The second sessions of the 2018 Finance Leadership Programme, run by Pure and Grant Thornton, brought together over 30 finance professionals to continue their professional development.

The invite-only programme, which supports finance professionals to progress their career to Financial Director Level, is delivered in three interactive roundtable sessions throughout the year. The first sessions were held in Norwich, Ipswich and Chelmsford during March and April with a focus on the subjects of social media, working the room and tales from the top.

The second sessions that took place in May, focussed on managing and retaining talent and were designed to help the region’s future finance talent to explore the skills and experience needed to progress.

Nick Culley, Senior Managing Consultant at Pure, said: “We’ve created the Finance Leadership Programme to provide a forum where like-minded senior professionals can share experiences, hear from those already in high profile leadership roles and spend time on their personal development. A wider support network like this can play a critical role in assisting ambitious and talented individuals to reach their full potential in a relaxed environment.”

Syed Sabeel, Financial Controller at Emerson Crane Hire Ltd and one of the programme’s delegates, said: “The programme gives us the opportunity to reflect on the soft skills which are often ignored by accountants, such as employee engagement. It was also excellent to hear from current Finance Directors and CFOs about their experience, as not every journey towards the top follows the same path.”

The programme, first launched in 2015, is delivered free of charge in return for a small donation to charity. The money raised from the 2018 programme will be donated to Farleigh Hospice in Essex, Suffolk Mind in Ipswich and to dementia support charity Alzheimer’s Society in Norwich.

The final sessions of the 2018 programme will take place during September and October. To discuss if the programme would be appropriate for you, contact Nick Culley on nick.culley@prs.uk.com