The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Programme

Elevate your impact as a finance leader

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Course Dates

STARTS ON

TBD

Course Duration

DURATION

7 Months
Online and In Person

Course Fee

PROGRAMME FEE

and get £1,260 off with a referral application fee

Programme overview

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Programme is a transformative learning journey designed to broaden your perspective and prepare you for the role of a strategic CFO. Enhance your skills to better align financial and corporate strategy, while learning to leverage AI and analytics to improve financial decision-making. The programme will further hone your ability to effectively communicate financial acumen and collaborate across functions.

69%

CFOs see their role fundamentally changing as finance tasks are automated.

SOURCE: EY

58%

CFOs say that combining state-of-the-art technology with process improvement will be a major focus for the future of the finance function.

SOURCE: EY

Programme highlights

London – A global hub

Connect with global peers and experience learning in the heart of London.

World-leading faculty

Learn from LBS's world-renowned experts in finance, leadership and strategy.

Individual business project

Apply your programme learnings to a transformative individual project.

Diverse peer network

Discuss, debate and explore key business and financial issues with a diverse and global peer network.

Strategic challenge

Develop an action plan for a business challenge you are currently facing and tackle it on your return to work.

Comprehensive curriculum

Benefit from a future-focused curriculum that seamlessly integrates finance, leadership and strategy.

Rewire learning

Work on a challenge developed to help you dive deep into specific areas of the transformation agenda.

Expert guest speakers

Gain new perspectives, ideas and insights from finance experts.

Real-world case studies

Explore real case studies, surveys and academic evidence from leading global companies.

Alumni network

Join our 17,000-strong LBS Executive Education alumni network and build your connections.

Good for you. Good for your organisation.

The CFO Programme is designed to help you develop your leadership, strategy and communication capabilities to drive innovation and technological transformation throughout your organisation.

Build

Build your strengths as a strategic finance leader. Enhance your technical skills, financial expertise and leadership abilities, elevating your credibility as a trusted advisor and key decision-maker.

Learn

Engage with world-class faculty and industry practitioners with live online learning and in-person sessions in the heart of London. Get expert insights into the latest thinking on finance strategy, leadership and innovation.

Transform

Make a transformative impact on your organisation. Identify, evaluate, communicate and drive the implementation of strategic choices that lead to sustainable value creation and growth.

Curriculum

    • Aligning corporate and financial strategy
    • Advanced financial statement analysis and value creation
    • Using debt financing to create value
    • Key capital structure issues and trade-offs
    • The CFO’s role in capital budgeting
    • Project appraisal and company valuation
    • Introduction to payout policy
    • Dividends and share buybacks as value creation mechanisms
    • Mergers and acquisitions: deal-making, valuation, financing structures and payment options, takeovers
    • Identifying sources of competitive advantage and key value drivers
    • Measuring and monitoring performance
    • Alternative financing instruments
    • Strategic risk management for CFOs: instruments and tools
    • Strategic investment appraisal decisions and real options
    • Initial public offerings
    • Raising equity: seasoned offerings
    • Corporate restructuring: diversification, LBOs, MBOs, leveraged recapitalisations
    • Financial distress
    • Long-term financial planning
    • What is AI and machine learning?
    • The possibilities of AI
    • Leveraging AI to create value
    • Building AI capabilities
    • Innovation imperative
    • Defining your innovation challenge
    • Generating ideas
    • Structures and techniques for developing ideas
    • Making it happen
    • Value creation through strategic thinking and planning
    • Strategic decision-making and judgement
    • Agile strategy execution
    • Aligning the organisation
    • Responsible leadership
    • Leading through purpose
    • Leading change and transformation
    • Building powerful relationships: communication, networks and engaging with stakeholders
    • Growing talent and teams

Virtual challenges

Guided by our world-leading faculty, research and consultancy, we are delighted to launch a new business transformation solution to help you navigate the key challenges facing your organisation today. Bringing together case studies from our global clients and practical workplace activities, each challenge takes 1–3 hours as an individual or a facilitated activity.

  • Judgement in Leadership
    Make informed judgement calls when there is little time to spare and few facts available.
  • Rewiring Learning
    Understand how learning works, including different levels, principles and processes, and cultivate a positive attitude towards learning.

Experts in the field

Profile picture of professor Michael Davies

Michael Davies

Founder and CEO of Endeavour Partners

Michael Davies directs the Business of AI Programme and runs the New Technology Ventures Programme at London Business School. He works with leaders in technology to anticipate the future, navigate the resulting challenges and opportunities, and enable them to drive innovation. Davies has deep business and technology expertise in mobile and digital domains.

