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Academy

The A4S Academy is an 18 month online learning and implementation programme for senior finance leaders to embed sustainability. The programme empowers and equips finance teams with the skills needed for their businesses to succeed in the face of environmental and social risks and opportunities.

Making a direct, practical impact on the organization is built into the course. Following a series of seminars, participants develop and deliver a personal implementation plan to drive change within their organizations.

key information

  • Applications open: 14 December 2023
  • Application deadline: 29 March 2024
  • Start date: June 2024
  • Duration: 18-month programme, with 5 months of live, interactive seminars and 12 months of implementation
  • Format: online seminars, followed by practical implementation within own organization
  • Hours: 21-46 hours of contact time, and 2-4 hours of pre-work per seminar*
  • Language: English
  • Participants: senior finance professionals (more details on eligibility can be found below)
  • Geography: global

*estimates do not include time spent on Implementation Plans

Apply Now

If you are interested in joining next year’s programme, click on the button below to fill out an application form. Application deadline: 29 March 2024.

Contact us: academy@a4s.org


Download our Academy brochure

Download our Academy brochure to see the course outline, Syllabus and eligibility criteria.

Thank you for downloading our brochure.

Yearbook (2023)

Download the Yearbook to read the stories and key achievements of the 2023 graduates. These stories illustrate what is possible by rethinking the role of finance.

Watch our information call

Hear from Jancy Castro, Workday and Aadam Nabi, Burberry on how participation in the A4S Academy supported them in their roles.


THE BENEFITS FOR YOU

Equipping you with technical know how

88% of participants said they have gained the technical knowledge and skills to lead on change.

Empowering you with leadership and influencing skills

93% of participants have felt empowered to drive change as a result of the A4S Academy.

Connecting you to resources and a peer network

96% of participants would recommend the A4S Academy to a peer or colleague.

To convene on a regular basis, with like-minded practitioners, in an environment where we are sharing and learning from leaders, in an open forum like A4S, has been a highlight for me. I take with me many learnings, technical and soft skills, that I will continue to leverage in my role to further drive impact.” – Elizabeth Kwong, Vice President, Treasurer, Autodesk

 

THE BENEFITS FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION   

Creating positive change within your organization 

Participants are supported to develop and deliver a 12-month implementation plan that will help integrate sustainability into strategy, processes and decision making.  

Building a finance team that is fit for the future

The role of the finance professional is changing – organizations need to address capability gaps and equip their finance teams with the skills and competencies required to build a sustainable, resilient future.

Enabling your organization to deal with social and environmental risks and opportunities

Participants will learn from industry experts and global leaders, and have access to the latest tools and resources needed to succeed.

Involvement in the A4S Academy is having a positive, tangible impact to how we are running our business.” - Stanley Polomski, Senior Vice President and Controller, Campbell Soup Company 

WHY CFOS SHOULD SEND THEIR TEAMS

In a recent survey of finance leaders (A4S Finance Leaders’ Sustainability Barometer), it was found that there is a gap between sustainability ambitions and the work needed to make them a reality. Less than half of those surveyed believed their finance team had the skills and competencies required to remedy this gap. 

There’s no better place than the A4S Academy to build a coalition of the willing… through the A4S Academy you can turn the problems that face you today into fantastic opportunities

Javier Echave, Chief Financial Officer, Heathrow Airport Holdings

Summary for CFOs

Download our two page information sheet for CFOs considering sending their team.

Hear why CFOs send their teams to the Academy

Further Information

ELIGIBILITY

Participants must be senior finance professionals. For example:

  • Divisional CFO or functional head for FTSE100, S&P 500 or equivalent 
  • Reporting directly to the CFO for smaller organizations
  • Participants must have the capacity and aspiration to lead and/or influence change within the finance function.
  • Participants must be endorsed by their Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Typical participants include: Divisional CFOs, Controllers, Treasurers, Head of Investor Relations, Head of Internal Audit, Financial, Planning & Analysis Leaders, Head of Financial Reporting.

Knowledge of sustainability issues will be useful but is not essential.

FEES

The standard fee for the 18 month programme is £4,500 per participant.

A 20% discount is available for organizations sending more than five participants  – why not use this as an opportunity to send your whole Finance Leadership Team?

CONTENT COVERED

Participants have access to a variety of knowledge-based materials, experienced practitioners and skills development sessions to support them in embedding sustainability.

Content covered on the programme includes:

  • Strategic planning
  • Budgeting
  • Management information
  • Capex
  • Natural, social and human capital accounting
  • Debt finance 
  • Reporting and investor engagement
  • TCFD and transition plans
  • Scope 3 emissions accounting for financial institutions

For more information on the course content and structure, download our brochure.

WHAT PREVIOUS PARTICIPANTS HAVE SAID

  • 89% of participants reported that their participation made an impact on sustainability integration in their organization within a year
  • 88% of participants said they gained the technical knowledge and skills to lead on change
  • 93% of participants have felt empowered to drive change as a result of the Academy
  • 96% of participants would recommend the A4S Academy to a peer or colleague

 

A4S Academy participants are being viewed as the thought leaders in the organization.”

