Be one of the first.
Applications are open for the Founder Cohort — the inaugural Associate Employee Experience Professional intake. Twelve places. One Faculty mentor. A twelve-week programme starting 1 February 2027.
The Founder Cohort is the first group of candidates to take the AEXP credential. The cohort is small by design — twelve practitioners, working through a real or simulated programme alongside their study, with direct access to the Institute's Founding Faculty.
In return for joining early, Founders receive a discounted fee, lifetime listing on the Founder section of the public register at ex.expert, and an invitation to contribute to the BoK as it moves from v0.1 to v1.0.
What's expected of Founders
Founders are practitioners who lead listening programmes, or are taking responsibility for one for the first time and want to do it well. We expect Founders to challenge the curriculum and the BoK as they go; that is part of what makes the v1.0 release stronger.
Dates and fee
Applications open — Tuesday 2 June 2026
Applications close — Thursday 7 January 2027 (or when twelve places are filled)
Cohort starts — Monday 1 February 2027
Programme length — 12 weeks plus capstone window, completing in early May 2027. There are no live sessions over the Easter weekend (Good Friday 26 March and Easter Monday 29 March).
Founder fee — £900 / $1,150 (a 40% discount on the standard AEXP fee)
Apply for the Founder Cohort · Read the AEXP pathway in detail · What happens between offer and cohort start