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Chief Technology and AI Officer Program
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Join 225,000+ University of Waterloo alumni
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Why enrol in the
AI-CTO program?
100%
live
University of Waterloo faculty and industry leaders
Dual tracks
Intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship
Board room influence
Build strategic tech insight that earns you a voice in the boardroom
Startup incubation
Accelerate your startup journey with mentorship from Velocity at Waterloo
Highly ranked
Crafted for tech leaders by a global top 100 university (THE World Reputation Rankings 2025)
Chief Technology and AI Officer (AI-CTO) Program – University of Waterloo
Course Snapshot
-
50+
years of legacy
-
THE global top 100
world reputation ranking 2025
-
QS Canada #5
ranking
- Tech and finance fluency: Master both code and capital — from microservices, MLOps, and FinOps to P&L, pricing, and unit economics. Few programs teach both. We do.
- Hands-On learning, board-level thinking: Build eight real-world deliverables — from strategy plans to board decks — and learn to speak the language of executives.
- Two tracks. One challenge: Choose entrepreneurship (venture building, fundraising, IPO prep) or intrapreneurship (innovation and transformation at scale). Both end with war games — live crisis simulations that test your leadership under pressure.
- Elite mentors. Real outcomes: Learn from Waterloo professors, CTOs, founders, and VCs. Pitch to velocity for startup incubation or tap into Waterloo’s powerful industry network for next-level career opportunities.
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About the University
- Unleash the extraordinary at Waterloo, the powerhouse shaping tomorrow’s AI leaders.
- With a legacy of bold innovation, Waterloo has produced world-changing founders and ranks among the top global schools for unicorn creation.
- The Kitchener-Waterloo startup ecosystem, valued at US$2.8–3.4 billion, is driven by Waterloo talent.
- Sam Altman has called the Waterloo region “the best up-and-coming startup city in the world” (Communitech News), while Paul Graham has praised its steady stream of exceptional founders (BrainStation).
- The AI-CTO program brings together leadership, AI, and technology to invent the future.
- At Waterloo, you do more than study. You join a network that builds companies, leads change, and powers the AI revolution.
The University of Waterloo
Where Technology, AI and Leadership Converge
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Chief Technology and AI Officer Program (AI-CTO) - University of Waterloo
Earn valuable credentials and global recognition
On successful completion of the AI-CTO program, you will receive a course certificate from the University of Waterloo.
Senior Executives and Thought Leaders Defining Tomorrow's Technology Strategy
AI-CTO Advisory Panel
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Al Hounsell
Senior Director, AI Innovation and Knowledge, Gowling WLG | Adjunct Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School and University of Toronto Faculty of Law -
Al Hounsell leads AI innovation at Gowling WLG, leveraging his unique background in law, entrepreneurship, and full-stack development to transform legal service delivery. Named Innovative Leader of the Year (2024) by the International Legal Technology Association.
Al Hounsell leads AI innovation at Gowling WLG, leveraging his unique background in law, entrepreneurship, and full-stack development to transform legal service delivery. Named Innovative Leader of the Year (2024) by the International Legal Technology Association. Read More
Manish Singh
- Vice President, Professional and Managed Services, Bell Business Markets | Industry Advisor, AI-CTO Program, WatSPEED | Guest Lecturer, Carleton University
-
Manish Singh is a technology and business transformation leader with over two decades of experience spanning telecom, cloud, and AI-driven enterprise modernization. LinkedIn Top Voice in Strategy, Sales Operations, and Management Consulting, he has held global strategic leadership roles at Ericsson, IBM, and Capgemini.
Manish Singh is a technology and business transformation leader with over two decades of experience spanning telecom, cloud, and AI-driven enterprise modernization. LinkedIn Top Voice in Strategy, Sales Operations, and Management Consulting, he has held global strategic leadership roles at Ericsson, IBM, and Capgemini. Read More
Michael Page
- Director of AI Commercialization, Unity Health Toronto | Faculty (Limited Duty), Ivey Business School Executive MBA | Advisor and Lecturer, WatSPEED, University of Waterloo
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Michael Page leads AI commercialization at Unity Health Toronto to improve patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency. With over 15 years of experience in corporate strategy for innovation, social impact, and R&D, he previously held senior roles at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence and the University of Toronto.
Endorsement: "This program embodies the rigor, practical application, and real-world alignment that today's CTO leadership demands. More than that, it strategically positions CTOs to shape the narrative of AI's next era—equipping them not just to adopt emerging technologies, but to define how AI drives transformational growth within their organizations."Michael Page leads AI commercialization at Unity Health Toronto to improve patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency. With over 15 years of experience in corporate strategy for innovation, social impact, and R&D, he previously held senior roles at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence and the University of Toronto.
