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🎯 Leadership & Management  ·  Intermediate

Certified Business Strategist

Online Certification  ·  10 Weeks  ·  Globally Recognised  ·  (CBUS)

✅ 2026 Edition 🎓 CPD Accredited 🌍 100+ Countries 📜 Digital + Physical Certificate 100% Online
Executive Summary

Certified Business Strategist

Designed for today’s high-impact professionals, the Certified Business Strategist (CBUS) delivers a rigorous Intermediate-level curriculum that equips participants with the knowledge, tools and frameworks needed to excel in strategic leadership, organisational management and business transformation.

This 10 Weeks programme is structured around recognised global leadership and management competency frameworks, ensuring every graduate applies internationally validated methods to real-world challenges.

GLI’s CBUS holders are recognised by leading organisations across Africa, the Gulf, Europe and the Americas as qualified, results-driven professionals. Whether you are advancing your current career or transitioning into new responsibilities, this certification provides the competitive edge you need in 2026 and beyond.

Programme Overview

Certification at a Glance

Certification
Certified Business Strategist
Acronym
CBUS
Category
Leadership & Management
Level
Intermediate
Duration
10 Weeks
Delivery Mode
100% Online
Assessment
Online Examination
Certificate
Digital + Physical
CPD Eligibility
CPD Accredited
Alumni Benefits
GLI Network Access
Self-Paced
USD 349
Live Virtual
USD 549
Target Audience

Who Should Enrol?

  • Managers and Team Leaders
  • Heads of Department and Directors
  • Senior Executives and Aspiring Leaders
  • Business Owners and Entrepreneurs
Programme Inclusions

Everything Included in Your Enrolment

  • All study materials and study guide
  • Access to GLI online learning portal
  • Online examination and assessment
  • Digital certificate and digital badge
  • Physical certificate (shipped to you)
  • CPD credits for professional bodies
  • GLI alumni network membership
  • Facilitator and tutor support
  • Resource downloads and reference library
  • Automatic enrolment confirmation
Certification Benefits

Why This Certification Matters for Your Career

Career Advancement
Accelerate your career towards executive, director and C-suite leadership roles
Professional Recognition
Credential aligned with recognised global leadership and management competency frameworks
Leadership Capability
Develop the strategic and operational skills to lead complex strategic leadership functions
Organisational Impact
Design and implement strategic leadership systems that drive performance and measurable results
Compliance Readiness
Master the standards, compliance and ethical governance central to strategic leadership
Global Employability
Qualify for strategic leadership roles across corporates, public institutions, NGOs and enterprises worldwide
Competency Framework

Core Competencies You Will Develop

Strategic Thinking, Vision and Direction Setting
Leading Teams, People and High Performance
Decision-Making, Problem-Solving and Execution
Emotional Intelligence and Authentic Leadership
Organisational Strategy, Transformation and Growth
Professional Ethics and Governance
Course Curriculum

Programme Modules

Click any module to explore the detailed curriculum topics included in this certification.

