For Hilary Manderson, Chief Finance Officer (CFO) at the Department of Water and Environment Regulation, the Leadership Capabilities for CFOs program was not just about balance sheets and compliance but about connection, strategy and shared purpose.
“The biggest impact for me has been the valuable opportunity to network with other CFOs,” she shares.
“Meeting the others in the program reminded me of the breadth of knowledge and experience we have in the CFO group across the sector.”
This program is the leadership half of Technical and Leadership Capabilities for CFOs, which uplifts expertise and knowledge to better equip all chief finance officers with both financial expertise (delivered by the Department of Treasury and Finance) and essential leadership capabilities (delivered by the Public Sector Commission). The aim is to maximise public sector effectiveness and deliver increased value to the community.
For Hilary, the real benefits came from this targeted approach.
“Having a leadership program that focuses on finance professionals allows you to share specific issues that are faced by CFOs – and how to resolve them,” she explains.
“And the program provides tools and techniques that you can use within your own context.”
Hilary says the program was also a good reminder to become more of a strategic partner to your leadership team instead of an operational leader – just one of the reasons she believes the program makes a meaningful difference for both for individual CFOs and for the sector more broadly.
“It's a fabulous program and I would encourage all agencies to send their senior finance leaders because of the benefits it provides.”
Print this page
