The Modern CFO : From Scorekeeper to Strategic Partner

Program Introduction

The role of the Chief Financial Officer has undergone a radical transformation. Gone are the days when the CFO was simply the “guardian of the books,” focused solely on historical reporting, compliance, and cost control. Today’s CFO is the CEO’s strategic co-pilot, a catalyst for digital transformation, and the primary architect of sustainable value creation.

The CFO Academy is a modulated,executive learning program,practical and interactive, designed to equip current and potential CFOs cum other finance professionals, with the leadership, strategic, and technological toolkits required to thrive in the C-Suite. We move beyond GAAP and IFRS to explore how financial data dictates business strategy, how to influence stakeholders, and how to navigate complex capital markets. The curriculum is designed to transform your finance department from a cost center into a value-driver.Participants will also get a deeper grasp of why they should align finance with strategy and leadership.

Key Learning Objectives

Participants at the academy are able to:

Transition from Operator to Strategist: Shift focus from backward-looking reporting to forward-looking forecasting and value creation.
Master Capital Allocation: Make high-stakes decisions regarding debt, equity, M&A, and R&D investment.
Lead Digital Transformation: Understand the modern finance tech stack (AI, Automation, Cloud ERP) to drive efficiency.
Command the Room: Develop the soft skills necessary to manage board relationships, investor expectations, and cross-functional teams.
Get acquainted with the latest tools,best practices and corporate governance issues in the business and finance world.

Academy’s Architecture

Level 1: The Novice Suite for Emerging Finance Managers and Controllers

Mastering the transition from technical expert to manager and building the foundation of the modern, tech-enabled finance professional.

Course 1: Strategic Financial Management

Beyond the Ledger

Key Modules:
- Module 1: Advanced FP & A and predictive modeling.
- Module 2: Managing High-performance accounting teams.
- Module 3: Effective communication to non-finance stakeholders.
- Practicals: Include a “Boardroom Simulation” where students must present a budget variance report to a simulated difficult CEO.

Course 2: Financial Storytelling & Data Visualisation

Stop presenting spreadsheets; start presenting insights. Learn to turn raw data into a narrative that compels CEOs to act.

Key Modules:
- Module 1: The Psychology of Data: Why the brain rejects rows of numbers.
- Module 2: Designing for Clarity: Principles of clean UI/UX for dashboards.
- Module 3: Tool Mastery: Hands-on Power BI/Tableau/Advanced Excel charting.Moving beyond spreadsheets,participants use Power BI/Tableau to build live dashboards and practice “pitching” financial results to non-finance department heads.
- Practicals: Include the “Pitch” Session: Participants present a 5-minute investment case to a panel using only visual aids.

Course 3 : Robotic Process Automation

The Modern Controller’s Toolkit-Reclaim 40% of your team’s time. Learn how to automate the “boring stuff” without being a coder.

Key Modules:
- Module 1: Identifying Automation Candidates: High-volume vs. high-complexity.
- Module 2: Low-Code/No-Code Basics: Introduction to Power Automate and Zapier.
- Module 3: Building the Bot: Creating a live Robotic Process Automation (RPA)workflow for bank reconciliations or AP processing.
- Practicals: Include the Bot-a-Thon: Build a functioning automation script for your specific company’s month-end close.

Course 4: Essentials of Business Partnering

Move from “The Department of NO” to “The Department of HOW.” Learn the soft skills of cross-functional influence.A workshop-heavy course using role-play to teach finance managers how to challenge sales and operations teams constructively.

Key Modules:
- Module 1: The Business Partner Mindset: Understanding Sales and Ops KPIs.
- Module 2: Consultative Questioning: How to challenge a budget without starting a fight.
- Module 3: Conflict Resolution: Negotiating trade-offs between departments.
- Practicals: Include the “Hot Seat” Simulation: Role-playing a scenario where you must tell a Sales VP their biggest project is ROI-negative.

Course 5: Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) 1.0

It shifts the focus from “risk as a compliance burden” to “risk as a strategic lever for value creation.”
The course is structured into seven high-impact modules, blending technical mastery with executive leadership.

