Finance is Fun

A message from Chief Financial Officer,  Jonathan Spight

I mentioned rolling out "Finance for Non-Finance" courses globally in my last town hall guest appearance.

After lots of preparation and the completion of a successful dry run (a big thanks to all those who participated and provided such insightful feedback), I'm pleased to say we are ready to deliver these courses, starting from June.

Initially, courses will be open for managers at Leadership Level 2 and above across the UK, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, North America and China, though there may also be scope to include Leadership level 1 individuals with a particular interest.

Keep an eye out for further communications from your regional finance team detailing course days, time and how to book yourself in. A reminder that these courses are mandatory for Leadership Level 2 and above.

Why are we holding these courses?

• Educating individuals in our business in the basic principles of finance and financial reporting can lead to improved individual, team, and business outcomes.
• Finance underpins all business activities, and accurate forecasting; reporting and variance analysis are critical to delivering our strategy.
• In general, the level of financial knowledge varies across Colart. Therefore, this leads to sub-optimal decision-making and variations in the quality of financial reporting.

How are the courses delivered?

• Finance Team members will deliver the course in person by region
• Your team leads by region are:
  • UK/Northern Europe – David Pedley
  • Southern Europe – Patricia Le Mauff
  • China – Cathy Peng
  • North America – Mark Triano
• The course is one full day
• Attendance is mandatory for LL2 and above.
• Shortly, your team leads will communicate dates and registration details relevant to the region you are in
• Resources relating to this course will be housed in Colart Academy
• Phase Two of this project will cover more advanced subjects (but still in an easy-to-understand way), building on Phase One and will also be housed in Colart Academy accessible to everybody at Colart. The target audience for Phase Two will likely be narrower than Phase One.

What are the outcomes of this training?

• Your Improved understating of financial language, tools, and processes leads to better forecasting, reporting and decision-making.
• You will be more confident in managing relevant financial processes and reporting.
• More robust conversations with your finance business partner lead to better outcomes,
• Learning and knowledge will add to your skillset – another feather in your cap.

What's next?

• Look out for communication from your regional finance team lead
• Book yourself on to a course
• Participate and engage in the course on the day … because finance can be fun!