Controller's Management Program (October 2025)

Schedule

October 1, 2024         | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm. Breakfast at 7:30 am; Registration from 8:30 am- 9:00 am. 
October 2, 2024         | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
October 3, 2024         | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
October 4, 2024         | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Overview

As a Controller, you not only provide financial expertise in your organization, you provide leadership as a key member of the management team. Building on the foundation of your technical skills, your management and leadership skills will take you and your organization to the next level. The Controller’s Management Program is designed to provide you with the theory, best practices, tools and skills to further sharpen your leadership and management skills.

Course Description

The program concentrates on four key leadership areas:

1.      Self-awareness and self-management

2.      Organizational perspective and influence

3.      Managing and leading others

4.      Effective communication for a variety of contexts

This highly interactive program will provide you with a unique experience and opportunities for you to network and learn from your peers. Through case studies, group discussions, exercises and role-plays representative of situations faced by controllers and financial managers, you will gain skills and confidence to increase both your personal and interpersonal effectiveness. Over this program you will gain critical insights into leading practices in management and leadership and have the opportunity to apply tools and skills to your work context, share experiences with your peers and take away actionable goals.

Special Features

Leadership Assessment: Each participant is involved in two Leadership Assessments to help frame your role as a Controller today and provide an opportunity for individual growth 

    *360 Degree Leadership and Organizational Assessment

    *360 Degree Assessment of Strengths and the Role of a Controller

One on One Coaching: Each participant recieves the exclusive opportunity of having a session with a professional exectuive coach. This session allows for exploration on ways to improve your leadership capacity. 

Data-backed approach:  This program uses up to date, verifiable research and theories using relevant casework. 

 Additional Information

Meals listed below are included with the Program

October 6  - Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks throughout the day

October 7 - Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks throughout the day

October 8 - Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks throughout the day

October 9 -Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks throughout the day

Pre-Work

This program contains pre-work that should be completed before attending the live classes. The approximate pre-work time required for this program is 3.5 hours. Note that the pre-work hours are already included in the total CPD hours listed for the program. Please click the image below to watch a brief pre-work introduction video.

Program Content

Controller as Leader

• Increase self-awareness and understanding of your leadership style
• Understand linkages between leadership and self-management
• Know what motivates you when things are going well and when things are not going well
• Understand different personality profiles and learn how to build productive work relationships
• Learn how to adapt your approach and leadership to your organization and team

Supervisory Skills

• Learn how to provide effective and timely feedback
• Understand how to align your staff with organizational goals
• Build your listening and emotional intelligence skills
• Become aware of unconscious bias and its impact on behavior
• Learn core coaching skills for managing performance

Team Dynamics

• Know how to create effective teams
• Learn how to conduct effective meetings
• Understand how organizational culture shapes team dynamics

Communication Skills

• Know how to adapt your message and delivery for specific audiences and situations
• Appreciate the importance of non-verbal communication
• Learn to effectively negotiate and collaborate with your colleagues
• Learn how to communicate assertively
• Become more comfortable with difficult conversations

Conflict & Change Management

• Learn how to identify the root causes of conflict
• Understand conflict behaviours in yourself and others, and ways they shape responses to conflict
• Know how to use conflict to build relationships
• Learn different ways to respond to conflict and how to choose your approach for a variety of situations
• Appreciate why change can be a source of conflict and how to overcome resistance to change

Who Will Benefit

This course is for you if you are:

• Relatively new to a Controller or Financial Manager role
• Aiming to move up to the Controller role from another position
• Preparing to shift from a staff position or public practice into an industry management role
• Looking to sharpen your interpersonal and management skills

Although not mandatory, participants are strongly encouraged to stay on-site at The Malcolm Hotel in Canmore, Alberta.

CPA Alberta has negotiated special rates with the program facilities - note that the cost of the accommodation is separate from the program fee. Participants are responsible to make the accommodation arrangements individually. Please contact the hotel directly as directed upon confirmation of registration. Attendees will pay for their accommodation fees directly to the hotel upon checkout.

Pre and post program dates are not always guaranteed at the same negotiated rates, and rooms outside the conference dates may not be available during peak periods. See below instructions for how to book directly with The Malcolm: 

Visit the Malcolm Hotel website at malcolmhotel.ca for accomodations:

Select Check in and Check out dates

Click book now

Add Code ‘Group Attendee’: 2509CPAA

Click the ‘Select & Go to the Next step’ button

Select your room type

Select add room & checkout

Enter all information required

 
A confirmation email will be sent to the email address provided

Terms of Registration & Cancellation Policies

All registrations must be accompanied by payment. Due to limited seating and some pre-work, all registrations should be received no later than twenty (20) full business days prior to the start date. Changes or cancellations to this registration must be made in writing (email is acceptable) to the Professional Development team at CPA Alberta and will be subject to the cancellation policy as indicated below.

We will issue refunds for cancellations based on the following:

• More than thirty (30) full business days prior to the program start date – a full refund less an administrative fee of $100 will be granted upon receipt of written notification.
• Withdrawal or transfer of registrations for executive programs received less than thirty (30) full business days, and more than twenty (20) full business days before the seminar start date is subject to an admin and/or material fee(s) of $800.
• No refunds be granted if the written withdrawal/transfer request is received twenty (20) business days or less before the executive program seminar start date.

Is there Pre-Work associated with this Program?

There are approximately 3.5 hours of pre-work time required for this Program. These pre-work hours are already included in the total CPD hours possible.

How and where do I access the Pre-Work for this Program?

All of the pre-work, instructions on completion, accommodation information and agenda can be found through the CPA Alberta’s Learning Management Portal.

Is there a Certificate available with this Program?

All participants will receive a downloadable certificate via CPA Alberta’s Learning Management Portal. Upon completion of both the Controller’s Management and Controller’s Operational Skills Program, participants will receive the CPA Alberta Controller’s Executive Program Certificate of Completion.

How Many CPD Hours are associated with this Program?

There are up to 28 CPD Hours associated with this Program. 

The CPA Alberta Controllership Executive Program Certificate is a two-component curriculum designed to provide you with the foundation for success. The Controller’s Management Program will focus on management soft skills, while the Controller’s Operational Skills Program will focus on core technical and operational skills.

You can choose to complete only one of these programs, but if you complete both components you will receive a certificate upon completion. Note that these programs can be completed in any order as they focus on separate and distinct skills.