The role of financial leaders today has evolved beyond strictly crunching numbers. Finance officers must be strategic leaders, effective communicators, and risk managers. Chicago Booth has assembled an interdisciplinary team of faculty from the fields of economics, finance, accounting, strategy, and leadership to create The Executive Program for Prospective CFOs.

Led by Randall Kroszner, Deputy Dean for Executive Programs, Norman R. Bobins Professor of Economics, and former Governor of the Federal Reserve System, this program draws upon Booth’s global expertise in finance and strong focus on economic research to address the most pressing issues facing senior finance executives today. The program also includes keynotes from distinguished practitioners who describe how they have managed strategic challenges in their organizations.

By attending this program, you will:

• Identify critical attributes needed to create a high-performance environment.
• Articulate the corporate message internally and externally.
• Analyze patterns in strategic thinking to identify a growth path.
• Discover the power of data in making marketing more accountable and understand the strategic and scientific approach to marketing analytics that results in higher ROI.
• Develop a strategic plan for M&A execution and implementation.
• Examine the valuation process for global investments and methods for calculating the cost of capital in an international context.
• Analyze the sources of financial fragility and regulatory responses.
• Learn how to harness continuous improvement and disruptive change to benefit the corporation.

This program features guest lectures from notable finance leaders. The keynote speaker for the 2019 session was Ray Young, ’86, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM). In a fireside chat with Professor Kroszner, Ray Young shared key challenges he has faced, "things he wished he had known" before becoming CFO, and how the CFO role has evolved over time.

“My goal as faculty director is to make this the premier program for senior finance executives who want to sharpen analytics, build strategic leadership and communication skills, manage the changing regulatory environment, and broaden their experience to benefit their companies and individual careers. I hope to attract a select group of executives who will become the next generation of leaders in finance and who will continue to benefit from this high-caliber network long after the program is over.” —Faculty Director Randall Kroszner

LOCATION
Chicago Booth, Gleacher Center, Chicago IL

I believe that this course is a must for those individuals seeking to become CFOs. The course content and professors at Chicago Booth really help to open your mind to new concepts and ideas. I come away from the course armed with 'gems' that I can apply from day 1 in my current role.

- Elliott Wood, Finance & Planning Leader, IBM Latin America

Excellent, well-rounded, well-structured program. More finance executives should take this.

- Mayank Agrawal, Softward Group CFO, IBM India/South Asia

The program is great. I revisited some of the key concepts important to my role on an updated format. And also had the opportunity to learn from others' experiences.

- Carlos Montenegro, Head of Planning and Finance, Sao Carlos Empreendimentos

Excellent course! Great instructors who communicated their messages clearly and with purpose. I would highly recommend this course.

- Robert Rusch, Director – Finance and Accounting, American Transmission Co.

Great content and professors. Engagement with peers provided many opportunities for learning.

– Yolanda Daniel, VP Finance, W.W. Grainger, Inc.

I think the program is a success and fills a gap in the market. The international experience in the room enhanced the content and learning experience.

– David Gillespie, General Manager, Planning, Investment, and Funding, Jemena Ltd.

I truly enjoyed the program and believe it will be very successful. It was my first experience at the University of Chicago and will definitely not be my last one.

– Randy Ahuja, Managing Director, Verto Partners LLC

The distinguished faculty at Booth provided the depth and variety of perspectives and frameworks which will help future CFO's in how they think about the organizational, strategic, and financial management of their firms, through good times and bad.

- Abu Zeya, Finance Director, Halliburton

The program was very well designed. Topics were relevant to my current position as well as useful in my continued growth toward my next position.

– Todd Bryant, Vice President, Controller, RLI

This program generates opportunities to develop new skills and improve the capability to integrate a global finance view to create value.

- Orlando Gutierrez, Operations & Finance Manager, Corporate Boards, The Kroger Co.

This was a great program offering solid balance of theory and application. The focus on strategy throughout the program was excellent to focus on the 'how' you apply the learning in real life.

- John Murphy, Sr. VP, Chief Accounting Officer & Controller, DIRECTV

This program benefits senior finance executives who have significant experience in upper-level management or finance. This program will be valuable to executives from all industries and companies of all sizes from around the globe. Past Participants have come from companies such as The Dow Chemical Company, IBM, AbbVie, Express, Hyatt Hotels, and TOTO USA, Inc.

Applicants should have significant experience in upper-level management or finance.Titles include: CFO, deputy CFO, senior VP, finance director, treasurer, and controller.

Program Outline 

High Performance Leadership

• The role of a leader in creating a high performance work environment
• Critical attributes that drive innovation and financial results
• Strategies and processes to implement

Straight Talk in Tough Times

• Communication in a crisis, good times, and unpleasant times
• How to match actions and words
• Practical strategies and tools for effective communication
• Proactive vs. reactive when the unexpected happens
• Formulate effective messages to different audiences

Evaluating Global Investments and the Cost of Capital

• Adapt capital budgeting to global opportunities
• How to incorporate political, expropriation, currency, and other international risks into the valuation process for global investments
• How globalization affects the cost of capital and what explains differences in firms’ cost of capital around the world

De-Risking Innovation Investments

• Understand where traditional funding and stage-gate processes fall short in promoting the right innovation projects
• Develop a tool kit for identifying and managing risk in your innovation pipeline
• Practice alternative tools for making decisions when reliable data is not available

Strategy Formulation and Implementation 

• Why bother with strategy? What can strategy do? What happens if we don’t have a strategy? How can we think about reaching our goals?
• Develop two simple tools: a set of four generic questions that apply to all businesses, and a set of six powerful patterns that can be used to think about the way strategies are developed
• Apply this strategy framework to identify a logical path for growth

Strategic Risk Management and Financial Fragility

• Analyze sources of financial fragility and regulatory responses reshaping financial markets
• Assess implications the Federal Reserve’s and other central banks’ extraordinarily accommodative policies for volatility, “currency wars,” asset price bubbles, credit flows, inflation, and prospect for economic growth
• Learn the components of effective risk management
• Draw lessons from recent and historical crises to better prepare for and manage through future crises

Marketing Analytics to Drive Growth

• Understand the role and meaning of marketing analytics
• Learn how optimal marketing decisions and investments are made
• Discover the scientific power of data analysis in marketing decision-making linked to higher ROI
• Master the right questions to ask and make your marketing team accountable in the data-driven age

Strategic Communications Management

• Effectively manage investor base and quarterly earnings releases
• Corporate conference calls and earnings guidance
• Payout policy and signaling: dividends and repurchases
• Determinants of credit ratings: implications for capital structure
• Regulation FD and legal aspects of corporate disclosure policy

Acquisition Strategies and Merger Implementation

• The M&A process: strategy, valuation, and execution

The Entrepreneurial Leader: The Importance of Innovation in a VUCA World (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex & Ambiguous)

• Framework for innovation and entrepreneurial thinking
• How to harness continuous improvement and disruptive change