What is the Certified Executive Assistant?

The Certified Executive Assistant is a globally recognised professional certification by the Global Leadership Institute (GLI), designed to equip professionals with advanced competencies in Leadership & Management.

How long does this certification take?

The programme is 12 Week and can be completed at your own pace through our self-paced online option, or alongside live virtual sessions.

Is this certification globally recognised?

Yes. GLI certifications are internationally recognised and carry CPD credits, making them valuable for career advancement worldwide.

What level is this certification?

This is a Advanced Level certification, suitable for professionals with relevant experience or background in the field.

You can enrol by emailing info@leadership.co.ke, contacting us via WhatsApp at +254 722 223 084, or filling the enrolment form below.

Certified Executive Assistant (CEXA) | Online Certification

Executive Summary

Certified Executive Assistant

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

This 12 Week programme is structured around recognised global leadership and management competency frameworks, ensuring every graduate applies internationally validated methods to real-world challenges.

GLI’s CEXA 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 Executive Assistant

Acronym

CEXA

Who Should Enrol?

Leading Through Leaders — applied to your own work
Direction and Narrative — applied to your own work
Board and Governance — applied to your own work
Judgement Under Scrutiny — applied to your own work
Succession and Depth — applied to your own work
The Executive Transition — applied to your own work

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

Leadership Capability

Develop the strategic and operational skills to lead complex strategic leadership functions

Career Advancement

Accelerate your career towards executive, director and C-suite leadership roles

Strategic Thinking

Build the strategic thinking, analysis and execution skills of world-class leaders

Organisational Impact

Design and implement strategic leadership systems that drive performance and measurable results

Personal Excellence

Develop emotional intelligence, resilience and authentic executive presence

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.

Foundations and Strategic Context of Certified Executive Assistant

Certified Executive Assistant: 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

Leading Through Leaders

Leading through other leaders
Delegation and appropriate autonomy
Building and running a top team
Long-term value creation
Stakeholder mapping and analysis
Building strategic relationships and coalitions
Influencing without authority
Negotiation strategy and tactics
Managing conflict constructively
Board and investor engagement
Public speaking and thought leadership
Analytical techniques and bias
Reputation and personal brand
Preparing financial statements
Time management and personal productivity

Direction and Narrative

Setting and communicating strategic direction
Strategic alignment across an organisation
Executive presence and credibility
Managing performance day to day
Building and leading a team
Operational planning and workflow management
Managing upward and across
Decision making for managers
Managing budgets and resources
Developing your own management practice
Organisational design as a strategic choice
Power, coalitions and organisational politics
Leading under ambiguity and complexity
Strategic learning and the adaptive organisation
Culture as a strategic asset

Board and Governance

Working with a board and governance
Executive presence and credibility
Power, coalitions and organisational politics
Professional standards and continuing development
Leadership impact and organisational health metrics
Balanced scorecard and KPI frameworks
360-degree feedback and leadership assessment
Benchmarking and best-practice adoption
Continuous improvement and learning organisations
Productivity and effectiveness measurement
Team and engagement metrics
Financial reporting frameworks (IFRS/GAAP)
Assets, liabilities and equity reporting
Capstone scoping: a real leadership challenge
Situation analysis and diagnosis

Judgement Under Scrutiny

Leading in crisis and under scrutiny
Executive presence and credibility
Decision making for managers
Running meetings that produce decisions
Difficult conversations and managerial courage
Leading strategic change
Developing strategic capability in others
The executive transition: from function to enterprise
The strategic narrative
Executive time, attention and decision cadence
Leading across cultures and geographies
Succession and the leadership pipeline
Executive ethics and the leader’s shadow
Board, governance and C-suite dynamics
Corporate strategy and portfolio choices

Succession and Depth

Succession and the leadership pipeline
Developing strategic capability in others
Leading through other leaders
Ethical leadership and integrity
Values-based decision-making
Corporate governance and accountability
Conflicts of interest and fairness
Diversity, inclusion and inclusive leadership
Corporate social responsibility and sustainability
Interpreting financial statements
Transparency and stakeholder trust
Regulatory awareness and compliance
Designing a strategic or change intervention
Business case and impact analysis
Implementation and stakeholder plan