Endorsement: "This program embodies the rigor, practical application, and real-world alignment that today's CTO leadership demands. More than that, it strategically positions CTOs to shape the narrative of AI's next era—equipping them not just to adopt emerging technologies, but to define how AI drives transformational growth within their organizations." Read More
Bahar Sateli, Ph.D.
- Partner, Cloud Data and AI, PwC Canada | Leader, AI and Advanced Analytics Community of Practice
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Dr. Bahar Sateli leads AI and Advanced Analytics at PwC Canada and co-developed PwC's award-winning Global Responsible AI Toolkit. Recognized by Forbes as a "Woman in AI to Watch" (2020) and one of the "Top 30 Influential Women Advancing AI" (2019).
Dr. Bahar Sateli leads AI and Advanced Analytics at PwC Canada and co-developed PwC's award-winning Global Responsible AI Toolkit. Recognized by Forbes as a "Woman in AI to Watch" (2020) and one of the "Top 30 Influential Women Advancing AI" (2019). Read More
John Weigelt
- National Technology Officer, Microsoft Canada
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John Weigelt leads Microsoft Canada's strategic policy and technology efforts, helping individuals and organizations innovate responsibly while avoiding unintended consequences. His extensive experience in technology, business, and policy provides a unique perspective on our technology-enabled economy.
Endorsement: "The intensive WatSPEED AI-CTO program provides technology leaders with the practical tools to drive organizational change, build AI culture and deliver business results. Going beyond the technology, this curriculum ties to business transformation through engagement with industry experts, hands-on tabletop exercises and real-world experience."John Weigelt leads Microsoft Canada's strategic policy and technology efforts, helping individuals and organizations innovate responsibly while avoiding unintended consequences. His extensive experience in technology, business, and policy provides a unique perspective on our technology-enabled economy.
Endorsement: "The intensive WatSPEED AI-CTO program provides technology leaders with the practical tools to drive organizational change, build AI culture and deliver business results. Going beyond the technology, this curriculum ties to business transformation through engagement with industry experts, hands-on tabletop exercises and real-world experience." Read More
Rob Barton
- Cisco Distinguished AI Engineer | Author, "Demystifying Generative AI" | 2025 Cisco Live Distinguished Speakers Hall of Fame Elite
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Rob Barton is a Cisco Distinguished AI Engineer with expertise in networking, cybersecurity, and AI. Author of four books including "Demystifying Generative AI," he holds over 400 patents and leads Cisco's AI research collaboration program with top universities.
Rob Barton is a Cisco Distinguished AI Engineer with expertise in networking, cybersecurity, and AI. Author of four books including "Demystifying Generative AI," he holds over 400 patents and leads Cisco's AI research collaboration program with top universities. Read More
"The intensive WatSPEED AI-CTO program provides technology leaders with the practical tools to drive organizational change, build AI culture and deliver business results. Going beyond the technology, this curriculum ties to business transformation through engagement with industry experts, hands-on tabletop exercises and real-world experience."
John Weigelt
National Technology Officer, Microsoft Canada
"This program embodies the rigor, practical application, and real-world alignment that today's CTO leadership demands. More than that, it strategically positions CTOs to shape the narrative of AI's next era—equipping them not just to adopt emerging technologies, but to define how AI drives transformational growth within their organizations."
Michael Page
Director of AI Commercialization, Unity Health Toronto
Expertise and achievements of leading scholars in leadership, management science, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
Distinguished Faculty Profiles - University of Waterloo
Dr. Peter Carr
- Associate Professor, Department of Management Sciences and Engineering, University of Waterloo
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Dr. Peter Carr is an associate professor in the Department of Management Science and Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo, where his work focuses on how technology can be used to improve business performance and social outcomes. He works at the intersection of digital transformation, operations, project management, and technical entrepreneurship, helping organisations and students navigate the opportunities and risks of rapidly changing technologies.
Dr. Carr teaches a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses, including operations and supply chain management, project management, the strategic management of technology, the impact of information systems on society, and technology innovation and entrepreneurship. He has created multiple online simulations in project management and digital transformation and leads WatSPEED and extended learning offerings that support managers and professionals in leading technology enabled change.
He completed his PhD at Cranfield University in the United Kingdom, where he studied the lean transformation of traditional manufacturing organisations. Before joining Waterloo, Dr. Carr served as executive director of the Centre for Innovative Management at Athabasca University and accumulated substantial industry experience, informing his practice-oriented approach to teaching, curriculum design, and advising organisations on aligning technological innovation with human and organisational change.Dr. Peter Carr is an associate professor in the Department of Management Science and Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo, where his work focuses on how technology can be used to improve business performance and social outcomes. He works at the intersection of digital transformation, operations, project management, and technical entrepreneurship, helping organisations and students navigate the opportunities and risks of rapidly changing technologies.
