When you can speak the language of finance, you have the power to build stronger strategies, expand your influence, and make better business decisions. Finance for Senior Executives delivers a foundation in corporate finance that is essential for leaders across every functional area. Exploring the flow of financial resources, capital markets, and systems for financial management and control, this executive finance program positions you to drive new levels of profitability for your organization.

Summary: When you can speak the language of finance, you have the power to build stronger strategies, expand your influence, and make better business decisions. Finance for Senior Executives delivers a foundation in corporate finance that is essential for leaders across every functional area. Exploring the flow of financial resources, capital markets, and systems for financial management and control, this executive finance program positions you to drive new levels of profitability for your organization.

Key Benefits

By examining corporate finance from both internal and external perspectives, this executive finance program provides a solid grounding in the fundamentals of finance. You will build the skills and confidence to immediately apply financial analysis techniques, set realistic performance goals and compensation incentives, and play a bigger role in helping your company optimize its financial resources and strengthen its bottom line.

DetailsExpand All Collapse All

Apply strategic financial insight Apply strategic financial insight

Make informed strategic decisions regarding capital structure
Utilize capital markets for the most profitable outcomes
Balance profit, growth, and control in dynamic environments
Implement restructuring strategies
Understand the implications of financial reports

Establish optimal systems for management and control Establish optimal systems for management and control

Develop successful and realistic performance plans, incentives, and financial controls at corporate and divisional levels
Recognize and address biases within financial systems and structures
Identify the best performance metrics
Forecast and monitor outcomes with greater confidence

Improve collaboration with senior-level peers Improve collaboration with senior-level peers

Become a more effective leader through greater financial acumen
Communicate effectively about finance with executives from all functional areas
Engage in more productive discussions with financial specialists in your organization and ask the right questions
Address the concerns of colleagues who are not financial specialists and present information in ways that support their decision-making

Expand your personal and professional network Expand your personal and professional network

Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions

Key Benefits

Details

Apply strategic financial insight

Make informed strategic decisions regarding capital structure
Utilize capital markets for the most profitable outcomes
Balance profit, growth, and control in dynamic environments
Implement restructuring strategies
Understand the implications of financial reports

Establish optimal systems for management and control

Develop successful and realistic performance plans, incentives, and financial controls at corporate and divisional levels
Recognize and address biases within financial systems and structures
Identify the best performance metrics
Forecast and monitor outcomes with greater confidence

Improve collaboration with senior-level peers

Become a more effective leader through greater financial acumen
Communicate effectively about finance with executives from all functional areas
Engage in more productive discussions with financial specialists in your organization and ask the right questions
Address the concerns of colleagues who are not financial specialists and present information in ways that support their decision-making

Expand your personal and professional network

Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions

Who Should Attend

Executives from a variety of functional areas, including operations, marketing, information technology, human resources, research and development, legal affairs, and financial administration
Financial executives seeking to update their core skills in a broad strategic context

Dive Deeper into the Experience

Inside the Classroom

See how exchange with faculty and peers yields new insights into critical business trends.

We Celebrate New Ways of Thinking. Are You Ready?

Thrive in a learning environment that welcomes diverse ideas and perspectives.

C. Fritz Foley - Finance for Senior Executives

What Every Executive Should Know About Finance

In an increasingly complex business environment, senior executives need basic knowledge of finance.

Who Should Attend: Executives from a variety of functional areas, including operations, marketing, information technology, human resources, research and development, legal affairs, and financial administration

Financial executives seeking to update their core skills in a broad strategic context

Dive Deeper into the Experience

Inside the Classroom

See how exchange with faculty and peers yields new insights into critical business trends.

Watch the Video Watch the Video

We Celebrate New Ways of Thinking. Are You Ready?

Thrive in a learning environment that welcomes diverse ideas and perspectives.

Watch the Video Watch the Video

What Every Executive Should Know About Finance

In an increasingly complex business environment, senior executives need basic knowledge of finance.

Read More

Learning and Living at HBS

When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.

Learning and Living at HBS: When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.

Admissions Criteria and Process

We admit candidates to specific sessions on a rolling, space-available basis, and encourage you to apply as early as possible. Although most programs have no formal educational requirements, admission is a selective process based on your professional achievement and organizational responsibilities.

Due to technical onboarding requirements, there is an application deadline of April 15, 2020 for the modular session.

Admissions Criteria and Process

Due to technical onboarding requirements, there is an application deadline of April 15, 2020 for the modular session.

Answering Your Questions

Our Program Advising team can help you at any stage of the admissions process—starting with identifying the program that best addresses your learning and development goals. Contact a program advisor via email or call 1.800.427.5577 (outside the U.S., call +1.617.495.6555).

