Specialist recruitment firm Robert Half has launched the CFO Masters Series; an online video series that features personal and professional insights from some of Australia’s leading Chief Financial Officers.
The CFO Masters Series, featuring CFOs from Colonial First State bank, CSIRO, Procter & Gamble, Qantas, Westpac and more, gives viewers practical career advice and insights into the personalities that lead and shape the financial and strategic directions of some of Australia’s most important private and public sector companies.
“The program gives viewers unprecedented access to some of the most influential CFOs in Australia,” said David Jones, Managing Director of Robert Half Asia Pacific. “It uncovers their main leadership qualities, how they got to the position of CFO and what keeps them motivated in their roles.”
Designed especially for accounting and finance professionals, from graduates through to senior finance managers, the series offers aspiring CFOs the opportunity to hear some of their role models share strategic market insights and what they see as the main issues and opportunities in the finance sector.
The series begins with Mark Steinberg, Chief Financial Officer of Colonial First State Global Asset Management (pictured).
During the interview Steinberg gives candid advice to all levels of aspiring CFOs about how to strategically deal with financial issues; what learning approaches are recommended; and the importance of networking for career progression. “In terms of being able to progress career opportunities, it is very important to be well networked throughout your organisation,” he said.
Among the words of advice Steinberg offers for those working in finance:
- “Don’t spend too much time in the office.” For those aspiring CFOs, he stresses the importance of having an ability to enjoy life generally.
- “When I look at the complexity of a business, I wouldn’t say that one sector is any more or less difficult than another. It’s simply a case of understanding what your contribution responsibilities are and making sure that you deliver on those.”
- “One of the things that attracted me to qualifying as a Chartered Accountant was that it would more likely than not give me the opportunity to travel and use my qualifications somewhere else in the world…It did indeed open doors to me.”
- “I spent four years abroad…and found when I got back to Sydney after that break I’d lost important contacts and ties…Ever since then I’ve been a lot more vigilant in making sure that I work on my network.”
The series is available on RHiWatch, a Web media portal that houses video and podcast content for finance and accounting professionals. Viewers can expect to see new instalments of the CFO Master Series on a monthly basis.
For more information visit RHiWatch at http://rhiwatch.viotv.com