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 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: December 2023
- Start date: June 2024
- Duration: 18-month programme, with 5 months of live, interactive seminars and 12 months of implementation planning
- Format: online seminars, followed by practical implementation within own organization
- Hours: 21-37 hours of contact time, and 20-30 hours of pre-work*
- 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.
THE BENEFITS
Equipping you with technical know how
93% of participants said they have gained the technical knowledge and skills to lead on change.
Empowering you with leadership and influencing skills
98% of participants have felt empowered to drive change as a result of the A4S Academy.
Connecting you to resources and a peer network
“The A4S Academy provided us a great forum to exchange thoughts with other professionals from various organizations working on climate and sustainability.”
Supriya Sobti, Head of Regulatory Assurance, NatWest Group
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.
Download our Academy brochure to see the course outline, Syllabus and eligibility criteria.
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 for supporting ESG efforts.
The A4S Academy aims to close this skills and knowledge gap, and helps organizations work towards their sustainability ambitions.
“The access and insights on offer from the A4S Academy are essential for any finance professionals looking at how to embed sustainability. It’s through initiatives like this that the profession will maintain relevance and shape the future.” Mark Kaye, Chief Financial Officer, Moody’s |
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, and interest in, 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.
A small number of subsidized places are available for participants from emerging/developing markets and the public sector. If you are interested in joining the programme and want to find out more about the subsidized places and eligibility criteria, please click here. Alternatively, please email academy@a4s.org.
TOPICS COVERED
Topics covered
Participants have access to a variety of knowledge-based materials, experienced practitioners and skills development sessions to support them in embedding sustainability.
Topics covered on the course include:
- Strategic planning
- Budgeting
- Management information
- Capex
- Natural, social and human capital accounting
- Debt finance and investor engagement
- Reporting
- TCFD
For more information on the course syllabus, download our brochure or take a look at the What to expect overview.
WHAT PREVIOUS PARTICIPANTS HAVE SAID
- 93% of participants said they have gained the technical knowledge and skills to lead on change.
- 98% of participants have felt empowered to drive change as a result of the A4S Academy.
- 98% of participants would recommend the A4S Academy to a peer.
- 90% of participants reported that their participation has already made an impact on ESG integration in their organization.
“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 offer 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 particular commitment and resilience, they have innovated and inspired, and became true champions of sustainability in finance.
Read the award winners’ stories here.
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 topics focusing on how organizations can embed sustainability considerations into finance processes. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with expert speakers and peers with practical insights into how others are 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.
Please note that the ICAEW’s CPD requirements will be changing from November 2023. Under the new regulations, ICAEW members will 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 the changes to CPD.
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
412 participants from 178 organizations have already taken part in the A4S Academy, including:
ABN AMRO
Allianz Global Investors
Ampol
Amundi Ireland
Anglian Water
Asahi UK
Asda
Autodesk
Bank of America
BBC
British Land
BTG Pactual
Burberry
Busy Bees
Campbell Soup
Capita
Centrica
CHANEL
Cisco
City of Vancouver
Coca Cola Amatil
Couche Tard
Deutsche Post DHL
Diageo
Direct Line Group
Equinix
EY
Fonterra
Gap
Greggs
GSK
Heathrow Airport Holdings
IHG Hotels & Resorts
Intel
International Paper Company
Japfa
John Lewis Partnership
Landsec
Levis Strauss & Co
Mars
MassMutual
Metro Pacific Investments
Moody's
National Grid
NatWest Group
NFU Mutual
Olam Food Ingredients (OFI)
OMERS
Pennon Group
Procter & Gamble
QBE
Ramsay Health Care
Royal Ahold Delhaize N.V.
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)
Royal London
S&P Global
Sainsbury's
Salesforce
SAP
Schneider Electric
Securian Financial
Sky TV
Stora Enso
Storebrand
Suzano
TELUS
Temasek International
Tesco
The Co-operators Group
The Crown Estate
THE HERSHEY COMPANY
Unilever
United Utilities Group
Verizon
Zurich Insurance Group
