2026 Up Next Cohort

Where senior HR leaders become transformative CHROs

LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE

Now Accepting 2026 Applications

Your Path to the CHRO Seat Starts Here.

49% of alumni are now CHROs.

You’ve built a strong HR career. You know how to lead people, navigate complexity, and deliver results. But the CHRO role demands more.

Today’s HR leaders are expected to be a central force in shaping enterprise strategy and driving transformational change. Tomorrow’s CHROs need more than HR expertise – they must command the boardroom, shape compensation strategies, leverage data to guide decisions, embrace new capabilities like AI, and inspire a company-wide vision.

And yet, many promising leaders face critical gaps in experience that can limit their ability to take the next step. That’s where i4cp’s Up Next Cohort comes in.

This isn’t a traditional leadership program. It’s a career-altering launchpad built exclusively for ambitious HR leaders like you – VPs, Directors, and HRBPs – ready to define your next chapter. And with 49% of alumni now in CHRO roles, it works.

Why Join i4cp's Up Next Cohort

Accelerate Your Readiness

Deepen expertise across high-stakes domains like board partnerships, compensation strategy, people analytics, and workforce planning & readiness.

Expand Your Influence

Learn from top-tier mentors – including current and former CHROs – and gain trusted perspectives that sharpen your leadership edge.

Surround Yourself with Game-Changers

Join a handpicked cohort of rising HR executives – like you – are preparing for the CHRO seat. This powerful peer network becomes your circle of strategic allies, and with 49% of alumni now serving as CHROs, you’ll be in the company of tomorrow’s enterprise leaders.

Built by CHROs, for Future CHROs

Developed from the ground up in partnership with i4cp’s Chief HR Officer Board, a private group of forward-thinking CHROs from companies such as Microsoft, Dow, ServiceNow, Aflac, Land O’ Lakes, and Toyota. With a proven track record of accelerating careers, it delivers elite mentorship, curated cohorts, and research-backed insights you won’t find elsewhere.

Book an Intro Call

Who Should Attend

This program is built for rising HR leaders ready to accelerate their path to the CHRO role.

Typical titles include: HR Director, VP of HR, or Senior HRBP

What unites participants: Ambition to lead at the enterprise level, readiness to sharpen boardroom presence, and desire to secure the CHRO seat.

How do I justify the investment?

Program Experience

10 Weeks, High-Impact Design

Blends an immersive in-person kickoff with live virtual sessions designed around the realities of a senior HR executive’s schedule.

Capstone Project

Present a business-aligned initiative to a mock board of directors, demonstrating executive readiness and boardroom command.

Personalized CHRO Coaching

Three 1:1 sessions tailored to your development path with Dave Gartenberg, Up Next Chair and former CHRO of Avanade and Slalom Consulting.

Exclusive Alumni Network

A lifetime community of peers and mentors – 49% of whom are sitting CHROs – ready to share insights and opportunities long after the program concludes.

Alumni Impact

“The mentorship and insights from CHROs were invaluable – this program delivered learning and growth I couldn’t have achieved through traditional networking.”

“Every session offered powerful takeaways, but the discussions on culture renovation and strategy truly transformed my approach to leadership.”

“The program opened my eyes to the unique paths each of us can take to become a CHRO. I now feel equipped and confident, with new skills and strategies to lead.”