The Executive Transition

The executive transition: from function to enterprise
Executive time, attention and decision cadence
The transition from doing to managing
Coaching challenging situations
Measuring coaching impact
Digital leadership and business transformation
Data literacy and analytics for leaders
Leading technology adoption and change
Ratio and trend analysis
Managing distributed and digital teams
Dashboards, metrics and management information
Cybersecurity and information governance for leaders
Innovation platforms and experimentation
Technology strategy and investment
Operational planning and resource management

Strategic Context

Business model and market innovation
Growth strategy: organic, M&A and partnerships
Organisational resilience and adaptive strategy
Strategic leadership at scale
Workplace wellbeing strategy
Financial strategy and capital allocation
Mergers, funding and growth strategy
Real options and strategic investment
Competition and antitrust
Sustainability strategy and materiality
Technology strategy and architecture choices
Retention strategy and turnover analysis
HSE as a strategic enabler
Business models for new tech
Business model design and unit economics

Evidence and Data

Data-informed and evidence-based decisions
Reporting and enterprise analytics
Data governance in enterprise systems
Data protection and learner privacy
The evidence base for effective learning
Feedback and learner analytics
Learning analytics and data
Learning data privacy and ethics
Financial storytelling and data visualisation
Data ethics and privacy in finance
Data gathering and financial analysis
Data ethics and customer privacy
Data protection and customer privacy
Data, analytics and customer insight
Data analytics in audit

Technology

Performance management systems and KPIs
Quality management systems and audits
Digital and self-service transformation
Closed-loop feedback systems
Self-service and digital support
CRM systems and customer data
Customer service technology stack
Technology selection and integration
Emerging service technologies
Digital, mobile and internet banking
The banking system, intermediation and financial markets
The finance function and digital transformation
Platform and ecosystem strategy
Digital business models and monetisation
Learning technologies and the LMS

Projects and Delivery

Project and programme oversight
Balancing short-term delivery and long-term value
Operational planning and execution discipline
Project management standards (PMI, PRINCE2)
The project environment and stakeholders
Project roles and the project manager
Project governance and assurance
Project governance frameworks
Compliance and regulatory projects
Leading project governance
Change and adoption in projects
Leading banking projects and change
Development banking and project finance
Risk-based audit planning
Communications strategy and planning

People Administration

Strategic workforce planning and demand forecasting
Reward strategy and total reward frameworks
Employee voice, surveys and action planning
Communicating risk to the workforce
Workforce and shift management in retail
Workforce management and scheduling
Loyalty programmes and rewards
Workforce planning and scheduling
Employee experience and engagement
Customer and employee satisfaction
Employee engagement models and drivers
The employee lifecycle and HR value chain
Digital HR and the employee experience platform
Data protection and employee privacy
Belonging, culture and employee resource groups

Culture and Engagement

Sustaining change and embedding new behaviours
Organisational culture and behaviour change
Service culture and brand promise
Building a customer-centric culture
Proactive engagement and success
Win-back and re-engagement
Building a service culture
Customer and community engagement
Building a culture of compliance
Assurance engagements and standards
Engagement and motivation
Cost concepts, classification and behaviour
HR's role in culture, values and employer brand
Safety culture and leadership
Managing resistance and engagement

Customers and Market

Market and interest-rate risk
Know Your Customer and enhanced due diligence
Customer segmentation and needs analysis
Customer journey and experience design
Brand and corporate reputation
Supply market analysis
Investor relations and market communication
Fair treatment and market conduct
Market attractiveness and country assessment
Market entry modes and partner selection
Pay structures, benchmarking and market pricing
Competitive and market intelligence
Cross-functional collaboration with product and service
Negotiation with clients and partners
Digital and market transformation

Legal and Policy

Environmental legal compliance
Legal, cost and feasibility analysis
Contractor and visitor safety
Policy, planning and objectives
Legal and other requirements
Risk and regulatory considerations
Contract oversight in the public sector
Implementation and contract plan
Contract types and risk allocation
Contract administration and variation
Contract performance and exit
The regulatory and legal environment
Regulatory change management
Employment relationship and the psychological contract
Legal framework and regulatory duties

