Building the 21st Century Finance Function

INTRODUCTION

World class organisations have a new vision for the role of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and the finance function as key business partners; the most enlightened companies are already well on the road to realising this vision. In the globally competitive world of the 21^st century an organisation can only hope to succeed if the finance function can shake off its traditional ‘back-room’ image and partner and engage with the organisation to help to build a critical competitive advantage in some key areas.

This leading-edge training course explains:

• The big challenges facing today’s CFO and finance team
• The role of the 21^st century finance in
  • Creating and delivering value to key stakeholders
  • Providing enterprise performance management systems
  • Strategic activity based decision making
  • Identifying and managing risk
  • Developing vision and team leadership in the finance function

Objectives

The objectives of the training seminar are to enable delegates to:

• Identify the challenges facing the 21^st century finance function and develop the concepts and tools to participate in the transformation of the finance function in to a value focused business partner
• Develop strategic thinking, understand and participate in the strategic management process; to develop their company’s vision and values and carry out strategic financial analysis and planning
• Understand the process by which their organisation creates and delivers value to its key stakeholders and help to develop the right tools to facilitate and assist this process
• Understand and manage the drivers of shareholder value; develop and implement powerful Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) systems in their own organisations
• Understand how the finance function can add value through effective risk management using up to date key driver forecasts for sensitivity analysis and risk management strategies
• Improve organisational decision making using modern approaches to understanding cost behaviour and value pricing; understand how Activity Based Management (ABM) is key to this
• Understand the importance of visionary leadership in transforming the role of the finance function
• Consider and select key areas for finance function process improvement

Training Methodology

The training course is structured as a highly participative workshop with formal presentations, case studies and interactive worked examples. Relevant examples and case studies are provided to illustrate the application of each of the topics covered and opportunities are provided to learn and practice the use of powerful modern finance skills and tools, reinforced with practical examples and exercises.

Organisational Impact

The organisation will gain through:

• A finance insight in to the challenges facing the organisation and its finance function; CFO’s and finance managers taking the key steps to the role of value focused business partner
• CFO’s and finance managers thinking strategically and adding value through participation in developing organisational vision and strategy and through strategic financial analysis and planning
• A raised awareness of the process by which value is created and delivered to its key stakeholders; the benefit from using powerful tools to facilitate and assist this process
• CFO’s and finance managers assisting in the development of Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) systems to link strategy to key operational processes and control their execution
• Added value through effective risk management using up to date key driver forecasts for sensitivity analysis and risk management strategies
• Improved organisational decision making at all levels using Activity Based Management (ABM)
• Improved leadership in the finance function and streamlining of key finance processes

Personal Impact

Delegates will address the challenges facing the 21^st century finance function and will have the opportunity to learn about, discuss and share experience and expertise with other finance professionals facing similar challenges. The training course is focused on the key business finance issues of the day, and the future, and gives delegates the opportunity to learn about and practice some of the leading edge finance concepts and tools, including:

• Strategic analysis: Porter’s five forces; PESTLE; SWOT; risk analysis; value chain analysis
• Strategic themes and strategy maps
• Return on investment (ROI); Economic Value Added (EVA); Shareholder Value Added (SVA)
• Key Success Factors (KSF’s); Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s); Key Results Indicators (KRI’s)
• Balanced scorecards
• Activity Based Management (ABM) Activity Based Costing (ABC) and Budgeting (ABB) methods
• Business information dashboards
• Rolling forecasts and key driver ‘what-if’ and cash flow forecasts
• Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) systems

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

• Chief executives and Chief Operating Officers of companies and business divisions
• Finance Directors, Chief Financial Officers and Financial Controllers
• Financial Managers and other finance professionals and accountants
• Strategic planning managers and budget officers
• Managers being prepared or with the potential to assume key finance posts in the company