Financial Management (FM) magazine – Details, episodes & analysis

Paul Thambar, FCMA, CGMA, Ph.D., associate professor of accounting at Monash University in Australia, explains the obstacles CFOs face when transitioning to a business partner role and where organisations are setting ambiguous and conflicting expectations for finance leaders.

A recent AICPA & CIMA report on the role of the CFO was informed by Thambar’s research.

Thambar also discusses the challenges and opportunities for CFOs grappling with digitilisation and how aspiring CFOs can adopt a “progressive” approach to career development. Thambar also was a guest on a 2019 FM podcast episode.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

§  Why CFOs sometimes struggle to transition into a business partner role.

§  Some ways organisations are setting ambiguous and conflicting expectations.

§  How relationship building can help CFOs grow in their roles.

§  The importance of understanding digitilisation at “two levels”.

§  What it means to be a “progressive” CFO.

This episode features Oliver Rowe, the editor-in-chief of FM, detailing the contents of the August digital edition of the magazine.

Rowe highlights several articles, including the first column by CIMA President Simon Bittlestone, FCMA, CGMA. He also discusses articles on digital transformation, based on a previous FM podcast episode with author David Rogers; working with images in Excel; and dealing with meeting anxiety.

Rowe explains how members can access the most recent edition of the online magazine as well as the issue library.

Previous podcast episodes focusing on 2024 digital editions:

n  February

n  April

n  June

What you’ll learn from this episode:

·         Details on an article about digital transformation — and why many of the steps in such a transformation don’t include technology.

·         Highlights of an Excel article by Liam Bastick, FCMA, CGMA.

·         Advice on preparing for and overcoming anxiety about meetings.

·         Options for accessing current and past digital editions.

Author Alison Taylor, a clinical associate professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, explains the reasons business ethics has become a “confused topic” and why treating ethical problems as “tick-the-box PR” can make leaders look directionless.

Taylor’s book, Higher Ground: How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World, opens up a discourse on new ways to approach this complex landscape and highlights the importance of prioritising fundamental values, with the impact on human beings at the centre of decision-making.  

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• Why business ethics is a complex issue.
• The problems arising from conflating ethics and ideology and treating “CEOs as politicians”.
• How to cut through the noise by taking a people-centric approach.
• The reasons that leaders should avoid treating ethics and impact issues as public relations problems.
• The importance of understanding and focusing on your core values.

Nigel Franklyn, CPA, CGMA, a finance leader at Prudential, shares insight on “living our best life”, how small changes can make a difference in performance, and why lunch matters.

Employees thrive when managers show they care. In this episode, learn the value of engaged management and how managers can improve employees’ health as well as their work performance.

Hear how Mike Driver, FCMA, CGMA, the UK government’s finance head and Ministry of Justice CFO, aims to put finance at the heart of decision-making.

It’s not only in spelling that English differences emerge. Listen to UK and US language aficionados discuss some of the peculiarities.

Succession planning can strengthen organisations for the future, but focusing on the C-suite is a mistake, according to Shaara Roman, a consultant with wide-ranging global experience.

The CEO of a vineyard and winery speaks on getting up early, why she never watches TV in hotel rooms, and how tech is advancing winemaking.

To recruit and retain leadership talent that creates value, you need to know who your best people are. That’s not necessarily obvious, because your most valuable employees might not be the ones who get paid the most.