Controller's Management Program (October 2026)

Schedule

October 4, 2026         | 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.  Registration from 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 am. 
October 5, 2026         | 8:30 a.m. - 6:15 p.m.  Coaching Sessions between 2:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. Schedule released September 2026
October 6, 2026         | 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
October 7, 2026         | 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

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 4  - Breakfast (7:30 a.m.), Lunch (12:15 p.m.-1:00 p.m.), Snacks throughout the day

October 5 - Breakfast, (7:30 a.m.) Lunch (1:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m.), Snacks throughout the day

October 6 - Breakfast (7:30 a.m.), Lunch (12:15 p.m-1:00 p.m.), Snacks throughout the day

October 7 -Breakfast (7:30 a.m.), Lunch to go

Meals and snacks are for registered participants only. 

Registration Deadlines
Early bird price $3350, available until August 3, 2026.
Regular price $3650, available from August 4 to September 3, 2026.
Registration closes on September 4, 2026.

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 accommodations:

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

Changes to Registrations 

A full withdrawal or refund, minus an administration fee of $100, will be granted if the withdrawal request is received more than 30 days before the start date of an executive program.

If a withdrawal or refund request is received 15-30 days before the program start date, an administration and/or material fee of $1000 will apply for live virtual offerings and an administration and/or material fee of $1500 will apply for in-person offerings.

Refunds will not be granted if the written withdrawal/transfer request is received 15 days or less before the program start date.

*Some exceptions may apply and will be reviewed individually.

Please note that if the original payment was received greater than 180 days prior to the refund request, a refund to a credit card is not possible. A store credit will be issued for the total refunded amount.

Transfers

A transfer is permitted, minus an administration fee of $100, if the withdrawal request is received more than 30 days before the start date of the executive program.

If a transfer request is received 15-30 days before the program start date, an administration and/or material fee of $1000 will apply for live virtual offerings and an administration and/or material fee of $1500 will apply for in-person offerings.

A transfer request will not be granted if the written withdrawal/transfer request is received 15 days or less before the program start date.

Please note that if payment was received greater than 180 days prior to the refund request, a refund to a credit card is not possible. A store credit will be issued for the total refunded amount.

Participant Substitutions

Participant substitutions will only be accepted up to 30 days prior to the executive program start date. No substitutions will be accepted within 30 days of the first date of the Executive Program. Additional fees may apply. To request a substitution, please email pdregistration@cpaalberta.ca and include the course information, name of the original registrant with CPA Alberta ID and the name and CPA Alberta ID number of the replacement participant.

Participant No Shows

Attendance will be taken during the executive program. If you do not attend, you will be listed as absent, and you will not receive a certificate of completion.

Extenuating circumstances

Exceptions to withdrawal, transfer, or no-show policies may be considered under extenuating circumstances. These are situations that are unforeseeable, unavoidable, and beyond the control of the registrant. All requests for exceptions must be submitted in writing to pdregistration@cpaalberta.ca and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Attendance and Completion

Attendance Policy

To receive CPD credit for in-person courses, your name must be on the registration list, and you must be present when attendance is recorded by the instructor, otherwise, there is no way of verifying whether you have attended a course or received the product. If your name is not on the registration list, you will not be permitted entry into the course.

Failure to attend an in-person course on the scheduled date, without prior notice, will be treated as a forfeiture of registration and will result in the loss of eligibility for a refund or transfer.

Completion and Certificate of Completion

Upon completion of all learning activities, a certificate of completion will be available to download through the Learning Management System. For in-person courses, conferences and executive programs there will be a delay in accessing the certificate of completion, as CPA Alberta verifies attendance.

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.