Chidi Okafor
Fractional CDO · Pan-African
Nigeria
Who it's for
You already lead, now operate at an executive level.
Heads of design and design managers with 8+ years, ready for a CDO-level mandate.
Established leaders considering fractional or independent practice of their own.
Practitioners who want to be placed on theNetworkwith their first fee waived.
The curriculum
Four weeks, four areas of executive practice.
WEEK 01
Design operations at scale
Build the operating model, standards, rituals and decision structures that allow a design function to perform consistently as it grows.
WEEK 02
The fractional practice
Scope, price and run defined executive engagements while protecting authority, outcomes and commercial terms.
WEEK 03
Client & stakeholder management
Manage CEOs, functional leaders and difficult stakeholders without losing the mandate or becoming another execution resource.
WEEK 04
Research methodology & capstone
Diagnose a real design leadership problem, build an evidence-based response and defend the recommendation before a panel.
Taught by practitionersSee full faculty
Nadia Cherif
Professor of Practice · Diaspora
Tunisia
Olu Bankole
VP Design · Global fintech
Nigeria
Sipho Ndlela
Founder · Design studio
South Africa
What you leave with
Certified Design Leader
An earned credential backed by attendance, applied work and assessment.
Network eligibility
A route into Design Lever's vetted fractional leadership network.
Executive capstone
A documented leadership intervention built around a real organisational problem.
“By Week 2, I had scoped and priced my first fractional engagement. A quarter later, the Network placed me.”
02
Weeks to price engagement
01
Quarter to placement
04
Client systems installed
Chinedu Okafor
Fractional Design Director · Independent
One cohort a year. Twelve places.
Apply for the next Executive intake, or ask us anything before you do.
FAQs
Executive, answered.
Do I need the Foundation Programme first?+
No. Executive is a standalone track for practitioners with 8+ years and design management experience. Foundation is recommended if you're earlier in the leadership transition.
How does the four weeks run?+
One cohort a year, delivered live over four weeks with a mix of intensive sessions and applied work between them, so you can continue in your current role while you study.
Is the Network placement guaranteed?+
Graduates are automatically listed and their first placement fee is waived. Placement itself depends on a match with a company's requirement, the listing and vetting are what we guarantee.
Can I pay in naira, and are instalments available?+
Yes to both. Tuition is $750 / ₦1,000,000 at the prevailing rate, with instalment options discussed during the application conversation.
What's the capstone?+
A complete fractional engagement plan, scope, LEVER roadmap, pricing and metrics, built for a real prospective client, so you finish with your first mandate ready to pitch.