Which units should one chose for a future job as a CFO (2 Viewers)

[Korn]

Im going to UWS in Business and Commerce and was wondering if anyone knew what qualifications and units one should take on

 

[Grizzly]

Ahhh, just my type of thread

Most CFO's you would find have an accounting background. i.e, best bet is to major in accounting

 

[§eraphim]

in insurance companies, actuaries often progress up the managerial hierarchy and take on similar executive roles, eg chief risk officer and sometimes ceo.

 

[Arkad]

I don't think it even matters that much. Posistions like CFO are mostly given based on experience in the firm and people skills.

 

[mr_shittles]

If you look at the CFOs of Fortune 500 companies or the 200 largest listed Australian companies, pretty much all of them have some form of Accounting experience and are qualified CAs or CPAs.

A CFO is the most powerful and senior ranked accountant in any company. In fact, prior to the name CFO being coined, they were known as Chief Accountant.

 

[Grizzly]

If you look at the CFOs of Fortune 500 companies or the 200 largest listed Australian companies, pretty much all of them have some form of Accounting experience and are qualified CAs or CPAs.

A CFO is the most powerful and senior ranked accountant in any company. In fact, prior to the name CFO being coined, they were known as Chief Accountant.

Very true. Hence, taking a role as an accountant would be a good stepping stone to a CFO position...

 

[Korn]

Very true. Hence, taking a role as an accountant would be a good stepping stone to a CFO position...

Yeah i plan on following in my uncles footsteps, as he was Finiancial Director of a Alcohol distribution company in Australia

 

[m_simpson_lms]

I always hear lecturers say that if you want to be an accountant, and you want to be employable, you have to have the professional status of either CPA or CA. However, unless I'm not mistaken, for B Business and Commerce @ UWS, when you graduate, you don't get prefessional recognition for CPA or CA status. You'd have to do the B Business (Accounting) degree to get that prefessional recognition. Perhaps you already know this...

Sorry if I've caused you any inconvenience...
The best bet would be to ask your lecturers.

 

[Korn]

I always hear lecturers say that if you want to be an accountant, and you want to be employable, you have to have the professional status of either CPA or CA. However, unless I'm not mistaken, for B Business and Commerce @ UWS, when you graduate, you don't get prefessional recognition for CPA or CA status. You'd have to do the B Business (Accounting) degree to get that prefessional recognition. Perhaps you already know this...

Sorry if I've caused you any inconvenience...
The best bet would be to ask your lecturers.

Yeah i have noticed this on their websites, but if i do the right units it shouldn't matter should it?

 

[Minai]

Yeah, that's strange, because if you do the right units, you should be eligible for Associate status regardless of degree you end up with.

 

[matt#1]

Im going to UWS in Business and Commerce and was wondering if anyone knew what qualifications and units one should take on

to become a CFO, i would say that a major in Accounting would be your best bet. If you could choose another major to go along with the accounting one....Finance would also be very relevant. An Economics or Management major may also be somewhat relevant.

 

[t-i-m-m-y]

How does one get from being on BOS to becoming CFO???

Korn: this is the UNSW forum.. so please move over.

 

[Grizzly]

How does one get from being on BOS to becoming CFO???

whats that supposed to mean ? :S :S

 

[t-i-m-m-y]

I'll leave that question hanging...

 

[mr_shittles]

Hey guys,

A word of advice for future CEOs and CFOs out there . . . a BCom degree at UNSW is the best choice. I'm not being biased about it . . . its a fact.

The following business leaders are UNSW alumni:

1. Roger Corbett - CEO Woolworth's Limited
2. Marc de Cure - former CFO AMP
3. Walter Bugno - CEO Arnott's Biscuits Limited
4. Tony Harrington - CEO PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia
5. Frank Cicuitto - former CEO National Austraia Bank
6. John Doumani - CEO Campbell's Soup International
7. Terry Davis - CEO Coca-Cola Amatil
8. Robert Maple-Brown - Chairman, Maple-Brown Abbott
9. Wal King - CEO Leightons Holdings

So whether you want to run Australia's largest retailer, insurer, biscuit manufacturer, accounting firm, bank, soup company, soft drink bottler, boutique fund manager or construction company, UNSW is always a good place to start!

 

[Grizzly]

The principal reason for UNSW's success at producing top CEOs is that their degrees are more rigorous and competitive. This is because the high entry marks (eg. UAI > 95) mean only the brightest candidates get in. By not compromising on the standard of its students, UNSW will always be at a huge advantage.

yep, just gotta compete with u mr.shittles for that job ...and the other 500?1000? 2nd year accounting undergrads at unsw

 

[Jeavon]

To all future CFOs

While your natural intelligence and technical skills learned at UNSW or any other uni is important, remember that when you get out you only have part of the recipe.

While it's true UNSW has many high-profile alumnis, it's not necessarily true that a UNSW grad is destined for that level of success. Having been a graduate of two universities (postgrad at UNSW), UNSW students tend to be alot more bookish - this translates to great technical skills, but also tends to play havoc with your social skills and networking (sometimes talking about something other than work is healthy for you).

Social skills become more and more important as you move up the ranks, when you are less involved with technical work and more with managing egos (esp egos of the UNSW alumni in your staff )

My advice to you is maintain your technical skill but concentrate more on developing meaningful relationships with students, lecturers (who tend to move in influential commercial circles) and your employers. Force yourself to do things that develop social skills - organise large events, get into public speaking or community work, etc. Being technically proficient makes you a great accountant, economist or banker - but not necessarily a great manager. Or a great person for that matter.

Good luck!

 

[redslert]

this advice is golden
simple but a lot of people just don't understand

 

[Grizzly]

UNSW students tend to be alot more bookish - this translates to great technical skills, but also tends to play havoc with your social skills and networking (sometimes talking about something other than work is healthy for you).

Social skills become more and more important as you move up the ranks, when you are less involved with technical work and more with managing egos (esp egos of the UNSW alumni in your staff )

My advice to you is maintain your technical skill but concentrate more on developing meaningful relationships with students, lecturers (who tend to move in influential commercial circles) and your employers. Force yourself to do things that develop social skills - organise large events, get into public speaking or community work, etc.

Being an undergradate at 2 univerisities (macq now unsw) in same fields,

i would tend to disagree that being "bookish" results in less networking, and social skills.

Ive had a better student/tutor relationship (esp. those student tutors) in my 1st month at unsw than i did in teh whole year at macq. My student tutors at macq had bad attitudes.."im going to sit here, your going to read out the answers and earn me my money".

not to mention, the "connection" unsw has with the industry - at macq accg, we never had any CPA/C.A expo invitations or representatives from any institutions or top-tier firms coming in (however, this could be because we were 1st year'rs, and our lecturer was president of cpa, so there was no need?)

 

[Affinity]

Social skills become more and more important as you move up the ranks, when you are less involved with technical work and more with managing egos (esp egos of the UNSW alumni in your staff )

Corollary: Technical skills are more important when you start