Application Submission

We recommend that you apply at least four weeks before the program start date. You may use our online form or download an application. HBS maintains all application information in strict confidentiality. We acknowledge receipt of applications via email. In the unlikely event that you do not receive an acknowledgment, please email us at exed_admissions@hbs.edu or call us at +1.617.495.6226.

Application Review

To optimize the learning experience and maximize the exchange of ideas, our Admissions Committee makes selections that balance each participant's experience, scope of current responsibilities, and type of organization. HBS seeks candidates who reflect a broad range of industries, functions, countries, and backgrounds. We review applications monthly and will contact you via email with the Admissions Committee's decision.

Fee, Payment, and Cancellations

The program fee covers tuition, books, case materials, accommodations, and most meals. No payment is necessary until you have been accepted. Payment is required prior to the program start date. If you need to cancel or defer participation, you must submit your request in writing more than 30 days before the start of the program to receive a full refund. Cancellations or deferrals received 14 to 30 days prior to the start of the program are subject to a fee of one-half of the program fee. Requests received within 14 days are subject to full payment.

What You Will Learn

Your rich learning experience includes dynamic faculty presentations, case studies, interactive classroom sessions, and structured and informal group activities. If you attend the modular session, you will participate in two Live interactive classroom sessions and remote discussion groups prior to arriving on campus. Throughout the program, you will explore finance fundamentals essential for today's executives, as well as the managerial context in which strategic choices require investor support. Topics include:

What You Will Learn: Your rich learning experience includes dynamic faculty presentations, case studies, interactive classroom sessions, and structured and informal group activities. If you attend the modular session, you will participate in two Live interactive classroom sessions and remote discussion groups prior to arriving on campus. Throughout the program, you will explore finance fundamentals essential for today's executives, as well as the managerial context in which strategic choices require investor support. Topics include:

Key TopicsExpand All Collapse All

The role and tools of finance The role and tools of finance

Understanding the role of finance in supporting the functional areas of a firm
Employing basic analytical skills and the principles of corporate finance
Applying standard analysis techniques, including capital budgeting, cash flow, valuation, and risk analysis

Performance and compensation Performance and compensation

Establishing and monitoring executive compensation policies
Setting performance goals and incentives
Using diagnostic and interactive control systems to achieve objectives

Capital markets and financial institutions Capital markets and financial institutions

Working with capital markets and financial institutions
Examining best practices for maximizing available resources
Understanding the implications of recent market developments

Growth, profit, and investors Growth, profit, and investors

Analyzing the pursuit of margin and growth, and their respective returns
Understanding the decision-making processes of corporate managers, stockholders, creditors, unions, financial advisors, investors, and turnaround specialists
Managing corporate distributions—including cash, property, and stock dividends—within the context of redemptions and liquidations
Restructuring and strategically employing valuation and financial analysis
Mastering the theory and best practices related to profit planning, strategic profitability analysis, resource allocation, residual income techniques, and performance scorecards

Key Topics

The role and tools of finance

Understanding the role of finance in supporting the functional areas of a firm
Employing basic analytical skills and the principles of corporate finance
Applying standard analysis techniques, including capital budgeting, cash flow, valuation, and risk analysis

Performance and compensation

Establishing and monitoring executive compensation policies
Setting performance goals and incentives
Using diagnostic and interactive control systems to achieve objectives

Capital markets and financial institutions

Working with capital markets and financial institutions
Examining best practices for maximizing available resources
Understanding the implications of recent market developments

Growth, profit, and investors

Analyzing the pursuit of margin and growth, and their respective returns
Understanding the decision-making processes of corporate managers, stockholders, creditors, unions, financial advisors, investors, and turnaround specialists
Managing corporate distributions—including cash, property, and stock dividends—within the context of redemptions and liquidations
Restructuring and strategically employing valuation and financial analysis
Mastering the theory and best practices related to profit planning, strategic profitability analysis, resource allocation, residual income techniques, and performance scorecards

Modular Format

Online participants can connect from a computer anywhere in the world and engage with faculty members and peers just like they would in a Harvard Business School classroom. Faculty teach and walk learners through real decisions made by industry-leading companies and ask them to discuss and debate in real-time how they would approach a particular business challenge.

Modular format schedule:

Module 1: Two four-hour Live classroom sessions and remote discussion groups
Module 2: A three night on-campus experience and in-person discussion groups

Modular Format

Modular format schedule:

Module 1: Two four-hour Live classroom sessions and remote discussion groups
Module 2: A three night on-campus experience and in-person discussion groups

The HBS Advantage

Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they engage each day with the challenges confronting business leaders around the globe.

Faculty Cochairs

C. Fritz Foley

André R. Jakurski Professor of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Finance

Read Full Bio

W. Carl Kester

George Fisher Baker Jr. Professor of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Finance

Read Full Bio

Faculty

Marco Di Maggio

Ogunlesi Family Associate Professor of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Finance

Read Full Bio

E. Scott Mayfield

Senior Lecturer of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Finance

Read Full Bio

Emily R. McComb

Senior Lecturer of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Finance

Read Full Bio

Emil N. Siriwardane

Assistant Professor of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Finance

Read Full Bio

The HBS Advantage: Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they engage each day with the challenges confronting business leaders around the globe.