Key Modules:
- Module 1: The Strategic CFO’s Risk Mindset
- Module 2: Architectural Frameworks (COSO & ISO)
- Module 3: Identification & The “Bow-Tie” Method
- Module 4: Risk Quantitisation & Measurement
- Module 5: Risk Response & Capital Allocation
- Module 6: Monitoring, Reporting & The Board
- Module 7: Crisis Leadership & Emerging Risks
- Practicals: Include The Risk Census. Groups use a “Risk Universe” template to identify the top 10 threats to a mid-cap manufacturing or tech firm

Level 2: The Strategic Partner (Intermediate/Advanced)

Course 6: Strategic FP&A

Static budgets are dead. Learn to build “living” models that survive market volatility.
Key Modules:
- Module 1: Drivers-Based Modeling: Moving beyond historical trends.
- Module 2: Monte Carlo Simulations: Visualizing probability and risk.
- Module 3: Rolling Forecasts: Implementing a continuous planning cycle.
- Practicals: Include the “War Game”: A 3-hour session where external shocks (oil prices, strikes, interest rates) are thrown at your model in real-time.

Course 7: ESG & Sustainable Finance

ESG is no longer “PR”—it’s a financial requirement. Learn to quantify “Green” and secure better lending rates.

Key Modules:
- Module 1: The Global Regulatory Landscape: TCFD, ISSB, and SEC requirements.
- Module 2: Carbon Accounting: Linking CO2 emissions to the P&L.
- Module 3: Green Bonds & Sustainable Lending: How to lower your cost of capital.
- Practicals: Include the ESG Audit: Draft a mock sustainability disclosure for your firm that would pass an investor’s “Greenwashing” test.

Course 8: M&A Mastery: From Valuation to Integration

Most deals fail during integration. Learn the “Full Lifecycle” approach to M&A.

Key Modules:
- Module 1: Advanced Valuation: Beyond DCF (Multiples, LBO, and Real Options).
- Module 2: Due Diligence 2.0: Spotting “hidden” liabilities in tech and culture.
- Module 3: Post-Merger Integration (PMI): Capturing synergies in the first 100 days.
- Practicals: Include the Mock Negotiation: Two teams battle over a deal’s purchase price and earn-out structures.

Course 9: Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) 2.0

The Strategic CFO’s Playbook,shifting the perspective of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) from a “compliance-heavy checklist” to a strategic value-driver.
ERM 2.0 focuses on resilience, data-driven decision-making, and risk-adjusted capital allocation.

Key Modules:

Module 1: The Evolution – From Defensive to Offensive ERM
Module 2: Risk Appetite & Strategic Capital Allocation
Module 3:Quantifying the “Unquantifiable” (Data & AI)
Module 4: Navigating the New Frontier – ESG, Cyber, & AI Risk
Module 5:Risk Culture & Behavioral Economics
Module 6: Crisis Leadership & The “War Room “
Practicals: Include the 48-Hour Simulation – A condensed, high-pressure exercise where CFOs must navigate a multi-layered financial and reputational crisis.

Level 3: The Visionary CFO (Expert/C-Suite)

Enterprise-wide leadership, investor relations,crisis management,boardroom governance, and future-proofing.

Course 10: The Chief Value Officer: Leading in Volatility.

Key Modules:
- Module 1: Advanced Investor Relations and Equity Storytelling.
- Module 2: Scenario planning for macroeconomic shocks.
- Module 3: Ethics, Culture, and Governance at the Top.
Practicals: Include a “Crisis War Room” hybrid session involving a simulated hostile takeover or a massive liquidity crunch.

Course 11: The Digital CFO: AI Strategy & Governance

Don’t just buy AI—lead it. Learn to design the architecture of an “Autonomous Finance” function.

Key Modules:
- Module 1: GenAI in Finance: Practical use cases for forecasting and reporting.
- Module 2: Data Ethics & Security: Managing the risks of “hallucinating” data.
- Module 3: The Talent Shift: How to reskill your team for a machine-led future.
- Practicals: The Vendor Bake-off: Evaluate three real-world AI vendors and build a 3-year “Finance Tech Roadmap.”