1
Foundations and Strategic Context of Certified Business Strategist
  • Certified Business Strategist: industry context, trends and professional standards
  • Theories and models of leadership and management
  • The manager's roles, responsibilities and mindset
  • Leadership versus management and when each is needed
  • Situational and adaptive leadership
  • Values, purpose and authentic leadership
  • The organisational context and operating environment
  • Self-awareness and the leader's identity
  • Building credibility and executive presence
  • Ethics and responsible leadership
  • Personal leadership development planning
2
Making Real Strategic Choices
  • Synergy realisation after combination
  • Where to play and how to win
  • Diagnosis, guiding policy and coherent action
  • Strategic development and long-range positioning
  • Analytical techniques and bias
  • Preparing financial statements
  • Interpreting financial statements
  • Management accounts and dashboards
  • Budget vs actual and variance
  • Scaling technologies and business models
  • Cost and profitability analysis
  • Forecasting and planning
  • Yield, productivity and profitability metrics
  • Strategy as a coherent set of choices
3
Where to Play, How to Win
  • Where to play and how to win
  • Sources of competitive advantage
  • Industry structure and profit pools
  • Designing a sourcing or supply strategy
  • Supplier segmentation and relationship strategy
  • Innovation and value from suppliers
  • Logistics and distribution network design
  • Capacity and production planning
  • Innovation in protective operations
  • Designing a security programme or solution
  • Physical security design and layered defence
  • Security programme design and budgeting
  • Data visualisation for finance
4
Understanding the Profit Pool
  • Industry structure and profit pools
  • Strategic positioning versus operational effectiveness
  • Sources of competitive advantage
  • Innovation and technology investment
  • Measuring IT value and performance
  • Collections strategy
  • Structural and strategic approaches
  • Investment strategy and allocation
  • Hedging strategies and instruments
  • Psychodynamic and psychoanalytic approaches
  • Warehouse design and layout
  • Supply-network design
  • Designing engaging online sessions
5
Business Model and Economics
  • Business model design and unit economics
  • Strategy as a coherent set of choices
  • Metrics design and the gaming problem
  • Designing a marketing or sales strategy
  • Marketing strategy and the mix
  • Brand strategy, identity and equity
  • Value proposition and messaging
  • Pricing strategy
  • Digital marketing strategy
  • ROI, CAC and lifetime value
  • Key account management strategy
  • Building strategic customer relationships
  • Customer lifetime value and profitability
6
Committing Resources to Choices
  • Resource allocation and capital discipline
  • Strategic options and real options thinking
  • Strategy and performance management systems
  • Aligning teams around strategy
  • Strategy execution and the balanced scorecard
  • Strategic decision-making under uncertainty
  • Measuring strategic progress
  • Turning strategy into results
  • Productivity, collaboration and workflow tools
  • Productivity and efficiency improvement
  • Digital transformation and IT strategy
  • Procurement and supply chain: scope and value
  • Procurement’s contribution to organisational strategy
7
Turning Choice Into Execution
  • Strategic alignment across an organisation
  • Setting and communicating strategic direction
  • Benefits realisation and value tracking
  • Value management and business value
  • Strategic alignment of investments
  • Value proposition design and messaging
  • Product and portfolio strategy
  • Go-to-market and channel strategy
  • Marketing and sales: scope, roles and value
  • Brand and reputation as strategic assets
  • Growth strategy and demand generation
  • Innovation and new product launch
  • Value-based and dynamic pricing
8
Strategic Context
  • Customer service and CX strategy
  • Sustaining strategic customer focus
  • Customer experience strategy
  • IT strategy and business alignment
  • Communications strategy and planning
  • Category management and strategy
  • Competitive bidding processes
  • Cash forecasting and positioning
  • Financial inclusion strategy
  • Strategic analysis: PESTLE, SWOT and Porter’s Five Forces
  • Learning strategy and business alignment
  • Growth strategy and expansion sequencing
  • Training needs analysis and learning strategy
  • Strategic workforce planning and demand forecasting
  • Reward strategy and total reward frameworks
9
Decision Making
  • Make, buy or ally: boundary decisions
  • Decision support and insight
  • Writing advisory reports that drive decisions
  • Issue and problem management
  • Backlogs, user stories and prioritisation
  • Escalation and decision-making
  • Portfolio management and prioritisation
  • Decision-making and problem solving
  • Data-driven decision-making
  • Attachment and developmental theory
  • Data-driven decision support and analytics
  • Structured problem-solving and root-cause analysis
  • Prioritising experience investments
  • Problem loans, restructuring and recovery
  • Evidence, judgement and scepticism
10
Performance Systems
  • Security metrics and reporting
  • Retail performance metrics: sales densities, conversion and basket
  • Professional roles, boundaries and settings
  • Ethical principles and codes of practice
  • Psychometric and screening tools
  • Project KPIs and performance metrics
  • Quality and delivery metrics
  • Managing schedule and budget performance
  • Agile metrics and velocity
  • Setting objectives and marketing KPIs
  • Marketing and sales KPIs and dashboards
  • Investment principles and objectives
  • Performance measurement and attribution
  • Logistics KPIs and cost control
  • Warehouse performance metrics
11
Financial Management
  • Financial statements and the accounting equation
  • Stakeholders and users of financial information
  • Ethics and professional standards in finance
  • The finance function and digital transformation
