Overview

The Finance Manager's position is central to any Finance Department. His or her functions and responsibilities can be wide-ranging from providing and interpreting financial information, monitoring cashflows, performing investment appraisals, designing financial models for decision-making, managing risks, to liaising with auditors, bankers, lawyers and other professionals and keeping abreast with financial standards, regulations and legislation.

Admittedly, not all Finance Managers have exposure to all these functions and so there are still knowledge and skill gaps to fill, urgently, because such knowledge and skills may be required at a moment’s notice.

This Masterclass is designed to fill these gaps and enable the Finance Manager to function confidently and even deliver performance beyond expectations. Participating in this masterclass will allow you to be a part of a WhatsApp community of past participants plus an added bonus of a mentorship with the trainer after the end of this Masterclass.

Masterclass Date & Duration

ZOOM - Once weekly, from 7pm - 10pm (3 hours) for 8 weeks

Start date as shown here. (tentative - with breaks for holiday period).

Exact dates of sessions will be confirmed again during the course of the series as dates may change to accommodate the schedule of the majority.

Objectives

  • To enhance current accounting and finance (A&F) knowledge and skill sets with over 15 significant A&F topics that every Accountant/Finance Manager/CFO must be proficient in.
  • To form a community of like-minded Accountants and other professionals to promote knowledge/skill sharing in a life-long learning corporate environment.
  • To develop and sharpen career-enhancing and career-promoting skill sets through continuing (FOC) mentorship, during and after the Masterclass.

What this Masterclass will cover

  1. The role of the Finance Manager – functions & responsibilities 
  2. The Accounting Framework – assumptions, principles & conventions; interrelationships among financial statements; integrated framework of Accounting & Finance
  3. Corporate Reporting Regime – monthly, quarterly, yearly; template design
  4. Working capital management – management of cash, receivables, inventory, and payables.   
  5. Group Consolidation of accounts – mechanics, FRS 110 requirements, NCI treatment, consolidation adjustments, vertical group consolidation and piecemeal consolidation.
  6. Cashflow Statement – preparation and analysis, treatment of items, quick comprehension of cashflow elements. Learn the 7-step analysis that will uncover fully the financial/cashflow health of a company.
  7. Financial Statement analysis and interpretation – trend analysis, ratio analysis, Dupont method, operating & financial leverages, business & financial risks, a systematic and integrated approach will be introduced. Traditional analyses are based on lagging indicators. This course covers leading indicators such as “Financial Limits to Growth” tests and the 2-level sales analysis.
  8. Budgeting & forecasting – with Linear regression (statistical) model to project sales over the budget period, rolling forecasts. 
  9. Management and Board papers preparation & presentation – factors to be considered in preparation & presentation, how to prepare & present. Practical illustrations will be shown.
  10. Financial modelling – how to prepare base model, financial model, sensitivity analysis, selection of variables, for breakeven analysis, sales force headcount analysis, sales commission schemes, proforma financial statements, M&A, corporate planning, capital structure optimisation, business valuation, etc.
  11. Selected IFRSs – FRS 110, 111 & 112, 15   
  12. Shareholder Value
    • Understand the concepts and components of shareholder value
    • Learn how shareholder value can be created, developed and sustained
    • Appreciate the accountant’s role in shareholder value creation and how it ties in to cost of equity. 

13. Blockchain and Bitcoin

14. Investment appraisal – steps in appraisal process, appraisal methods discount rate, weighted average cost of capital, terminal value computation. 

15. Business valuation

  • Valuations methods and application.
  • Use of Financial Modelling to determine range of values.

16. Mergers & acquisitions / Due diligence – process, how to manage, difficulties involved, valuation, due diligence work, negotiation, etc

17. Corporate funding – placements, rights issues, convertible bonds, etc

18. Business plans – Establish objectives, target audience, obtain data and reports, preparation of paper, etc

19. Financial limits to growth (FLTG) – FLTG formula, how to track sustainability of company’s growth, danger signals, going concern assessment.

OPEN TO GLOBAL MEMBERS: Please enquire by email at info.sg@accaglobal.com to confirm membership and class status before booking. 

Masterclass Outline

Please click here for details.

CPD units

Your full attendance to this masterclass series will accord you with up to 24.0 CPD units (ACRA Category: Others). Upon verification of your attendance, a CPD certificate will be emailed to you 3 days after the completion of the class.

Methodology

This Masterclass will be conducted on ZOOM where the facilitator will provide sharing of practical examples/illustrations to reinforce application for a deeper learning experience. 

Who should attend

  • Newly-appointed Finance Managers
  • Finance Managers who want to widen their scope of knowledge and skill sets
  • CFO-aspirants
  • Finance Managers who seek a refresher course
  • Heads of Finance Department
  • Finance Manager aspirants
  • Finance Managers who want to fill knowledge and experience gaps.
  • Relationship Managers (banks)
  • Staff of public accounting firms

UTAP Approved

This course is UTAP approved for NTUC Union Members. Claim up to 50% (excl GST) off your course fee, capped at $250 per year. 

Trainer

Michael Matthew Lee 

Michael Matthew Lee is a trained teacher, lecturer, coach and facilitator, and is himself a life-long learner. He is currently pursuing the Chartered Valuer & Appraiser Programme at Nanyang Business School.

Being trained, he is skilful in explaining difficult concepts in a simple and understandable manner. With his more than 40 years of corporate working experience, which include serving as Group CFO of 3 Main Board public-listed groups, and as MD/CEO/COO of various companies across industries, he specialises in Finance and is exposed to senior executive management practices, issues and challenges. He adopts a practical approach to his training and facilitation.

Michael Matthew Lee’s credentials are:

  • MBA (Finance, NUS Business School)
  • MBA (Strategic Marketing, University of Hull)
  • BAcc (NUS); DipM (UK);; PDipM (APAC); ACTA; PMC
  • ASEAN CPA; FCA(Singapore); FCPA(Aust); FCCA(UK); FCIM(UK); MSID.