Course 12: Boardroom Influence & Stakeholder Management

Your value is determined by how the Board perceives you. Master the art of high-stakes communication.

Key Modules:
- Module 1: Boardroom Dynamics: Understanding the Audit and Compensation Committees.
- Module 2: The Activist Investor: How to defend your company from a hostile takeover.
- Module 3: Executive Presence: Mastering the Q&A under pressure.
- Practicals: Include The Board Simulation: Present a controversial dividend policy change to a panel of “difficult” former Board Directors.

Course 13: Crisis Leadership & Liquidity Management

This course is designed for the “Wartime CFO”—the leader who must transition from growth-oriented strategy to survival-and-recovery tactics. It balances the technical rigor of liquidity management with the psychological demands of high-stakes leadership.

Key Modules:
- Module 1: The Wartime CFO Mindset & Crisis Frameworks
- Module 2: Crisis Leadership & Decision Architecture
- Module 3: Advanced Liquidity Forecasting (The 13-Week Model)
- Module 4: Working Capital Optimisation & Cost Containment
- Module 5: Capital Structure & External Financing in Distress
- Module 6: Stakeholder Communication & Governance
- Module 7: Liquidity Triage & Radical Cash Visibility
- Module 8: Recovery, Post-Mortem, and Resilience
- Practicals: Include the “Knife-to-the-Bone” Workshop. Participants are given a distressed Statement of Financial Position and must find 15% cash savings in 20 minutes.

*Further details and breakdown of the various course modules,would be made available to registered participants.

Virtual & Hybrid Delivery Strategy

We use a Multifarious Delivery Model:

Feature	Virtual Execution	Physical/Hybrid Element
Interactive Labs	Use of digital whiteboards (Miro/Mural) for real-time financial modeling.	Collaborative “War Rooms” with physical dashboards.
Peer Coaching	Breakout rooms for “Mastermind” groups of 4–5 people.	Networking dinners or “Fireside Chats” with veteran CFOs.
Micro-Learning	15-minute “Finance Sprints” delivered via app between sessions.	Intensive 2-day on-site “Bootcamps.”

Physical Learning Center

G-Pinnacle Signature Hotel

15 Pipeline Road, Ilorin, Kwara State,Nigeria.

The “CFO Competency Map”

The acdemy addresses the four distinct personas a modern CFO must adopt.

Steward: Protecting the assets and managing risk (Compliance/Control).
Operator: Running an efficient finance organization (Efficiency/Technology).
Strategist: Shaping the future direction of the company (Growth/Value).
Catalyst: Driving execution and a “performance culture” (Change Management).

12-Month Training Calendar (2026)

This calendar is designed for high-value engagement, typically featuring 3-day intensive virtual or physical bootcamps or hybrid models (2 days virtual, 1 day in-person).

Month	Course Title	Target Level	Dates	Tuition Fee (USD)
Feb	Financial Storytelling & Visualisation	Novice	Feb 16–18	$250
	The Digital CFO: AI & Automation Strategy	Expert	Feb 23–25	$750
Mar	Strategic FP&A: Scenario War Games	Intermediate	Mar 23–25	$440
Apr	Boardroom Influence & Stakeholder Management	Expert	Apr 13–15	$830
May	ESG Reporting & Sustainable Finance	Intermediate	May 18–20	$480
Jun	RPA & Automation	Novice	Jun 22–24	$270
Jul	M&A: Valuation & Negotiations	Intermediate	Jul 13–15	$520
Aug	Capital Structure & Global Treasury	Expert	Aug 17–19	$720
Sep	Essentials of Business Partnering	Novice	Sep 14–16	$250
Oct	Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) 1.0	Novice	Oct 13–15	$270
	Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) 2.0	Intermediate	Oct 19–21	$440
Nov	Crisis Leadership & Liquidity Management	Expert	Nov 09–11	$805
Dec	2027 Strategic Planning & Tax Strategy	All Levels	Dec 07–09	$415

Note on Fees: Fees include all digital materials, access to the LMS for 12 months, and a Certificate of Executive Excellence upon completion of each module.

CFO Academy