He is an expert in technology and business ecosystems, competition and collaboration and the management of innovation. Prior to founding Endeavour Partners, Davies held executive and strategic advisory roles with leading firms, including Boston Consulting Group, BellSouth International, Braxton Associates, GeoPartners Research and Mars Electronics. Davies is also a Senior Lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Profile picture of professor Yiorgos Mylonadis

Yiorgos Mylonadis

Adjunct Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship

Professor Yiorgos Mylonadis specialises in business ecosystems, digital strategy, entrepreneurial communities, social enterprises and methodologies for strategic thinking. He has led large, multi-year advisory and teaching programmes for many firms including Nestle, IBM, Emirates, Oracle, GEA, Xstrata, Nokia, SKF and Mars.

After earning a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he has held appointments on the faculties of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Athens Laboratory of Business Administration (ALBA) before joining London Business School in 2000, where he created Developing Strategy for Value Creation – the School’s first executive education strategy programme.

Profile picture of professor Henri Servaes

Henri Servaes

Richard Brealey Professor of Corporate Governance; Professor of Finance

Professor Henri Servaes’ areas of interest include corporate finance, corporate governance, corporate social responsibility and mutual funds. At London Business School, he teaches corporate finance, corporate governance and mergers & acquisitions.

He has been involved in consulting and executive education for Anglo American, Barclays, Bertelsmann, BG Group, Continental, Deutsche Bank, E.ON, The Financial Times (Lex Team), Freshfields, Mars, PwC and Suez, among others. Professor Servaes has also published articles in all leading finance journals. He is also a Research Fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy Research and a Research Associate of the European Corporate Governance Institute.

Profile picture of professor Julian Birkinshaw

Julian Birkinshaw

Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship; Academic Director, Institute of Entrepreneurship and Private Capital

Professor Julian Birkinshaw’s main area of expertise is in the strategy and organisation of large corporations and specifically such issues as innovation, corporate entrepreneurship, strategic agility and headquarters-subsidiary relationships.

He is a Fellow of the British Academy, the Academy of Social Sciences and the Academy of International Business. Professor Birkinshaw is the author of 15 books, including Fast/Forward, Becoming a Better Boss, Reinventing Management and Giant Steps in Management and more than 90 articles in journals such as Strategic Management Journal, Academy of Management Journal, Harvard Business Review and Sloan Management Review.

Faculty Member Costas Markides

Costas Markides

Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship; Robert P. Bauman Chair in Strategic Leadership

Costas Markides is recognised as one of the world’s foremost experts on strategy and innovation. His specialties include strategic innovation, business model innovation, diversification and international acquisitions. His work focuses on understanding how established organisations can open up new avenues for disruption and create a culture of continuous innovation by competing with two business models in the same industry.

He received his BA (Distinction) and MA in Economics from Boston University and his MBA and DBA from Harvard Business School. He is the Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and holds the Robert P Bauman Chair of Strategic Leadership at London Business School. Costas is also a widely published author with his latest book Business Model Innovation: Strategic and Organizational Issues for Established Firms, published in 2023.

Right for you

The CFO Programme is ideal for:

  • Senior finance executives who are new to the CFO role and seek to enhance their skills to better align financial and corporate strategy
  • Finance professionals who are preparing for a CFO assignment or similar strategic financial leadership position and want to hone their leadership abilities and leverage emerging technologies for sustainable growth.

Background and experience:

  • Senior-level executives with strategic and financial responsibilities
  • 10+ years of management experience with strong financial acumen
  • From diverse industries ranging from large organizations to startups

Past participant profile

Diverse functional responsibilities

A wide range of work experience

Global cohort

Alumni benefits

  • Join London Business School's Executive Education alumni network to take your place in a 17,000-strong community spanning 150 countries.
  • Benefit from lifelong learning through monthly newsletters, interactive webinars and exclusive events in your region.
  • Join LBS Hub, our interactive alumni platform, to connect and network with some of the finest minds in the world of business.
  • Connect with your peers through our global clubs network and alumni directory.

Certificate

Example image of certificate that will be awarded after successful completion of this program

Certificate

Upon successful completion of the programme, participants will be awarded a verified digital certificate of achievement by London Business School.

Programme calendar

This seven-month programme journey features two on-campus immersion modules of one week each and two multi-week virtual modules. The curriculum explores various themes that are crucial for a modern CFO. You will learn through virtual and in-person classes, guest lectures, group coaching sessions, live case studies and academic director check-ins.

Access to learning platform | Virtual
28 June 2024

Engage and Connect | Live Kick-Off | Virtual
16 July 2024

Module 1 | 5 Days | London
Week 2 | 22–26 July 2024

Module 2 | 10 Weeks | Online
Week 3–12 | 02 September–11 November 2024

Module 3 | 6 Weeks | Online
Week 13-18 | 19 November 2024–13 January 2025

Module 4 | 5.5 Days | London
Week 19 | 26-31 January 2025

Closing Module | Live Close | Virtual
11 February 2025

Note: Programme schedule is subject to change.

This certificate programme does not grant academic credit or a degree from London Business School.

Apply Now

Early registrations are encouraged. Seats fill up quickly!