Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Foreword -- Introduction -- 01 Becoming a custodian of value -- The challenge -- The traditional CFO role -- The new CFO role -- Develop your people too -- The new CFO mindset -- Summary ... and looking ahead -- Notes -- 02 Strategic leadership -- Seven things you must do well -- Being a credible leader -- Good communication skills -- Influencing - not telling -- 'Yes, and' decision-making -- Learn from failure -- Derailers -- Networking to get the broader picture -- Summary ... and looking ahead -- Notes -- 03 The finance factory -- A process perspective -- Finance and the process network -- Achieving a great finance factory -- Step 1: Get strategic objectives straight -- Step 2: Decide how much value-adding you want to do -- To outsource or not to outsource? -- Step 3: Resource processes appropriately -- Step 4: Get your hands dirty in process design -- Step 5: Build in continuous improvement -- Summary ... and looking ahead -- 04 Establishing and maintaining robust controls -- What do we mean by control? -- What stops us? -- A model for managing control -- Starting at the bottom - internal control -- Level 2 - systems and processes -- Level 3 - operational analysis and reporting - KPIsvii -- Level 4 - business level reporting and monitoring -- Level 5 - strategic planning -- You need to develop your own control expertise -- Summary ... and looking ahead -- 05 Deepening and spreading risk management -- Risk management - the complement to robust controls -- How we define risk -- How control and risk management fit together -- Why common risk approaches fail -- The risk management process cycle -- Step 1: Risk identification -- Step 2: Risk prevention -- Step 3: Risk mitigation -- Step 4: Risk recovery -- Summary ... and looking ahead -- 06 Growing value through investment -- Defining investment.

Issues finance needs to confront -- The finance investment strategy -- Strategic cost management in finance -- The role of finance in sound investment -- Finance and business negotiations -- Summary ... and looking ahead -- 07 A custodian of value -- Self-assessment -- Twenty questions -- Conclusion -- Appendix: The finance spectrum -- Index.