  • Cost concepts, classification and behaviour
  • Costing methods: absorption, marginal and activity-based
  • Cost-volume-profit and break-even analysis
  • Standard costing and variance analysis
  • Budgeting techniques and the budgeting cycle
  • Flexible budgets and rolling forecasts
  • Responsibility accounting and cost centres
  • Real options and strategic investment
  • Financial modelling and scenario analysis
  • Continuous improvement of finance processes
  • Trends: ESG, transparency and stakeholder capitalism
12
Risk and Governance
  • Likelihood, impact and risk rating
  • Risk treatment and countermeasures
  • Intelligence-led risk assessment
  • Risk registers and reporting
  • Continuous risk monitoring
  • Programme governance
  • Grant compliance and restricted funding management
  • NGO governance, boards and registration
  • How insurance works: risk pooling and the value chain
  • Underwriting principles and risk selection
  • Bancassurance and digital insurance models
  • Enterprise architecture governance
  • Risk, compliance and audit
  • Control environment and risk assessment
  • Governance and the three lines model
13
Stakeholders
  • Relationship management and cross-selling
  • Wealth, SME and corporate relationships
  • Stakeholder communications
  • Stakeholder mapping and engagement
  • Stakeholders, agency and accountability
  • Shareholder and stakeholder rights
  • Employment relationship and the psychological contract
  • Influencing and safety leadership
  • Influencing and persuasion
  • Negotiation and conflict resolution
  • Categories of spend and stakeholders
  • Negotiation and conflict management
  • Building project relationships
  • Conflict resolution and negotiation
  • Commercial negotiation and value capture
14
Communication
  • Proposal development and donor reporting
  • The media and telecommunications landscape
  • Managing boundaries and dual relationships
  • Sustaining ethical, effective practice
  • Financial reporting frameworks (IFRS/GAAP)
  • Integrated and sustainability reporting
  • Reporting quality and governance
  • Communicating financial results
  • Professional case study and presentation
  • Communicating with families and carers
  • Professional writing and reports
  • Project data, reporting and analytics
  • Integrated marketing communications
  • Dashboards and performance reporting
  • Professional presentation and pitching
15
Evidence and Data
  • Text and interaction analytics
  • Data privacy and consent
  • Influencing and presenting insights
  • Data ethics and customer privacy
  • Data protection and customer privacy
  • Data, analytics and customer insight
  • Data analytics in audit
  • Data migration and cleansing
  • Data ethics, privacy and responsible analytics
  • Data collection and analytics
  • Predictive safety analytics
  • AI and predictive project analytics
  • Data quality and governance
  • Customer personas and insight
  • Marketing analytics and attribution
16
Operations
  • Business process mapping
  • The HR function: roles, operating models and value creation
  • Quality assurance and standards
  • Ethical frameworks and codes of practice
  • Integration with quality and environment
  • Design review and quality
  • Process improvement and lean thinking
  • Quality management and standards
  • The procurement cycle and operating models
  • Data quality and master data management
  • Operating model redesign
  • In-process quality control and inspection
  • Industrial utilities, energy and process safety interfaces
  • Duty of care and risk management
  • Service quality and the passenger experience in transport
17
Programme Delivery
  • Team leadership in field and project settings
  • Record-keeping and data protection
  • Portfolio of evidence and reflective practice
  • HACCP principles and prerequisite programmes
  • Advisory service design and delivery
  • Innovation in service delivery
  • Designing voice-of-customer programmes
  • Governance of the CX programme
  • Voice of the customer programmes
  • Loyalty programmes and rewards
  • Leading service projects and change
  • Project governance frameworks
  • Compliance and regulatory projects
  • Leading project governance
  • Change and adoption in projects
18
Change and Transformation
  • Digital and market transformation
  • Behaviour change and adoption of innovations
  • Customer experience transformation
  • Digital and self-service transformation
  • Measuring CX transformation impact
  • Digital transformation in banking
  • Foreign exchange and treasury operations
  • Technology governance and change control
  • Foreign exchange and hedging
  • Digital transformation roadmaps
  • Change management and adoption
  • Measuring security transformation impact
  • Transformation versus incremental change
  • Designing a transformation programme
  • Sustaining transformation and preventing reversion
19
People and Capability
  • Career and talent development
  • Building a coaching culture
  • Measuring coaching and mentoring impact
  • Capability and skills frameworks
  • Succession and the leadership pipeline
  • Nomination, succession and diversity
  • Leadership and management development
  • Coaching models and frameworks (GROW)
  • Competency framework development
  • Succession planning and talent pipelines
  • Talent sourcing channels and pipelines
  • High-potential identification and talent reviews
  • Knowledge management and capability building
  • Creating a coaching culture
  • Delegating for development
20
Technology
  • Digital credit and alternative data
  • Treasury technology and systems
  • Technology strategy and architecture choices
  • Digital business models and monetisation
  • Complaints, accountability and fitness to practise
  • Digital permits and inspections
  • Automation and safety technology
  • Legal responsibilities and professional bodies
  • Digital procurement and the future of the profession
  • Technology adoption and integration
  • Vendor and technology management
  • Telehealth and digital care delivery
  • Client feedback and satisfaction
  • Ethics of technology in practice
  • Automation in project delivery
21
Markets and Customers
