The Executive Program For Prospective CFOs

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, 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 includes a "fireside chat" keynote from a distinguished practitioner who will discuss how they have managed strategic challenges in their organization. Fireside chat speakers from previous cohorts include Paul Donofrio, former CFO of Bank of America, Karen Gould, former CFO of Turner Construction, and Ray Young, former vice chairman and CFO of Archer Daniels Midland Company. You'll also have ample opportunity to network with peers over classroom discussions and special group activities such as a class dinner.

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 a higher ROI.
• Develop a strategic plan for M&A execution and implementation.
• Understand ESG trends and the rewards and challenges of meeting them.
• Analyze the sources of financial fragility and regulatory responses.
• Learn how to harness continuous improvement and disruptive change to benefit the corporation.

“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

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.

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

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
• Persuasion, Communication, and Personal Branding
  
  

Use narratives as a framework for expressing your ideas and analyze how to structure the way you present them

• Clearly articulate your strengths, values, and vision as a leader, manager, and colleague
• Define your “superpower,” or personal value proposition, and practice applying it in scenarios such as interviews, asking for a raise, pitching for a promotion, and motivating a team
  
  

Managerial Challenges in the ESG and Sustainability Landscape

• Chart the current ESG landscape, including regulatory trends and capital market demands
• Understand the rewards and challenges of meeting ESG expectations
• Connect sustainability investments, the cost of capital, and corporate performance
• Successfully communicate ESG strategies to investors and other stakeholders
  
  

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?
• Separating business success into strategy, leadership, and luck: learn how to understand your role in each
• The role of top management in setting strategy: what is the real challenge great strategists see?
• 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 of 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
  
  

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

The EPPC program far exceeded my expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed the cases and coursework. The scientific approach was both easy to understand and highly practical. What I appreciated most was the peer group. During the program, I established a network that I plan to leverage for years to come.

- William Moore, Head of Finance Transformation, Infineum

This was a well-run program with excellent content that provided practical knowledge

- Homoud Alfayez, General Manager of Financial Budgeting & Reporting, Riyadh Airports Company

This program covered current and relevant topics, such as risk management and ESG, which were not taught in business schools 10 years ago.

This program was useful, relevant, and practical, offering current insights into the risks and challenges we are facing. I especially appreciated that the faculty were high-quality professionals with extensive real-world business experience, not just theoretical knowledge.

The program provided an opportunity to change and elevate my thinking about my role and offered tools I can use to positively impact my company’s financial journey. It also allowed me to create a tremendous cohort of peers with whom I can continue to connect and discuss our shared challenges and successes.

- Ginger Ittenback, Director of Finance & Tax Services, Truepoint Wealth Counsel, LLC

The program is a carefully curated crash course designed to help finance executives navigate the ever-evolving and volatile world of finance. The team at Booth equips students with the reasoning toolkit necessary for the next step in their careers, leveraging newly learned 'power skills' and strategic thinking frameworks.

- John Mahoney, Senior Manager, ESG Controllership, IBM, Corp

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 came 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 in 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