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Description

The Finance Business Partner: Influencing, Challenging and Convincing

Shape management decisions instead of absorbing trade-offs already made by the business

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

Experienced management controllers are often consulted too late. The figures they produce serve to justify a decision that has already been taken, and their warnings arrive once the budget is committed. Their technical competence is not in question, yet their view carries little weight in the trade-offs that matter.

This two-day advanced programme addresses influence rather than calculation techniques. Participants work on intervening upstream of decisions, challenging an investment case and holding a contested position in front of a committee. The situations rehearsed are those where the relationship with the operational teams is already under strain.

Learning objectives

  • Identify the decision points where input from management control genuinely adds value
  • Challenge an investment case without blocking the project
  • Frame a warning that triggers a decision rather than a justification
  • Hold a contested set of figures in a committee setting
  • Negotiate a budget trade-off with an operational department

What makes this programme different

Real situations of tension brought by participants and replayed in the room
An investment case taken apart and rebuilt around its critical assumptions
A simulated committee session facing stakeholders who dispute the figures

Programme

1Positioning yourself upstream

Intervening before the decision is taken

  • Mapping the real decision-making circuits within your organisation
  • Identifying the moments when data actually changes a choice
  • Building a schedule of exchanges with operational departments
  • Moving beyond the role of reporting producer

2Challenging an investment case

Putting assumptions to the test

  • Spotting undocumented assumptions
  • Running sensitivity tests on the decisive parameters
  • Questioning the stated benefits and how they will be measured
  • Issuing a reasoned opinion, whether supportive or qualified

3Convincing and alerting

Turning figures into a trigger for action

  • Building a message centred on the decision required
  • Choosing the level of detail according to the audience
  • Framing a warning without attributing personal blame
  • Anticipating technical objections

4Holding your position

Standing firm without damaging the relationship

  • Responding when the calculation method is disputed
  • Distinguishing technical disagreement from a power struggle
  • Preparing for a budget trade-off
  • Maintaining the relationship after an unfavourable opinion

Who is it for

Experienced management controllers, along with heads of management control and finance managers working directly with operational departments.

Prerequisites

Several years of experience in management control and regular interaction with operational departments.

Dates & locations

24 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.