Supply and Procurement

Inventory service levels and the cost of stockouts
Procurement fraud, collusion and bid rigging
Emergency, humanitarian and constrained procurement
Procurement and asset management under donor rules
Vendor, venue and supplier contracting for events
Water supply systems: sources, treatment and distribution
Management accounts and dashboards
Budget vs actual and variance
Procurement and stock management for health commodities
Conflicts of interest and procurement ethics
Procurement and contract value
The procurement cycle and operating models
Procurement’s contribution to organisational strategy
Public versus private procurement
Supply markets and the enabling environment

Ethics and Standards

Ethical decision-making under pressure
Sustainability and climate responsibility
Ethics and responsible innovation
Professional standards and ethics (CIPS)
Sustainability and responsible sourcing
Ethics and professional conduct in security
Corporate responsibility and community
Ethics and treating customers fairly in insurance
Regulation, ethics and misinformation in media and telecoms
Ethical principles and codes of practice
Sustaining ethical, effective practice
Ethics and professional standards in finance
Professional ethics and codes (IFAC, ACCA, CIMA)
Sustainability and responsible finance
Responsibility accounting and cost centres

Learning and Knowledge

Growth mindset and continuous learning
Facilitation skills and presence
Virtual and hybrid facilitation
Blended and hybrid learning design
Emerging learning technologies
Motivation and self-directed learning
Learning technology ecosystem
AI and adaptive learning
Data-driven learning design
Innovation in learning technology
Training needs analysis and learning strategy
Learning strategy and business alignment
Learning cultures and the learning organisation
Professional ethics in education and training
Responsible use of AI in learning

Diversity and Global Practice

Team diversity and inclusion
Cross-cultural communication
Managing virtual and cross-cultural teams
Financial inclusion and agency banking
Financial inclusion strategy
Nomination, succession and diversity
The business case for diversity and inclusion
Grades, standards and export certification (GlobalG.A.P.)
Financial inclusion and the evolving customer
Digital accessibility and inclusion
Global sourcing and trade
Cross-cultural and global inclusion
Global and comparative HR contexts
Inclusion and the fairness of people decisions
Global sourcing and international trade

Sustainability

Stakeholder capitalism and ESG
Social media management: platforms, communities and algorithms
Measurement and analytics for media and social campaigns
Integrated and sustainability reporting
Sustainability and social impact in projects
Market analysis and environmental scanning
Sustainability and responsible marketing
Cost and profitability analysis
Forecasting and planning
Monitoring sustainability outcomes
Policy, institutions and the enabling environment for agriculture
Environmental governance and climate risk
Governance of ESG and reporting
Sustainability standards (GRI, ISSB)
KPIs and performance reporting

Leadership and Management

Risk management and contingencies
Stakeholder management and relationships
Cost management and value creation
Innovation management and creative problem-solving
Change leadership models (Kotter, ADKAR, Lewin)
Reflective practice and self-leadership
Lessons learned and knowledge management
Project management maturity assessment
Value and benefits management
Requirements gathering and management
Project management plan development
Performance and dispute management
Change management and adoption
Upgrades and roadmap management
Performance management systems and cycles

People and Development

Managing performance through coaching
Developing talent and succession
Quality monitoring and coaching
Leading service teams
Coaching and quality monitoring
Training and capability building
Team leadership in customer service
Coaching for performance
Team leadership in banking operations
Message development and testing
Supplier development and innovation
Team leadership and motivation
Leading project teams
Team development and effectiveness
Coaching and developing team members

Performance Management

Sustaining high performance over time
Sales performance and pipeline management
Social performance and outreach
Performance scorecards and reviews
Investment principles and objectives
Metrics and reporting
System performance and tuning
Performance measurement and KPI dashboards
Metrics design and the gaming problem
Linking performance to reward and consequence
Cost, quality and cycle-time metrics
Time-to-hire, quality-of-hire and cost metrics
Continuous feedback and performance conversations
Appraisal, calibration and managing underperformance
Performance management that changes behaviour

Operations

Organisational design and operating models
Service quality and the passenger experience in transport
Mineral processing and beneficiation
Quality management on site: inspections, hold points and defects
Healthcare quality, safety and accreditation
Reporting quality and governance
Data visualisation for finance
Outcome and process measures
Quality and delivery metrics
Delivery, quality and stakeholder plan
Quality planning and assurance
Integrated risk and quality control
Data quality and governance
Capacity and resource optimisation
Capacity and performance management

