This program is a joint offering by the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania and the Hitachi Institute of Management Development.

The Wharton School is one of the professional schools of University of Pennsylvania, an ivy-league institution in the US. Founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school, Wharton is now one of the world's largest business schools in terms of the number of programs, students and faculty. It is recognized around the world for its innovative curriculum, emphasis on globalization, acclaimed faculty, and broad academic strengths across every major discipline and at every level of management education. Wharton has offered executive education programs for more than 40 years and continues to be a leader in the field.

The Hitachi Institute of Management Development (HIMD) was established in 1961 in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Hitachi’s foundation. Since then, HIMD has been highly regarded in Japan as the first management school operated by a private company aimed at fostering managers of the next generation. In 1973, HIMD became an independent institution jointly supported by Hitachi Group companies. The purpose of this change was to reinforce HIMD's role as facilitator of "knowledge sharing" and "information exchange." HIMD now provides services not only to Hitachi Group companies, but also to many external companies.