  • Know Your Customer and enhanced due diligence
  • Customer segmentation and needs analysis
  • Customer journey and experience design
  • Brand and corporate reputation
  • Supply market analysis
  • Market risk and VaR
  • Market attractiveness and country assessment
  • Market entry modes and partner selection
  • HR's role in culture, values and employer brand
  • Value innovation and uncontested market space
  • Jobs to be done and customer insight
  • Unified customer view
  • Customer loyalty and advocacy
  • Customer lifetime value
  • Voice of the customer to the business
22
Leadership Practice
  • Project management software and tools
  • Portfolio and resource management systems
  • Document and configuration management
  • Programme management principles
  • Evidence-based improvement
  • Revenue management and yield
  • Renewals and churn management
  • Field sales and territory management
  • Tender and bid management
  • Team leadership in sales and marketing
  • Capacity and performance management
  • Procurement and contract management
  • Vendor selection and management
  • Servant leadership and self-organising teams
  • Communication planning and management
23
Legal and Regulatory
  • Environmental legal compliance
  • Contractor and visitor safety
  • Policy, planning and objectives
  • Legal and other requirements
  • Implementation and contract plan
  • Contract types and risk allocation
  • Contract administration and variation
  • Contract performance and exit
  • Contract governance and compliance
  • Visitor and contractor management
  • Managing risk and difficult cases
  • Policy administration and customer service in insurance
  • Insurance regulation and consumer protection
  • Vendor, venue and supplier contracting for events
  • Regulation of transport: authorities, conventions and licensing
24
Culture
  • Motivation theories and engagement
  • Buyer behaviour and the customer journey
  • Negotiation tactics and behaviours
  • Security culture and awareness
  • Culture as a strategic asset
  • Lessons learned and development
  • Strengths, flow and engagement
  • Meaning, purpose and values
  • Building trust and engagement
  • Stakeholder engagement strategy
  • Motivation and engagement
  • Driving effective, ethical outcomes
  • Working with organisations on wellbeing
  • Ethical, risk and feasibility considerations
  • Evidence-based practice
25
Advisory and Research
  • Group dynamics, facilitation and community mobilisation
  • Advisory and needs-based selling
  • Risk assessment and safety planning
  • Facilitation skills and presence
  • Virtual and hybrid facilitation
  • Facilitation, coaching and mentoring
  • Peer support and consultation
  • Designing and facilitating groups
  • Psychoeducation and workshops
  • Evidence-based practice and research literacy
  • Leading groups and workshops
  • Digital advisory, e-extension and mobile services
  • Facilitation and workshops
  • Market research design and methods
  • Qualitative and quantitative research
26
Innovation
  • Designing an intervention or programme
  • Emerging tools and innovation
  • Designing the project plan and schedule
  • Cross-functional collaboration with product and service
  • Goal setting and contracting
  • Journey and process redesign
  • Designing a service or experience improvement
  • Operational efficiency and productivity
  • Touchpoint and channel design
  • Design thinking for service
  • Working with product and operations
  • Measuring innovation performance
  • Blended and hybrid design
  • Business model design and innovation
  • Organisational design as a strategic choice
27
International
  • International and cross-border tax
  • Treatment planning and review
  • Managing complexity and comorbidity
  • Workplace and organisational contexts
  • Change talk and readiness
  • Global sourcing and trade
  • Goal setting and action planning
  • Transfer pricing and international tax
  • Financial and technical feasibility analysis
  • Habit change and behaviour design
  • Accountability and follow-through
  • Wellbeing and resilience coaching
  • Measuring coaching outcomes
  • Outcome and process measures
28
Supply and Procurement
  • Procurement and contract value
  • Vendor, contract and asset management
  • Supply analysis, gaps and scenario planning
  • Public versus private procurement
  • Supply markets and the enabling environment
  • Capstone scoping: a real sourcing or supply challenge
  • Demand and supply planning (S&OP)
  • Sustainable procurement principles and standards
  • Fair trade and responsible supply
  • Procurement and asset management under donor rules
  • Water supply systems: sources, treatment and distribution
  • Conflicts of interest and procurement ethics
  • Data, records and confidentiality tech
  • Procurement and stock management for health commodities
29
Ethics and Trust
  • Responsible and ethical service
  • Ethics and integrity in banking
  • Professional ethics and banking conduct
  • Integrity, confidentiality and conflicts
  • Anti-corruption and financial-crime ethics
  • Responsible and sustainable banking
  • Ethics and independence
  • Ethics in communications
  • Corporate social responsibility communications
  • Ethics and suitability
  • Executive ethics and the leader’s shadow
  • Professional ethics and duty of care
  • Legal and regulatory responsibility
  • Ethical decision-making under pressure
  • Sustainability and climate responsibility
30
Sustainability
  • Continuous environmental improvement
  • Environmental, social and governance (ESG)
  • Sustainability reporting and disclosure
  • Embedding sustainability in sourcing
  • Mine water, tailings and environmental management
  • Social media management: platforms, communities and algorithms
  • Measurement and analytics for media and social campaigns
  • The project environment and stakeholders
  • Market analysis and environmental scanning
  • Sustainability and responsible marketing
  • Practice management systems
  • Monitoring, evaluation and sustainability plan
  • Sustainability certification and standards
  • Social media customer care
  • Social performance and outreach
Learning Outcomes