Dr. Carr teaches a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses, including operations and supply chain management, project management, the strategic management of technology, the impact of information systems on society, and technology innovation and entrepreneurship. He has created multiple online simulations in project management and digital transformation and leads WatSPEED and extended learning offerings that support managers and professionals in leading technology enabled change.
He completed his PhD at Cranfield University in the United Kingdom, where he studied the lean transformation of traditional manufacturing organisations. Before joining Waterloo, Dr. Carr served as executive director of the Centre for Innovative Management at Athabasca University and accumulated substantial industry experience, informing his practice-oriented approach to teaching, curriculum design, and advising organisations on aligning technological innovation with human and organisational change. Read More
Dr. Victor Cui
- Conrad Research Excellence Chair, Professor of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Global Strategy, Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, University of Waterloo
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Dr. Victor Cui studies how emerging technologies and shifting geopolitics are reshaping the future of work, strategy, and globalization. His research is published in leading academic journals and has been featured in BNN Bloomberg, Fortune, CBC, and The Globe and Mail.
A global thought leader on geopolitics and the evolving logic of globalization, Professor Cui serves on the International Science Council (ISC)’s Global Roster of Experts advising the United Nations. He is a Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA) Fellow, an affiliate of the Waterloo Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute, editor for four leading international journals, and Chair of Canada’s SSHRC Insight Development Grant (IDG) competition.
Dr. Cui works closely with partners across government, industry, and academia to tackle complex challenges—turning research insights into real-world impact.Dr. Victor Cui studies how emerging technologies and shifting geopolitics are reshaping the future of work, strategy, and globalization. His research is published in leading academic journals and has been featured in BNN Bloomberg, Fortune, CBC, and The Globe and Mail.
A global thought leader on geopolitics and the evolving logic of globalization, Professor Cui serves on the International Science Council (ISC)’s Global Roster of Experts advising the United Nations. He is a Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA) Fellow, an affiliate of the Waterloo Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute, editor for four leading international journals, and Chair of Canada’s SSHRC Insight Development Grant (IDG) competition.
Dr. Cui works closely with partners across government, industry, and academia to tackle complex challenges—turning research insights into real-world impact. Read More
Dr. J. Mark Weber
- Special Advisor to the Provost on Leadership Strategy and Development, Professor of Management and Organizations, University of Waterloo
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Dr. J. Mark Weber is special advisor to the Provost on Leadership Strategy and Development at the University of Waterloo. Prior to his current role, he was the Eyton director of the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business at Waterloo, the inaugural director of Waterloo's Graduate Diploma in Social Innovation, and a former faculty member at the Rotman School of Management and UTM at the University of Toronto. He also taught courses at Northwestern University, INSEAD, and the Ross School of Business at University of Michigan.
Dr. Weber is an award-winning teacher and researcher, and his research focuses on leadership, cooperation, negotiations, decision-making, and trust. He consults extensively and has provided training to executives and professionals in the automotive, education, healthcare, pharmaceutical, broadcast media, entertainment, telecommunications, professional services, and financial services industries, and in government at all levels.Dr. J. Mark Weber is special advisor to the Provost on Leadership Strategy and Development at the University of Waterloo. Prior to his current role, he was the Eyton director of the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business at Waterloo, the inaugural director of Waterloo's Graduate Diploma in Social Innovation, and a former faculty member at the Rotman School of Management and UTM at the University of Toronto. He also taught courses at Northwestern University, INSEAD, and the Ross School of Business at University of Michigan.
Dr. Weber is an award-winning teacher and researcher, and his research focuses on leadership, cooperation, negotiations, decision-making, and trust. He consults extensively and has provided training to executives and professionals in the automotive, education, healthcare, pharmaceutical, broadcast media, entertainment, telecommunications, professional services, and financial services industries, and in government at all levels. Read More
Chief Technology and AI Officer Program Curriculum
Strategic Leadership and Business Fluency
Establish your leadership stance as an AI-CTO by clarifying decision authority and enterprise expectations. Develop the ability to evaluate organizational readiness, align technology strategy with business direction, and identify structural capabilities required to lead AI-driven transformation with confidence.
(Weeks 1-3)
Key topics
- The AI-CTO mandate, leadership posture, and decision ownership
- Strategic assessment frameworks for aligning technology with enterprise priorities
- Organizational design, capability building, and cross-functional influence
Key deliverables
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Executive onboarding package (90-Day CTO Plan)—A board-ready 90-dayplan including a stakeholder map, first-quarter priorities, and strategic bets.Strategic priorities dossier—top five initiatives with financial impact, risks,and board-ready language.
