Finance for Non-Financial Leaders

Increase your influence and ability to lead with an improved understanding of finance and the language of business in this focussed, interactive and collaborative three-week programme.

Finance is the global language of business. Through financial reporting, businesses communicate their financial position and performance and reveal their main strengths and weaknesses. This highly experiential programme, led by award-winning Cass Professor, Danielle Lyssimachou, will demystify the language of finance and equip non-financial leaders with the necessary tools and fluency to derive value from this language.

By attending the programme, you will learn how to review and interpret financial information and how to identify the key value drivers of financial success. You will also learn how to use managerial accounting tools to help build more effective business cases. Upon completion of the programme, you will become more confident in the language of finance, build competency in reviewing and communicating financial information and improve your ability to influence resources and articulate business impact with your colleagues and stakeholders.

Focus and structure

The Finance for Non-Financial Leaders programme is divided into 3 parts and covers four x 2.5-hour sessions over 3 weeks (30 hours in total).

Week One

Demystifies the main financial statements from a non-finance user’s perspective. You will build your fluency by learning what key accounting and finance terms mean and how to use them when communicating. You will better appreciate how profit and cash generation differ and learn how companies can lawfully manage their profitability through the use of accounting choices and judgements and that, in fact, accounting is not a mere straightforward mathematical exercise.

Week Two

In this second, important week, you will learn how to analyse financial information, with the aim of identifying the three drivers of financial success, at both an industry and company level. You will learn about these key financial success drivers, what influences them and how they contribute to success. You will apply your learning to various company settings to gain an understanding of the drivers of success across different industries/business models.

Week Three

Exposes you to managerial accounting and how to evaluate the financial impact of a business case. You will explore the importance of concepts such as opportunity costs, sunk costs and contribution for articulating your business case. In addition, you will appreciate how investment decisions are made and learn how to ask value-adding questions and critique the methodologies employed.

Learning Methods

The virtual programme is highly interactive, dynamic and employs a combination of learning methods including interactive online learning sessions, group work in online breakout rooms, role play, use of discussion boards, exercises, practical examples, case studies and reflective work.

Benefits

• Build your confidence in speaking the financial language of your business
• Develop the financial competency to review financial dashboards and contribute in leadership meetings
• Learn how to incorporate a financial impact case
• Improve your ability to communicate financial priorities, measures and issues to benefit the business
• Appreciate the ethical issues and responsibilities of the finance function