Financial Management

Financial acumen: budgets, P&L and cash
Cost of workforce and ROI of HR interventions
Cost of accidents and prevention value
Roadmapping and investment
Risk, cost and feasibility analysis
Ratio analysis: liquidity, profitability, gearing
Make-versus-buy and total cost of ownership
Cost and price analysis
Total cost of ownership versus purchase price
Income capitalisation and investment value
NGO financial management and budget-versus-actual discipline
Stakeholder mapping for the finance function
Board and executive financial reporting
Presenting financial information clearly
Negotiation with banks, investors and suppliers

Communication

Professional presentation and defence
Professional report and presentation
Dashboards and reporting
Board reporting and investor relations
Management reporting and decision support
Board reporting and information flows
Communication strategy in change programmes
Communicating and reporting to leadership
Management and board reporting
Safety communication and campaigns
Incident reporting and record-keeping
Regulatory reporting and audits
Control monitoring and reporting
Crisis communications
Stakeholder communications

Decision Making

Rational and intuitive decision-making
Prioritisation and resource allocation
Risk assessment and judgement
Decision rights and governance
Prioritisation and managing competing demands
Prioritisation and focus
Problem loans, restructuring and recovery
Make-versus-buy decisions
Root-cause analysis and problem solving
Recommendations and decision support
Capital structure and financing decisions
Writing advisory reports that drive decisions
Issue and problem management
Backlogs, user stories and prioritisation
Escalation and decision-making

Change

Measuring change and transformation impact
Leading large-scale transformation
Habit change and behaviour design
Wellbeing and resilience coaching
Change control and configuration
Organisational change management
Agile and digital transformation projects
Measuring change and project impact
Baseline setting and change control
Sales and marketing transformation
Measuring growth and transformation impact
Decision support and insight
Managing growth, risk and resilience
Behaviour change and adoption of innovations
Customer experience transformation

Stakeholders and Influence

Trends: ESG, transparency and stakeholder capitalism
Shareholder and stakeholder rights
Conflicts of interest management
Stakeholder mapping and influencing
Offer management, negotiation and pre-boarding
Conflict resolution and mediation
Influencing and safety leadership
Influencing and persuasion
Negotiation and conflict resolution
Categories of spend and stakeholders
Negotiation strategy and planning
Conflicts of interest and transparency
Commercial negotiation and value capture
Influencer and affiliate marketing
Building strategic customer relationships

Risk and Governance

Managing risk and controls
Reporting automation
Governance frameworks and codes
Compliance frameworks and programmes
Compliance monitoring and testing
Headcount budgeting and establishment control
Vendor management and system governance
Employment compliance and the HR risk agenda
Communicating financial results
Psychodynamic and psychoanalytic approaches
Designing a safety programme or control
Bancassurance and digital insurance models
Vehicle documentation, compliance and consumer protection
In-process quality control and inspection
Ground control and strata management

Learning Outcomes

What You Will Achieve

Leading Through Leaders — applied to your own work
Direction and Narrative — applied to your own work
Board and Governance — applied to your own work
Judgement Under Scrutiny — applied to your own work
Succession and Depth — applied to your own work
The Executive Transition — applied to your own work

Enrolment Process

How to Get Certified

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Step 3: Study in the GLI Learning Portal

Work through 30 structured modules and 150 lessons at your own pace, with downloadable resources and expert-designed content — all inside the LMS.

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Sit your final examination online, earn your certificate instantly, and receive a globally verifiable Certificate ID — plus GLI Alumni Network access.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions

What is the CEXA 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 CEXA?

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 CEXA certification take to complete?

The programme is structured over 12 Week 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 CEXA internationally recognised?

What is the cost of the CEXA certification?

The Certified Executive Assistant is offered in two formats: Self-Paced at USD 449 and Live Virtual at USD 649. Corporate group rates are available for organisations enrolling 5 or more participants. Contact GLI for a bespoke corporate training quotation.

What does the CEXA 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 CEXA?

The Certified Executive Assistant 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 CEXA?

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

Can I study the CEXA 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 CEXA?

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

Certified Executive Assistant

Certified Executive Assistant

Certification at a Glance

Who Should Enrol?

Everything Included in Your Enrolment

Why This Certification Matters for Your Career

Core Competencies You Will Develop

Programme Modules

What You Will Achieve

How to Get Certified

Common Questions

What Our Alumni Say

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