Gregory Giardiello, Deputy Finance Chief Operating Officer, QBE

Participating in the A4S Academy has given me valuable insights and useful tools to help me reach our sustainability objectives. I would recommend the A4S Academy to all finance professionals who seriously want to make their organizations more sustainable.”

Fred Nieuwland, Chief Investment Officer, Mars, Inc.

WHY WE SET UP THE A4S ACADEMY

Businesses are at a critical juncture. Over the next few decades, the success and failure of organizations will be determined by how they respond to environmental and social risks. There are also huge opportunities to be made from the innovation, efficiencies and new markets which sustainable business models create.

To achieve a sustainable economy, businesses need to be able to deliver financial returns in the short and long term, while generating positive value for society and operating within environmental constraints.

Finance has a vital role to play. To ensure finance professionals excel in the new economy, their skills and competencies need updating. How will they price externalities, how will they navigate the changing business landscape and how can they deliver on ‘purpose’?

There is a lot to explore. However, with our global network, we can show you what today’s leading companies are doing and provide up-to-date tools and frameworks for putting it all into practice. 

There’s never been a better time to join the A4S Academy.

A4S ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS

The A4S Academy awards are given to participants who have shown outstanding commitment and resilience, innovation and inspiration, and become true champions of sustainability in finance, delivering real change in their organizations.

Read the award winners’ stories >

INTERACTIVE WEBINARS

As part of the Academy, you will participate in a series of live ‘Sustainability in Action’ webinars delivered by A4S. These interactive webinars supplement your learning and cover specific content focusing on how organizations can embed sustainability considerations into finance processes. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with others including expert speakers, to gain practical insights into implementing changes and overcoming challenges.

Discover upcoming webinars > 
Watch previous events on demand >

 

CPD/CPE

The Association of Corporate Treasurers

The A4S Academy programme is accredited by the Association of Corporate Treasurers.

A4S Academy participants who are also ACT members can claim CPD points through participating in the A4S Academy programme. 

If you require evidence of your CPD hours to demonstrate your compliance with ACT CPD requirements, please let us know.

The Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT) is the only professional treasury body with a Royal Charter. We set the global benchmark for treasury excellence and lead the profession through our internationally recognised qualifications, by defining standards and by championing continuing professional development. In alignment with our vision, we are delighted to accredit the A4S Academy with its goal of embedding sustainability within organisations by training senior finance professionals. The ACT, which is also part of the Green Education Finance Charter, fully supports A4S in this endeavour and recognises the importance of sharing this programme with our treasurers. We look forward to working closely with the A4S Academy going forward as we all focus on delivering the changes that are needed for a more sustainable future.” – Janet Legge, Chief Executive Officer, The Association of Corporate Treasurers 

For more information, see here.

 

Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)

ICAEW doesn’t accredit courses. However, ICAEW has agreed that ICAEW members can claim verifiable CPD hours through participating in the A4S Academy programme. 

ICAEW members need to undertake a minimum number of CPD hours that are both verifiable and relevant to their role. Visit the ICAEW website to learn more about CPD requirements.

Participating in the A4S Academy will continue to count towards your CPD requirements. If you need evidence of your CPD hours and the Academy’s relevance to your role, email us at academy@a4s.org

 

National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)

A4S is a registered provider for continuing professional education (CPE) with NASBA.  Please note that within the A4S Academy programming, we only provide CPE certificates for the Sustainability in Action webinars. We are not able to provide certificates for other A4S Academy sessions at this time. CPE requirements differ by state within the U.S. and all A4S Academy sessions may be eligible for CPE in certain states. Please check your state’s requirements and email academy@a4s.org  if you have any questions.

 

Participating organizations

Over 500 participants from 200+ organizations have already taken part in the A4S Academy, including:

ABN AMRO

Absa Group

Allianz Global Investors

Amazon

Ampol

Anglian Water

Autodesk

Bank of America

BBC

British Land

BTG Pactual

Burberry

Campbell Soup

Capita

Caterpillar

Centrica

CHANEL

Cisco

City of Cape Town

Coca Cola Amatil

Couche Tard

Deutsche Post DHL

Diageo

Direct Line Group

Domino’s Pizza

Equinix

Fonterra

Gap

Greggs

GSK

Heathrow Airport Holdings

HM Treasury

Ingredion

Intel

Japfa

John Lewis Partnership

Levis Strauss & Co

Mars

MassMutual

Metro Pacific Investments

Moody’s

National Grid

NatWest Group

NFU Mutual

Olam Food Ingredients (OFI)

OMERS

Procter & Gamble

QBE

Ramsay Health Care

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)

Royal London

S&P Global

Sainsbury’s

Salesforce

SAP

Schneider Electric

Securian Financial

Sky TV

Stora Enso

Suzano

Tate and Lyle

TELUS

Temasek International

The Co-operators Group

THE HERSHEY COMPANY

Unilever

United Overseas Bank

Verizon

Zurich Insurance Group

Accounting for Sustainability is a Charitable Incorporated Organization, registered charity number 1195467. Accounting for Sustainability is part of the King Charles III Charitable Fund Group of Charities.
Registered Office: 9 Appold Street, 8th Floor, London, EC2A 2AP