F-TEN® is a six-month programme, which is designed to develop finance talent to become future leaders who contribute to an organisation’s boardroom. Through workshops, peer learning, personal 360-assessments, one-on-one coaching or mentoring and talks with external executives, participants will learn the essential skills, capabilities and behaviours required to be a successful CFO with boardroom impact. The programme structure allows participants the time and space to focus, reflect, and practise while performing their daily duties.
ICAEW’s F-TEN® programme gives delegates the unique opportunity to receive professional coaching or to be mentored by an experienced board-level leader from a large listed or private company. Our coaches and mentors have been selected for their extensive business experience, leadership capability and commitment to people development.
This programme will give you 56 CPD hours in total.
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Key details
- Duration: Six months
- Location:London and online
- Start date: April 2025
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Participant profile
Participants typically hold Finance Director, Group Financial Controller, Director of Finance or Head of Finance roles or are new CFO’s less than 18 months in the role.
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360 assessment
Participants will complete an online 360 assessment that captures their peers' and managers' feedback on their strengths, weaknesses, and personal brand and compares the results against their self-assessment.
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Practical workshops
F-TEN workshops simulate the core challenges CFOs face – enabling participants to prepare and practise in a consequence free environment.
There are four workshops:
- Driving better business decisions
- How to be an influential leader
- How to lead a finance function
- Innovate, transform, and grow your business
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Peer learning groups
Throughout the programme, participants will share their challenges with their peers in a confidential, supportive environment. Peers provide participants with insightful, objective viewpoints that will allow them to tackle the problem from a different perspective.
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External input from C-suite experts
Throughout the programme participants will learn from CFOs/ CEOs/ COOs across various industries. Our C-suite experts will share their experiences and examples of how they have overcome some of the challenges participants will face in their career.
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Personal one to one guidance from a professional coach or mentor
Throughout the programme you will have six 90-minute sessions, booked around your schedule with an experienced coach or mentor.
These professionals are there to impart their invaluable wisdom and help you navigate current and future work challenges.
You will choose who you partner with, with the guidance of the ICAEW programme manager.
Mentors
Below are just a small sample of the high-calibre mentors available. Participants choose the mentor they partner with on their F-TEN® journey.
Elona is the Chief Executive Officer of IRIS Software Group and is responsible for all operations across the Group. She has held several senior leadership roles in Big 4 and PE-backed businesses, including Mavenir, Acision, Arthur Andersen and Deloitte. Elona has also won numerous business leadership awards, including UK Tech Award’s Business Woman of the Year 2020.
John is Group CFO of the digital insurer, Hastings Group Holdings. Prior to this, he has been CFO of three other insurers and a bank. Two of these are FTSE 250, one has a UK debt listing, one was SEC listed and one privately owned. Prior to his CFO career, John was Group Financial Controller at Barclays plc and worked at other roles at Barclays and as a Partner at Ernst & Young LLP.
Michalis Imellos was the Chief Financial Officer at Coca-Cola HBC AG and Group Chief Financial Officer for Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Co. SA and Member-Management Board at Coca Cola HBC-Srbija AD (both are subsidiaries of Coca-Cola HBC AG). He is now a Non-Executive Director for the Coca-Cola HBC Finance BV .
Paul is the Chief Executive Officer of McDonald's UK & Ireland. During his 25 year tenure with the Fast food giant, he has excelled in various finance roles, including CFO. Paul has extensive experience in leading transformation projects and was shortlisted for HR Director's CEO of the Year in 2016 for his passion and commitment to people and talent development.
Benefits for participants
- Become a well-rounded, authentic and inspiring leader, with a deep understanding of your unique style
- Gain a network of like-minded individuals who are facing or have faced the challenges your experiencing
- Learn how to motivate and inspire a large finance team
- Increase your impact, influence and understanding of boardroom dynamics
- Realise your career ambitions with support from a current CFO
Benefits for organisations
- Reposition finance at the forefront of organisational decision making
- Implement succession plans and promote future business leaders
- Attract, retain, and develop finance talent
- Drive operational efficiency by bringing new ideas back into the business
- Develop finance leaders who can motivate, inspire and empower large teams
Interview with an F-TEN® mentor and mentee
Corporate Financier spoke to mentee Brad Petzer, recently appointed finance director of Monetize.com and his F-TEN 2013 mentor Ben Stevens, finance director at FTSE 100 group British American Tobacco plc.
Interview with an F-TEN® participant and sponsor
Read Richard McCord’s, Head of Finance at Centrica Energy Renewables account on why he enrolled on F-TEN® and why Tim Hinton, Finance Director at Centrica Power Generation, sponsored Richard to go on the programme.
McDonald’s UK & Ireland CFO: ICAEW F-TEN programme 'played an important part in my leadership journey'
Finance leaders face a myriad of challenges in 2022 but with the ICAEW’s F-TEN global leadership programme, new and aspiring CFOs can develop their skills to overcome them.
F-TEN leadership programme: enhancing skills with practical support
“Thanks to this programme, I’m not just a different CFO – I think I’m a slightly different person,” says Newable’s newly appointed CFO Rob Thompson.
Testimonials
F-TEN provided a solid foundation to take into next stage of my development. The mix of workshops, peer sessions and coaching was a good blend overall.
The actors were spot on having the perfect balance of awkward but real. I have attended some workshops were the role play is so false that it doesn't feel genuine. They created just the right balance of awkwardness too feel challenge with changing responses to allow the GROW tool to be used.
