The collaboration will educate executives across industries on how to thrive in today’s complex world of digital transformation. Saïd Business School, will help assess, discuss and debate key challenges facing leaders and the impact this will have on international business.

The era of digital transformation, arguably as significant as the industrial revolution, is affecting nearly every aspect of an enterprise in every industry. How products are conceived, sold, and supported is undergoing a sea change as a result of the confluence of new digital capabilities, most notably the SMAC (Social, Mobile, Analytics, Cloud) technologies.

As evidence of the current state of flux, a recent study done by Altimeter Group and reported in Forbes found that while 88% of the companies surveyed said they were undergoing a digital transformation, only one-quarter of them had a clear understanding of what their strategy should be. Further to the point, a MIT study found that 78% of the executives they surveyed think that digital transformation is critical to their organisation; yet 63% believe their pace of change is too slow.
The programme will provide participating executives with the insights and skills they require to better manage the ambiguities related to digital transformation and excel in this fast-moving environment.

Saïd Business School faculty and Polaris experts will facilitate a series of 2 day sessions where executives will learn through a variety of methods including simulations, workshops, roundtables and peer-to-peer learning by sharing personal insights and experiences of operating in high-stakes, high-pressure solution-driven environments.

Andrew White, Associate Dean for Executive Education at Saïd Business School said: “This programme is highly innovative and visionary in its design. It will ultimately challenge, inspire and stimulate thinking of the highest order creating fresh ideas. The programme engages faculty from a range of disciplines within Oxford University. Executives who have been on similar programmes in the past have gained greater self-awareness of their leadership, creating the energy and emotional commitment to drive change and have brought new perspectives on the internal and external context in which they operate. We are delighted to be working with Polaris on this programme.”

Jitin Goyal, CEO and Executive Director, Polaris Consulting & Services Ltd commented: "Polaris is widely recognised as a digital transformation leader, particularly in the financial services industry. We have built digital platforms that have helped our clients substantially increase their share-of-wallet and marketshare. We have built proprietary digital technologies like Canvas & Hubs. We have set up cutting edge Digital Labs in the US and India. The Oxford Polaris Digital Academy is truly special because it will bring together the unique combination of the company's expertise and the university's thought leadership. Executives who participate in the Academy will benefit enormously from this amalgamation, and we are very excited about its potential".

The programme is by invitation only, at the discretion of the two organisations. The two parties will also hold a CIO summit in India to discuss similar themes.