What makes an award-winning tax team? The Story of M&S and Crisis Management
In 2025, Marks & Spencer was targeted in a cyber-attack that significantly interrupted operations, impacting the group’s financials and share price. Tax played a crucial role in helping the group get through the crisis and rebound strongly, particularly through cash management. The episode highlights the importance, during challenging times, of being able to draw on strong relationships developed through good business partnering practice.
Leading the Finance Department, Strategic Planning, Governance & Risk
This Masterclass is part of the Global CFO Academy and is delivered in collaboration with Bayes Business School, London.
This masterclass examines how CFOs can lead finance departments that deliver disciplined governance while actively shaping strategic direction. As expectations on finance continue to expand, the CFO must ensure the function is structured for control, clarity and performance — while enabling forward-looking planning and enterprise growth. The session focuses on building a finance capability that underpins effective strategic planning, strengthens governance frameworks, and enhances organisational credibility. Topics include:
• The CFO’s leadership role in strategy and governance
• Structuring the finance function for control, insight and impact
• Integrating financial planning with enterprise strategy
• Strengthening governance, risk oversight and accountability
• Developing capability, succession and leadership depth
• Budgeting and resource allocation aligned to strategic priorities
Designed for CFOs seeking to lead high-performing finance departments with authority, discipline and long-term impact.
This is for Global CFO Academy Delegates only, to find out more or become involved please contact Sandy Markwick (sandy.markwick@winmarkglobal.com)
SPEAKERS
Paul Sheriff, COO/CFO, New Day | Ian Brimicombe, Group CFO, Abercrombie & Kent
This Masterclass is part of the Global CFO Academy and is delivered in collaboration with Bayes Business School, London.
This masterclass provides CFOs with the tools to forecast internal financial demand, manage external vendors, and scale services efficiently. With spending under increasing scrutiny, CFOs must balance flexibility and control while extracting maximum value from supplier ecosystems. Learn how to model demand, negotiate strategically, and track impact effectively.
Topics include:
• Financial demand forecasting and resource planning
• Strategic sourcing, procurement, and vendor lifecycle management
• In-house vs outsource decision-making
• Performance tracking, cost control, and transparency
• Using metrics, dashboards, and benchmarking for accountability
• Driving vendor innovation, collaboration, and SLA management
This is for Global CFO Academy Delegates only, to find out more or become involved please contact Sandy Markwick (sandy.markwick@winmarkglobal.com)
SPEAKERS
Edward Guest, Senior Operating Partner, DBay Advisors | Kashish Kohli, Group Chief Financial Officer and SVP Asset Management Division, Sanad – A Mubadala Company
This session will provide practical insights into the financial challenges and opportunities that arise at senior leadership level. Attendees will hear an update on the current investment landscape, explore the increasing complexity of wealth, remuneration and tax planning, and consider strategies for managing investments alongside broader financial priorities. The discussion will also examine the benefits of taking a coordinated approach to tax, investment and financial planning, maintaining flexibility as careers and circumstances evolve, and planning for long-term goals and legacy. The session will conclude with an interactive Q&A, and the final slide will include a QR code for those who wish to book a complimentary consultation.
SPEAKERS
Michael Winson, Senior Investment Director, Rathbones | Chris Noble, Senior Financial Planner, Rathbones
Achieving $B Impact on Cloud Spend with FinOps: A Palo Alto Networks Case Study
Managing spend remains the number one cloud challenge. Traditionally IT spend has run on fixed budgets but with cloud running on consumption, costs can fluctuate often as a result of over-provisioning, cloud sprawl, poor visibility, inefficient pricing models and tagging failures. The true cost is more than just financial and brings with it operational drag, encumbered strategic processes, wasted time and damaged confidence.
SPEAKERS
Zhen Cao, JAPAC Value Realization Lead, Google Cloud
This Masterclass is part of the Global CFO Academy and is delivered in collaboration with Bayes Business School, London.
This masterclass supports CFOs in operating as strategic partners to the CEO, Board and wider stakeholder group. In today’s environment, the CFO is not only responsible for financial stewardship, but for shaping strategy, driving performance and enabling long-term value creation. The session explores how to strengthen board relationships, provide clear decision-ready insight, and increase the influence and impact of the finance function. Topics include:
• CEO expectations and the CFO’s evolving strategic role
• Building trusted relationships with the Chair, NEDs and C-Suite
• Structuring impactful financial input at board level
• Communicating risk and opportunity to non-financial stakeholders
• Aligning financial strategy with enterprise priorities
Designed for CFOs seeking to deepen their influence at the centre of organisational decision-making.
This is for Global CFO Academy Delegates only, to find out more or become involved please contact Sandy Markwick (sandy.markwick@winmarkglobal.com)
SPEAKERS
Patrick Butcher, Non Executive Director, Endava | Francisco Urzua, Professor of Finance, Bayes Business School
This Masterclass is part of the Global CFO Academy and is delivered in collaboration with Bayes Business School, London.
This masterclass equips CFOs to lead digital transformation within the finance function and harness AI, data and automation to enhance performance, insight and competitive advantage. As technology reshapes operating models and decision-making, finance leaders must move beyond traditional planning and control to become architects of digital capability and innovation. The session explores how to modernise finance infrastructure, embed intelligent tools, and lead innovation in a disciplined, value-focused way. Topics include:
• The CFO’s role in digital finance strategy and innovation leadership
• Embedding AI, automation and advanced analytics within finance
• Modernising systems, data architecture and reporting capability
• Using digital tools to enhance forecasting, scenario planning and insight
• Building technology fluency within the finance team
• Governing digital investment and measuring transformation impact
This is for Global CFO Academy Delegates only, to find out more or become involved please contact Sandy Markwick (sandy.markwick@winmarkglobal.com)
SPEAKERS
Aneesh Banerjee, Associate Dean and Reader in Management, Bayes Business School | Ed Jones, Chair, Wightlink Ferries and former CFO, P&O Cruises and Cunard Line
The International Controlled Transactions Schedule (ICTS) and other Transfer Pricing Updates
This roundtable discussion focuses on changes in UK transfer pricing legislation affecting large groups, including the introduction of UK-UK exemption, guarantee fee provision and implicit support provision as well as the introduction of the mandatory International Controlled Transactions Schedule (ICTS) which comes into effect for UK taxpayers for accounting periods from 1st January 2027.
This Masterclass is part of the Global CFO Academy and is delivered in collaboration with Bayes Business School, London.
This masterclass equips CFOs to lead complex M&A activity in a technology-driven landscape shaped by AI, advanced analytics and accelerated deal cycles. As competition for assets intensifies and due diligence becomes increasingly data-rich, CFOs must combine financial discipline with digital fluency to assess value, manage risk and drive integration success. The session explores how AI is reshaping deal sourcing, valuation, diligence and post-merger integration, and how finance leaders can use intelligent tools to enhance decision quality and execution speed. Topics include:
• The CFO’s strategic role in AI-enabled M&A
• Using advanced analytics to enhance valuation and due diligence
• Identifying technology, data and capability synergies
• Assessing digital assets, intellectual property and innovation pipelines
• Managing integration risk and realising post-deal value
• Leveraging scenario modelling and predictive insights in deal strategy
This is for Global CFO Academy Delegates only, to find out more or become involved please contact Sandy Markwick (sandy.markwick@winmarkglobal.com)
SPEAKERS
Scott Moeller, Professor in the Practice of Finance, Founder of M&A Research Centre, Bayes Business School | Alida Scholtz, CFO, RAKEZ
