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Henley Finance for Directors

At a glance

  • Identify the key areas of shareholder value creation in your organisation.
  • Develop insight into governing long-term competitive positioning while managing short-term stakeholder demands.
  • Critically assess board-level responsibilities in creating company value.
Subject area(s)
Board Directorship, Business Finance
Attendance
Short course
Fee
£3,950 (in-person, including residential costs) + VAT
Course length
Two days
Suitable for
Board members (Chair, Senior Independent Director, Non-executive Director, Chief Financial Officer, Company Secretary, Chief Executive Officer), senior leaders, and managers responsible for financial decision-making
Delivery
In-person

Start dates

1 Dec 2025

Delivery: In-person
Location: Greenlands campus,

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Looking for a date?

No problem. Get in touch with our team to be kept in the loop on future course dates.

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NOTE

All programmes are subject to limited availability. We recommend booking a minimum of 6 weeks before the programme start date, to guarantee sufficient time for your enrolment and on-boarding.

Overview

As a leader, you’re expected to understand and engage with financial information to drive effective decision-making in today’s organisations.

Whether you’re a current or future board member, a senior executive, or leading a team with financial accountability, this programme will deepen your confidence and capability in financial literacy.

You’ll develop the skills to interpret and apply advanced financial information, analysis, and trends to support strategic decisions and board-level judgement. With a focus on applied financial acumen, the programme explores how financial decisions can enhance shareholder value in both private and public companies.

As organisations evolve through growth, new markets, product innovation, or governance changes, the ability to adapt financial oversight becomes critical. This programme helps you evaluate historic, current, and projected financial data, ask the right questions, and assess investment options and forecasts with confidence.

Featuring real-world examples, the programme also provides an overview of the latest financial trends, best practices, appraisal tools, and developments shaping today’s financial landscape.

Key benefits

  • Gain confidence to understand and fully contribute to board discussions with a financial component.

  • Better interrogate and interpret financial datasets at board level and ask the relevant inquisitive questions with confidence.

The programme is delivered as a workshop on two consecutive days, with interaction encouraged within the group. Each session contains a core taught element, consisting of presentations and relevant materials. The programme includes group activity, where participants are expected to work together to answer questions based on real-life case studies.

*After the face-to face workshop all attendees will have opportunity for an one-to-one personal mentoring (either at Henley or via Teams - max 1 hour) as a follow up with the course tutor.

Programme Content:

The module is delivered in nine sessions:

Session

Content

Assessing corporate and public performance

Diagnosing where financial improvements can be made; how is the business financed; can shareholder value be improved by changing how the business is financed? Balancing financial risks and operating flexibility; should the financial structure change?

Cost of capital

Using stock market and ownership information in assessing cost of ​capital in private companies. Using social metrics to assess value contribution in public organisations.

Investment appraisal

How do we decide on the best way forward and key projects to create shareholder value? When might applying the standard rules result in poor decisions? Using real options and market indicators to value opportunity and flexibility of a venture or project.

Making and reviewing your forecasts

Forecasting the financial performance for a new, and/or growing, and/or transitioning business, and reviewing whether forecasts are realistic and achievable.

Interpreting financial community and stock market views

Understanding stock market measures such as PE, EPS, EV/EBITDA, dividend yield and total shareholder return. How does the financial community value companies, and how does this impact on what directors should do? Why are investors not rewarding the share price for what is being achieved? Why did share price go down after profits went up? What are investors expecting from directors?

Creating shareholder value

What is it and why is it important? The seven value drivers that create shareholder value.​

Setting corporate KPIs that link to creating shareholder value. Understanding and managing your cost of capital.

Corporate and organisation lifecycle

Matching appropriate business and financial strategy to governance and structure developments. How does the company need to change and adapt as it moves through the lifecycle? e.g., launch, growth, equity, listing, maturity, renewal. Is moving through the cycle a bad thing? How to ride, decline and evolve.

Financial transition events

The key issues in buying another company, or disposing of a subsidiary, and ensuring how it is done successfully.

Balancing financial and stakeholder needs

Profits and ESG; Dealing with Shareholder Activists.




Lead tutor:

Chris Ansell

Visiting Tutor

Programme Director:

Dr Nadeem Khan

Lecturer in Governance Policy and Leadership

Set in sweeping parkland on the banks of the River Thames, Henley Business School's Greenlands campus provides an inspiring and reflective environment for focused work and study.

Find out more about our facilities and how to find us

Why choose Henley?

4th in the UK
overall for executive education open programmes (Financial Times 2025)
(Financial Times Executive Education 2025)

For 80 years, Henley Business School has developed confident and resilient business leaders. Executive Education at Henley is:

  • Practical: we combine academic rigour with a strong practical focus, so you can immediately apply what you have learned back in your organisation.
  • Relevant: Henley faculty are experienced practitioners who can support you in exploring solutions to your organisation’s challenges.
  • Collaborative: Open programmes enable you to expand your network, gain new perspectives and share ideas with peers from a range of backgrounds and sectors.
  • Personal: deliberately small learning groups allow you to benefit from individual attention and a confidential environment. We encourage you to understand your unique strengths, leadership style, and areas for development.

Contact us

Open Programmes

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the programme, please contact our programme advisors.

Email: exec@henley.ac.uk
Telephone: 01491 418767

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