Faculty Cochairs

C. Fritz Foley

André R. Jakurski Professor of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Finance

Read Full Bio

W. Carl Kester

George Fisher Baker Jr. Professor of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Finance

Read Full Bio

Faculty

Marco Di Maggio

Ogunlesi Family Associate Professor of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Finance

Read Full Bio

E. Scott Mayfield

Senior Lecturer of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Finance

Read Full Bio

Emily R. McComb

Senior Lecturer of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Finance

Read Full Bio

Emil N. Siriwardane

Assistant Professor of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Finance

Read Full Bio

Your Peers Expand Your Learning

Global Perspective

Experience the world in your classroom.

Global Perspective

Experience the world in your classroom.

59%

North America

Latin America

10%

Europe

15%

Africa/Middle East

Asia/Pacific

59%North America

7%Latin America

10%Europe

15%Africa/Middle East

9%Asia/Pacific

Industry Representation

Insights from a range of industries ignite your thinking.

Chem / Pharma / Bio

10%

Consumer Products

13%

Financial

Health Care

13%

High Technology

Manufacturing

11%

Other

Professional Services

12%

Raw Materials / Energy

10%

Real Estate / Construction

Industry Representation

Insights from a range of industries ignite your thinking.

Chem / Pharma / Bio

10%

Consumer Products

13%

Financial

Health Care

13%

High Technology

Manufacturing

11%

Other

Professional Services

12%

Raw Materials / Energy

10%

Real Estate / Construction

Experience

Years worked

Experience

Years worked

Less than 10 yearsLess than 10 years

10-14 years10-14 years

15-19 years15-19 years

20-24 years20-24 years

25-29 years25-29 years

30-34 years30-34 years

35-39 years35-39 years

40 years or more40 years or more

Less than 10 yearsLess than 10 years

10-14 years10-14 years

15-19 years15-19 years

20-24 years20-24 years

25-29 years25-29 years

30-34 years30-34 years

35-39 years35-39 years

40 years or more40 years or more

Participating Companies Have Included:

Akamai

BAE Systems

BASF

BHP Billiton Limited

Christus Health

Coca-Cola

Delta Air Lines

GlaxoSmithKline

Grupo Televisa, S.A.B.

L.L. Bean

Nucor

USAA

Your Peers Expand Your Learning: Global Perspective

Experience the world in your classroom.

Global Perspective

Experience the world in your classroom.

59%

North America

7%

Latin America

10%

Europe

15%

Africa/Middle East

9%

Asia/Pacific

59%North America

7%Latin America

10%Europe

15%Africa/Middle East

9%Asia/Pacific

Industry Representation

Insights from a range of industries ignite your thinking.

Insights from a range of industries ignite your thinking.

8%

Chem / Pharma / Bio

10%

Consumer Products

13%

Financial

7%

Health Care

13%

High Technology

8%

Manufacturing

11%

Other

8%

Professional Services

12%

Raw Materials / Energy

10%

Real Estate / Construction

Industry Representation

Insights from a range of industries ignite your thinking.

8%

Chem / Pharma / Bio

10%

Consumer Products

13%

Financial

7%

Health Care

13%

High Technology

8%

Manufacturing

11%

Other

8%

Professional Services

12%

Raw Materials / Energy

10%

Real Estate / Construction

Experience

Experience

Years worked

Years worked

Experience

Years worked

Less than 10 yearsLess than 10 years
10-14 years10-14 years
15-19 years15-19 years

20-24 years20-24 years
25-29 years25-29 years
30-34 years30-34 years

35-39 years35-39 years
40 years or more40 years or more

Less than 10 yearsLess than 10 years
10-14 years10-14 years

15-19 years15-19 years
20-24 years20-24 years

25-29 years25-29 years
30-34 years30-34 years

35-39 years35-39 years
40 years or more40 years or more

Participating Companies Have Included:

Akamai

BAE Systems

BASF

BHP Billiton Limited

Christus Health

Coca-Cola

Delta Air Lines

GlaxoSmithKline

Grupo Televisa, S.A.B.

L.L. Bean

Nucor

USAA

Apply Download Brochure

More Admissions Information

Program content, dates, fees, and faculty are subject to change. In accordance with Harvard University policy, Harvard Business School does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex or sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, veteran status, or disability in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its programs and activities.

Learning Via Live

Explore the real-time, interactive online classroom that is a key component of our modular program option.

Need Help? Contact Us:

Program Advising team

Email: executive_education@hbs.edu

Learning Via Live

Explore the real-time, interactive online classroom that is a key component of our modular program option.

Learn More