Finance for Directors

Giving board members the confidence for great governance

Since the financial crisis, the pressure on company directors has increased significantly. There has been a shift of responsibility for corporate functioning and survival – that is, value creation and preservation – from the C-suite to the boardroom.

Understanding the complex role played by finance in creating and preserving value is perhaps the biggest challenge of all. Many directors lack the technical background to counter seductive arguments for financial engineering or to dispel common misconceptions about leverage. But now, INSEAD’s specialist Finance for Directors programme offers board members the expertise they have been looking for in order to make independent, courageous and even unpopular decisions.

Key benefits

• Gain the knowledge and practical tools to understand the role of finance in the value-creating process
• Improve your valuation skills by applying rigorous techniques
• Enhance your ability to analyse proposals from senior management – and make the difficult decisions
• Understand the technical aspects of financial management in order to challenge recommendations from external parties

A view from INSEAD on:

• Governance and Top Management

During three intensive days on campus, you will first gain the language, frameworks and tools of firm valuation. Next, you will apply a value-creation focus to the main financial policies of the firm. Finally, you will apply INSEAD’s unique concept of ‘Blue Ocean Finance’ to bridge the all-too-common gap between finance and strategy.

Throughout, the approach is both rigorous and applied. Theory is explained through real-life case studies that also allow you opportunities to test your new skills in a risk-free environment. In addition to learning from INSEAD’s world-class finance faculty, you will gain insights from fellow-directors from all over the world who face similar challenges to your own.

Each day covers a different topic, taking you from the basics of company valuation right up to the point where finance intersects with strategy and organisational structure.

• From valuation to value creation
• Capital structure and payout policy
• ‘Blue Ocean Finance’

Finance for Directors is designed primarily for company directors (executive and nonexecutive) and those preparing to become board members. It is also particularly relevant for members of business families, controlling shareholders and owner-entrepreneurs. Directors of government agencies and nonprofit organisations will also benefit greatly from the programme. Finally, it may be relevant to C-suite executives, senior professionals from the institutional community and senior partners of professional firms who interact significantly with boards.

At INSEAD you will be in a classroom with peers, drawn from all over the world, who are facing similar issues and challenges to yours. You will learn from the fusion of world-class faculty, thought leadership and global diversity that delivers a unique learning experience and transforms the thinking of business executives from all over the world.

Dates & Fees

Dates to be confirmed. Please contact our programme advisor.

Please click here for more information about the terms and conditions.

For full details on how to apply, accommodation, and cancellation conditions please visit the Practical Information page.

* Fee subject to change. For programmes delivered in France, VAT (19.6%) to be added for companies based in France, or for European companies where no VAT number is supplied. For programmes delivered in Singapore, GST (7%) to be added for Singapore-registered