The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Programme
Gain cutting-edge AI insights, 10.5 days of immersive on-campus learning, and access to a global network of 17,000+ alumni.
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Programme overview: Chief Financial Officer Programme from London Business School Executive Education
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Programme is a transformative learning journey designed to broaden your perspective and prepare you to excel as a modern CFO. Offered by London Business School Executive Education, the programme enables you to enhance your skills through a combination of future-focused content, case studies and networking opportunities. You will learn to better align financial and corporate strategy while leveraging AI, analytics and digital transformation to improve financial decision-making. The programme is designed to help you effectively apply your strong financial acumen and collaborate across functions, positioning yourself as a key decision-maker in driving business transformation and long-term success.
AI applications for the CFO
Generative AI fundamentals
Explore the evolution, strengths and limits of generative AI (gen AI) models.
Prompt engineering
Craft effective prompts for tools like ChatGPT.
AI-powered visualisation
Automate and enhance visualisations with gen AI tools.
Predictive modelling with AI
Forecast outcomes using decision trees, random forests and logistic regression.
Supervised and unsupervised learning
Apply techniques for classification, clustering and recommendations.
Responsible AI use
Address responsible AI use, including privacy concerns, data hallucinations and ethical risks.
Who is the Chief Financial Officer Programme for?
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 organisations to startups.
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Learning journey
Benefits of the Chief Financial Officer Programme
For you
Define a long-term vision that balances financial and non-financial performance objectives with business strategy.
Enhance your ability to predict, measure and monitor financial and non-financial performance.
Strengthen your technical skills and financial expertise.
Analyse the latest trends and the external forces shaping your business to elevate your credibility as a trusted internal adviser and key decision-maker.
Build, lead, motivate and sustain high-performing teams to accelerate impact.
Enhance your strategic communication skills to gain influence and lead internal and external stakeholder groups with greater personal impact.
For your organisation
Generate actionable, strategic insights that improve the quality of decision-making across your organisation.
Identify, evaluate, communicate and drive the implementation of strategic choices that lead to sustainable value creation and organisational growth.
Lead change and digital transformation efforts that create lasting value for you and your organisation.
Ensure the culture across your organisation is risk-aware and financially aligned.
What will you learn in the Chief Financial Officer Programme?
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
Interpreting data independently with GenAI
Gaining insights for quick decisions
Master storytelling with data visualisations
Stay updated on AI advancements
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
Programme calendar
The seven-month journey of the CFO Programme features two one-week on-campus immersion modules and two multi-week virtual modules. Through in-person and virtual classes, guest lectures, group coaching sessions and live case studies, you will explore various themes that are crucial for a modern CFO.
Engage and Connect | Live Kick-Off | Virtual
23 June 2026
Module 1 | 5 Days | London
Week 2 | 20–24 July 2026
Module 2 | 6 Weeks | Online
Week 3–8 | 3 September–15 October 2026
Module 3 | 6 Weeks | Online
Week 9-15 | 4 November–15 December 2026
Module 4 | 5.5 Days | London
Week 16 | 17-22 January 2027
Closing Module | Live Close | Virtual
2 February 2027
Note: The programme schedule is subject to change.
This certificate programme does not grant academic credit or a degree from London Business School.
Virtual challenges
Guided by our world-leading faculty, research and consultancy, we are delighted to launch a new business transformation solution through our CFO Programme to help you navigate the key challenges your organisation is facing today. Bringing together case studies from our global clients and practical workplace activities, each challenge takes one to three 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.
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 upon 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 deep dive 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.
Meet the experts
Professor of Management Science and Operations; Chair, Management Science and Operations Faculty
Professor Savva’s current research focuses on hospital operations and healthcare management. His research has appeared in leading journals such as Management Science, M&SOM, P...
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 ...
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 tea...
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 entreprene...
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, diver...
Past participant profiles
The CFO Programme from London Business School Executive Education convenes experienced finance executives from across geographies, industries and career backgrounds, creating a dynamic forum for learning and exchange. Participants bring diverse perspectives shaped by their responsibilities, sectors, organisational settings and individual career paths. Moreover, they actively engage in thoughtful dialogue around the evolving demands, complexities and opportunities of senior financial leadership.
Diverse industries
A wide range of work experience
A global cohort
Testimonials
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
Upon successful completion of the CFO Programme, participants will be awarded a verified digital certificate of achievement by London Business School.
FAQs
The CFO Programme from London Business School Executive Education is a transformative learning journey designed to empower senior finance professionals to better align financial and corporate strategy and enhance financial decision-making through AI and analytics. It also helps to develop strong financial acumen, enhancing participants’ ability to effectively communicate and collaborate across different functions within their organisations.
The CFO Programme is ideal for senior finance professionals who aspire to take on the role of a chief financial officer. If you are looking to enhance your finance leadership skills, strategic thinking and ability to drive innovation and technological transformation within your organisation, this programme is the right fit for you.
By completing the CFO Programme, you will develop your leadership, strategy and communication capabilities that are essential for driving innovation and technological transformation as a CFO. The programme equips you with the tools and frameworks necessary to build your strengths as a strategic finance leader, enhancing your technical and leadership skills as well as financial expertise.
Key areas of focus in this programme include financial strategy and management, business analytics in the age of gen AI, the chief finance officer’s role in strategic innovation through design thinking and developing strategies for value creation. The programme also includes real-world case studies and insights from finance experts.
Some of the key highlights of the CFO Programme include learning from London Business School's world-renowned experts, applying your learnings to a transformative individual project, developing an action plan for a business challenge you are currently facing and joining the 17,000-strong LBS Executive Education alumni network.
The Chief Financial Officer Programme includes a module titled ‘Business Analytics in the Age of Generative AI’ that will help you understand how to leverage AI and analytics to improve financial decision-making. By exploring this topic, you will be better equipped to drive technological transformation within your organisation as a CFO.
This programme offers ample networking opportunities, allowing you to connect with a diverse and global peer network. You will have the chance to discuss, debate and explore key business and financial issues with like-minded professionals. Upon completion, you will also join the extensive LBS Executive Education alumni network, further expanding your professional connections.
The duration of this programme is seven months, including in-person and online sessions. With a structured schedule that lends itself to flexible learning, the programme is designed for professionals who need to balance their education with full-time work.
Upon successful completion of the CFO Programme, participants will be awarded a verified digital certificate of achievement by the London Business School. Moreover, the programme is a pathway to joining the 17,000-strong LBS Executive Education alumni network and expanding your global peer network.
This programme is designed for senior finance professionals with at least 10 years of work experience, fluency in written and spoken English and international exposure (preferably).
Emeritus collects all programme payments, provides learner enrolment and programme support, and manages learning platform services.
For the programme refund and deferral policy, please click the link here.
Programme fees for Emeritus programmes with London Business School may not be paid for with (a) funds from the GI Bill, the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Act of 2008 or similar types of military education funding benefits or (b) Title IV financial aid funds.
Connect with a programme adviser for a 1:1 session
Our programme advisers have helped senior executives across the world choose the right programme for their career goals. Schedule a 1:1 to get a deeper understanding on why the Chief Financial Officer Programme is the right fit for you.
Email: lbs_cfo@emeritus.org
Phone: +971 80 0088601098 (UAE) / +44 1325 808719 (UK) / +1 618 753 6066 (USA) / +52 55966 18983 (LATAM)
We encourage early application due to limited cohort capacity.
Flexible payment options available.
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