Cambridge
Academy
In London

Introduction

Modern financial controllers are expected to deliver fast, accurate closes, trusted reporting, strong governance, and decision-ready insights—while strengthening controls, compliance, and stakeholder confidence. This advanced program equips controllers with practical methods to optimize the financial close, improve reporting quality, and build controllership governance that reduces risk and improves performance.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

·        Strengthen the controllership operating model, governance, and accountability

·        Accelerate and improve the quality of period-end close and financial reporting

·        Enhance internal controls over financial reporting, reconciliations, and evidence management

·        Improve management reporting, variance analysis, and executive decision support

·        Establish KPIs, dashboards, and routines to manage controllership performance

·        Build a practical roadmap for close excellence and reporting transformation

 Target Audience

This course is designed for:

·        Financial Controllers, Assistant Controllers, and Finance Managers

·        Record-to-report (R2R) and shared services leaders

·        Financial reporting, consolidation, and GL managers

·        Internal control, compliance, and internal audit professionals supporting finance

·        Finance transformation and ERP/finance systems leads

Course Outlines

Day 1: Controllership Strategy, Operating Model & Governance

·        The evolving role of controllership: assurance, performance, and decision enablement

·        Controllership operating model: roles, responsibilities, and RACI across R2R

·        Governance: policies, delegations, approvals, and escalation paths

·        Close and reporting calendar: milestones, dependencies, and critical controls

·        Activity: Controllership maturity assessment + close pain-point and risk mapping

Day 2: Close Excellence: Process Design & Acceleration

·        Designing a fast close: standardization, automation, and clear ownership

·        Close checklist discipline: tasks, cut-offs, dependencies, and sign-offs

·        Journal entry governance: approval rules, supporting evidence, and analytics checks

·        Reconciliations best practices: frequency, thresholds, exceptions, and documentation

·        Workshop: Build a “close blueprint” (calendar + checklist + RACI + control points) 

Day 3: Reporting Quality, Consolidation & Financial Statement Integrity

·        Financial reporting quality: completeness, accuracy, consistency, and comparability

·        Consolidation fundamentals: eliminations, intercompany, and currency translation (overview)

·        Disclosure discipline: supporting schedules, tie-outs, and review workflows

·        Materiality and error management: detection, correction, and governance

·        Practical activity: Reporting quality review simulation (tie-out checks + issue log)

Day 4: Internal Controls, Compliance & Audit Readiness

·        Controls over financial reporting: preventive/detective controls and key control focus

·        Evidence management: audit trails, documentation standards, and retention practices

·        Walkthroughs and testing: control design vs. operating effectiveness

·        Remediation: root cause analysis, CAPA planning, and validation testing

·        Case study: Audit finding resolution plan (actions, owners, timelines, and re-test approach)

Day 5: Management Reporting, Variance Analysis & Performance Governance

·        Management reporting packs: decision-focused structure and commentary standards

·        Variance analysis: plan vs. actual, trend, mix, volume, and one-off normalization

·        Controllership KPIs: close cycle time, recon completion, error rates, audit issues, productivity

·        Operating rhythm: weekly/monthly finance reviews and governance cadence

·        Final group project: Close excellence and controllership governance playbook (operating model + clos

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