Finance Lessons for Future Leaders - Think Like a CFO
A preview of the in-depth workshop at the Fall Summit.
Finance isn’t just about numbers, it’s about influence, trust, and leadership. For emerging leaders, understanding finance is a career accelerator. It helps you build credibility, make smarter decisions, and connect strategy with results.
In this engaging and practical session, you’ll uncover the essential truths about accounting and finance that every leader should know. You’ll also learn why the most successful leaders have a finance sponsor, why CFOs so often become CEOs, and why understanding finance gives you insight into how your next boss thinks.
This webinar is a preview of the in-depth workshop at the ISA Fall Conference, designed to help non-finance leaders turn financial insights into leadership impact.
By the end of this session, you’ll walk away with:
- Why finance is a trust-building profession – and why stakeholder confidence is everything.
- How finance roles and departments connect – and why understanding them improves collaboration.
- The art and science of budgets and forecasts – how to see beyond the numbers to the story they tell.
- What finance teaches us about technology change – why system updates hit finance hardest, and what leaders can learn.
- Why poor controls hold organizations back – and how discipline in operations creates space for modern finance teams.
- The leadership connection – why having a finance sponsor accelerates careers, why CFOs so often become CEOs, and how financial fluency helps you understand the mindset of your future boss.
Speakers
Mark Gilham, FCCA, MBA, CPP - Vice President & Head of Global Advisory, Enable
Mark Gilham is a Fellow Chartered Certified Accountant (FCCA) and Certified Pricing Professional (CPP) with a proven track record in commercial strategy, pricing, and financial leadership. As Vice President & Head of Advisory at Enable, he guides in optimizing commercial agreements, minimizing financial risk, and developing strategic resilience in volatile markets.
A CFO with experience spanning banking, wealth management, building materials distribution, and outsourced fulfilment, Mark also serves as a non-executive director and firmly believes that today’s finance leaders must look beyond historical reporting to shape a proactive future. In his view, “good accountants influence the future while recognizing the importance of the past”, a balanced mindset that defines the modern, value-adding finance function.
Mark’s thought leadership has been featured in Harvard Business Review and other global industry forums. He has authored papers on both the technical and commercial aspects of finance, bridging the gap between accounting best practice and real-world commercial impact.
A sought-after speaker, Mark has presented at prestigious events, including the World Finance Forum, Industrial Supply Association, Procurement & Supply Chain Live, Distribution Strategy Group and Professional Pricing Society. Whether discussing commercial strategy, process optimization, or broader financial best practice, he provides tangible, experience-driven insights that help organizations navigate and succeed in various market environments.
For More Information:
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