higher Education (THE), U.S. News and Shanghai rankings.
The Lund University School of Economics and Management – unique triple accreditation
Not only is the Lund University School of Economics and Management part of a world renowned university, but it is also one of a small number of schools worldwide to be triple accredited by the three leading bodies, AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS. The triple accreditation, or the Triple Crown, is held by just over 100 business schools worldwide, and less than 1% of all business schools. Lund University School of Economics and Management also stands out in prestigious international rankings, for instance in the Financial Times and the U.S. News & World Report ranking.
The Lund University School of Economics and Management founded EFL in 1969 and has since then worked together in a strong partnership. For the past 20 years, EFL has been successfully delivering top executive management programs, such as Leading Impact and Executive MBA Program, in partnership with the Lund University School of Economics and Management.
What previous participants think of the program
Leading Impact
Saman Tondnevis
Skånetrafiken
describes his take aways from Leading Impact
Lina Boreson
SmiLe Incubator
describes the Leading Impact Program
Magdalena Jennstål
Secretary-General, Zelmerlöw & Björkman Foundation
describes Leading Impact
Ebba Fåhraeus
CEO at SmiLe Incubator
talks about the value of Leading Impact from a managing perspective
Katalin Porteleki
EMS Category Manager Global, CommScope Inc
about the Leading Impact program
Justin Pierce
CEO, Magle Chemoswed
describes the impact value of having several people in the same program
Facts
Course duration:
15 months (one residential period of two-three days each month)
Start date:
Leading IMPACT starts October 1, 2025.
Language:
The program is normally offered in Swedish. If English-speaking participants are enrolled in the program, we conduct the program in English.
Dates:
All dates are preliminary
Module 1: You and your impact
1-3 October, 2025
Module 2: Taking the lead
5-6 November, 2025
Module 3: Creating foresight
December, 2025
Module 4: Politics, Money markets and return on investment
January, 2026
Module 5: Paths to the future
February, 2026
Module 6: Strategies for Sustainability
March, 2026
Module 7: Building and reaching markets
April, 2026
Module 8: Creating Financial Value – an external perspective
May, 2026
Module 9: Management control – an internal perspective
June, 2026
Module 10: Managing People and Learning
September, 2026
Module 11-13: Specialization tracks
The program currently offers three elective specialization tracks:
- Leading Change: October-December, 2026
- Business Innovation: September-November, 2026
- Strategic Financial Management: October-December, 2026
Program fee
SEK 250,000 (exclusive of VAT).
SEK 225,000 EFL member companies (exclusive of VAT).
The fee include the costs of textbooks and other course materials. The costs for the residential periods are not included. The tuition fee is divided into two installments. Payment plans are available. Please contact us for more information.
Application
The application is binding. We accept applications on a rolling basis and process them on a first-come-first-serve basis.
What you and your company can contribute to the group is valued above all in the acceptance process. We look at experience, education and position within the company as well as entrepreneurship and self-initiative. We also place great importance on the composition of the group in order to create the best conditions for experience sharing and learning. In addition, we strive for a balanced proportion of men and women as well as a wide variety of experiences, industries and companies. If you’re highly motivated and look forward to sharing your experiences with others in order to co-create a fruitful learning experience, then we believe you would be a perfect fit. A high degree of self-drive and self-initiative is desirable and will help you exceed individual and business goals.