What You Will Achieve

  • Establish a comprehensive understanding of Certified Business Strategist principles aligned with recognised global leadership and management competency frameworks
  • Apply evidence-based methods to improve strategic leadership, organisational management and business transformation
  • Master strategic thinking, vision and direction setting and leading teams, people and high performance
  • Apply decision-making, problem-solving and execution and emotional intelligence and authentic leadership in real-world settings
  • Lead risk management, quality and compliance relevant to your field
  • Design stakeholder engagement and professional communication strategies
  • Use data-driven decision-making and performance-measurement tools effectively
  • Apply internationally recognised best practice to advance your career in strategic leadership
Enrolment Process

How to Get Certified

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions

What is the CBUS certification?

Yes. GLI certifications are recognised across 100+ countries and are aligned with recognised global leadership and management competency frameworks. Graduates receive a digital certificate, a physical certificate and CPD credits recognised by employers worldwide.

Who should enrol in the CBUS?

This certification is ideal for Managers and Team Leaders, Heads of Department and Directors, Senior Executives and Aspiring Leaders and Business Owners and Entrepreneurs, and other professionals seeking to formalise their expertise in strategic leadership, organisational management and business transformation with a globally recognised credential.

How long does the CBUS certification take to complete?

The programme is structured over 10 Weeks and offers flexible learning modes. Self-paced learners can progress at their own schedule, while live virtual participants follow a structured cohort schedule with facilitator-led sessions.

Is the CBUS internationally recognised?

Yes. GLI certifications are recognised across 100+ countries and are aligned with recognised global leadership and management competency frameworks. Graduates receive a digital certificate, a physical certificate and CPD credits recognised by employers worldwide.

What is the cost of the CBUS certification?

The Certified Business Strategist is offered in two formats: Self-Paced at USD 349 and Live Virtual at USD 549. Corporate group rates are available for organisations enrolling 5 or more participants. Contact GLI for a bespoke corporate training quotation.

What does the CBUS certification include?

Enrolment includes all study materials and study guides, access to GLI's online learning portal, online examination, digital certificate and badge, physical certificate (posted), CPD credits, GLI alumni network membership, and ongoing facilitator support.

What is the assessment format for the CBUS?

The Certified Business Strategist is assessed through an online examination consisting of multiple-choice questions, case study analysis, and practical application assignments. The assessment is designed to evaluate real-world competency, not just theoretical recall.

What CPD credits do I earn from the CBUS?

The Certified Business Strategist carries Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits, which can be applied towards professional body requirements including recognised international professional associations.

Can I study the CBUS while working full-time?

Absolutely. The self-paced option is designed for busy working professionals and allows you to study when and where it suits you. Live virtual sessions are typically scheduled in the evenings or on weekends to accommodate professional commitments.

What career outcomes can I expect from the CBUS?

Graduates progress towards executive, director and C-suite leadership roles. The CBUS strengthens your expertise in strategic leadership, organisational management and business transformation and positions you for advancement across corporates, public institutions, NGOs and enterprises.

Graduate Voices

What Our Alumni Say

The curriculum was directly applicable to my daily work. I immediately applied what I learned and saw results within weeks of completing the programme.

Managing Director
Private Sector

GLI's certification is the most practical professional programme I have attended. The international frameworks gave me credibility with my employer and clients.

Operations Manager
NGO Sector

I earned my CBUS while working full-time. The self-paced format made it possible, and the quality of the content is genuinely world-class.

Head of Strategy
Government
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