Overview
The Network of Finance Leaders programme consists of four key elements, which run concurrently over five months. This guarantees that participants will have the necessary time to learn, reflect, and apply their knowledge and skills with support from fellow participants, their mentor, sponsor, and our expert facilitators. The primary focus is to develop the ‘value-added’ skills crucial for securing an Finance Director role—all designed to deliver evidence of the participant's progress and adding value within their organisation.
NFL gives participants the unique opportunity to be mentored by an experienced finance leader from a large listed or private company. Our mentors have been selected for their extensive business experience, leadership capability and commitment to people development.
This programme will give you 46 CPD hours in total.
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Key details
- Duration: Six months
- Location: London and online
- Date: April 2025
- Please enquire for the 2025 cohort
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Participant profile
Participants are typically senior finance managers, finance business partners, or newly promoted Finance Directors (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 compare the results against their self-assessment.
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Practical workshops
NFL workshops simulate the core challenges Financial Directors face – enabling participants to prepare and practise in a consequence free environment.
There are four workshops:
- Developing a leadership mind-set
- Driving the performance of your finance
- Beyond finance - influencing the broader business
- Career transforming conversations
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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 an experienced finance professional
Throughout the programme participants will learn from CFOs and Financial Directors across various industries. Our accomplished 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 60-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.
Coaches and mentors
Below is just a small sample of the high-calibre coaches and mentors available on the NFL programme. Participants choose who they want to partner with on their NFL journey.
Oliver is an accredited business and personal coach (ACC) certified with the ICF. He has coached Finance Directors and aspiring finance leaders from a number of tech companies, including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, smaller start-ups, and Big 4 accountancy firms (Deloitte, PWC). Before coaching, Oliver was a Finance Director at Microsoft and led numerous international teams for FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies.
Helene is the former CFO of Capital One UK and EVO Payments. She brings three decades of senior experience in blue-chip multi-nationals such as PWC, Barclays and Visa, in Finance and commercial functions including corporate strategy and investments & partnerships. She also led strategic programmes, including the first-ever external acquisition by Visa Europe. Her credentials cover delivering business transformation to support organisation growth, building value-add finance teams, leading through change and investing in people’s growth and development. Helene is currently a NED on the Board of Financial Services firms and a Trustee. She is an accredited Executive coach and mentor.
Richard Draisey is a British born business executive with a background in finance, strategy and leadership. Richard started his career at Menzies LLP then joined the fast-paced world of Formula One with McLaren Racing to work his way up to Director of Finance and most recently transitioned to SeaBird Technologies as CEO. Richard has mentored and been mentored for the last 15 years and enjoys the mutual learning and growth that occurs in relationship.
Marie is currently a NED and Senior Advisor for various companies, from start-ups to big tech and banks. Previously, she was the former MD and CFO of NBC Universal UK. During her eight-year tenure, she delivered the digital transformation of a global business, successfully led culture change, and drove double-digit profit growth of a £0.5Bn business. Before joining NBC Universal, Marie worked for GE and McKinsey & Company.
Benefits for organisations
- Facilitate the mind-set change from tactical manager to strategic leader
- Develop finance leaders who can motivate, inspire and empower large teams
- 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
Benefits for participants
- Gain a network of like-minded individuals across a diverse range of industries
- Strengthen your communication skills to drive team performance and influence stakeholders
- Create the space to generate new ideas and to concentrate on commercial and strategic priorities
- Understand and develop your own strategic leadership style
- Realise your career ambitions with support from a current Financial Director
Interview with an NFL participant
Read Mark Cummings', Head of Regulatory Reporting at XL Insurance account on why he enrolled on NFL.
Interview with an NFL participant and their mentor
Read Andrew Haven's, Vice President - Equity Propriety Trading at Deutsche Bank account on why he enrolled on NFL and how his NFL Mentor Philip Gregory, Independent Non-Executive Director at Hansard Global helped him with his challenge.
Interview with an NFL participant
Read Aaron Beck's, Financial Controller at Seajacks UK Ltd account on how he has benefitted from NFL.