Modern Technology & AI Leadership
Build the system-level judgment required to lead AI-first enterprises. Learn to evaluate and shape secure, production-grade AI platforms, govern model deployment at scale, and define data ecosystems that enable intelligent decision-making. Strengthen your ability to assess vendor ecosystems, steer technology economics, and guide the scaling of resilient global systems that balance performance, risk, and long-term business value.
(Weeks 4-15)
Key topics
- Enterprise AI architecture patterns, agentic systems, and platform strategy
- Data foundations, AI operations oversight, governance models, and responsible deployment
- Scaling technology organizations, global infrastructure, and technology economics
Key deliverables
- AI investment dossier—business case, ROI/TCO model, and governance framework.
- Scaling blueprint (SRE + FinOps)—reliability charter, cost dashboard, and global expansion plan.
- Architecture decision record + platform blueprint—target architecture, security, and compliance framework.
Boardroom Influence & Transformation
Elevate your impact from technology leader to enterprise strategist. Develop the credibility to influence C-suite peers, shape strategic partnerships, and guide high-stakes technology decisions. Learn to lead AI-driven transformation with a balanced approach to governance, ethics, and organizational change while reinforcing executive presence in moments that define enterprise direction.
Weeks (16-20)
Key topics
- C-suite influence, executive navigation, and technology storytelling
- Strategic partnerships, M&A evaluation, and technology foresight
- Enterprise AI transformation, responsible innovation, and organizational change
Key deliverables
- Board presentation deck—a board-ready presentation with strategy, budget, and risk summary.
- Transformation playbook—governance, metrics, and change-management framework for sustained impact.
Electives — Choose Your Path
Apply your leadership capability in one of two defining arenas — building a scalable venture or driving enterprise-wide transformation. Evaluate market opportunities, shape innovation roadmaps, and make high-impact decisions under real-world constraints. This phase culminates in immersive executive simulations where you defend strategy, navigate crises, and demonstrate the judgment expected of technology leaders operating at board level.
(Weeks 21-25)
Track A: Entrepreneurship—Building and Scaling Ventures.
Key topics
- Market discovery, product–market fit, and venture design
- Growth strategy, financial modeling, and investor readiness
- Venture war games: fundraising defense, pivot decisions, and IPO scenarios
Track B: Intrapreneurship—Enterprise Innovation and Transformation.
Key topics
- Innovation ecosystems, portfolio strategy, and operating model evolution
- Platform modernization, transformation ROI, and legacy integration
- Enterprise war games: board-level strategy defense and multi-crisis leadership
Key deliverables
- Startup playbook—an investor-ready package with pitch deck, growth model, and exit options.
- Enterprise transformation blueprint—a three-year roadmap with governance model, ROI framework, and transformation plan.
Engage with Waterloo’s Velocity ecosystem for mentoring,incubation touchpoints, and enterprise innovation pilots to take projectsbeyond the classroom.
Dr. Felix Arndt
"AI-CTO Program Director, Eyton Director,
Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, University of Waterloo"
Dr. Felix Arndt is a professor and the Eyton Director of the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business at the University of Waterloo, Canada, and a Research Fellow at the Center for Business and Sports of the Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden.
Arndt’s research focuses on the intersection of technology, innovation, geopolitics, and political strategies in entrepreneurship and business, with a mission to debunk common misperceptions in the field. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences and serves as a representative-at-large of the Academy of Management Entrepreneurship Division. Arndt is also a board member of Boundless Accelerator and actively engages in entrepreneurship, investment, and executive coaching.
Program Fees: USD 12,000
The tuition fee is subject to annual revision effective April 2026.
Chief Technology and AI Officer Program Eligibility and Admissions
How to apply to the program?
The program's selective admissions process is crafted to identify exceptional candidates. To secure a spot in the program, you must complete the following steps.
While most AI-CTO participants bring over a decade of experience, we also welcome rising leaders who drive impact—those managing teams of 10+ technology professionals or championing innovation as founders of product-first companies.
Submit application
Submit your application with your education and work experience details.
Submit your application with your education and work experience details.
Read More
Submit documents
Upload your education and work experience documents
Upload your education and work experience documents
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Receive acceptance letter
Once all your documents have been successfully verified, receive your acceptance letter.
Once all your documents have been successfully verified, receive your acceptance letter.
Read More
Block your seat
Pay the block amount mentioned in your offer letter to reserve your seat
Pay the block amount mentioned in your offer letter to reserve your seat
Read More
upGrad Learner Support
Available from 9 AM to 8 PM GMT (Monday - Friday).
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