View a video featuring Court Chilton, Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, sharing details about the MIT Sloan CFO Accelerator:
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Testimonials from the 2019 CFO Accelerator:
"It was genuinely the best development program that I’ve attended in a long time. I left highly energized with some new perspectives and new tools. In fact, over one year later, I am still applying some of the things I learned. I also loved the opportunity to interact with a small group of fellow CFOs in an environment that encouraged sharing and advising. These are phenomenal instructors. People should invest in themselves and take advantage of the chance to learn from them.”
- Sandra Clarke, CFO, Blue Shield of California
“Relevant, Engaging, Inspiring and Actionable! These are the words that resonated in my mind as I attended the inaugural program last year. I have attended a few of these over my career and none left such a lasting impression as the Sloan program! In 5 days they managed to impart relevant ideas, thoughts to improve effectiveness and how to drive innovation in the work environment. I would strongly recommend this to CFOs who want their role to evolve to what is needed in today’s environment: a strategic and operational who can be an effective change agent!”
- Sandip Grewal, CFO, Bradshaw International
“I attended the MIT Sloan CFO Accelerator program last year and cannot say enough great things about the program. The speakers were excellent and covered a wide range of topics that were particularly relevant to my role as VP & Controller. By incorporating several of the ideas and suggestions that were discussed in my daily tasks I felt I was able to achieve a higher level of effectiveness. The program also provided a wonderful networking opportunity to connect with and hear from others who function in similar roles.”
- Nancy L. Gleason CPA, VP & Controller
"It was genuinely the best development program that I’ve attended in a long time. I left highly energized with some new perspectives and new tools. In fact, over one year later, I am still applying some of the things I learned. I also loved the opportunity to interact with a small group of fellow CFOs in an environment that encouraged sharing and advising. These are phenomenal instructors. People should invest in themselves and take advantage of the chance to learn from them.”
- Sandra Clarke, CFO, Blue Shield of California
“Relevant, Engaging, Inspiring and Actionable! These are the words that resonated in my mind as I attended the inaugural program last year. I have attended a few of these over my career and none left such a lasting impression as the Sloan program! In 5 days they managed to impart relevant ideas, thoughts to improve effectiveness and how to drive innovation in the work environment. I would strongly recommend this to CFOs who want their role to evolve to what is needed in today’s environment: a strategic and operational who can be an effective change agent!”
- Sandip Grewal, CFO, Bradshaw International
“I attended the MIT Sloan CFO Accelerator program last year and cannot say enough great things about the program. The speakers were excellent and covered a wide range of topics that were particularly relevant to my role as VP & Controller. By incorporating several of the ideas and suggestions that were discussed in my daily tasks I felt I was able to achieve a higher level of effectiveness. The program also provided a wonderful networking opportunity to connect with and hear from others who function in similar roles.”
- Nancy L. Gleason CPA, VP & Controller
Read a Recent Blog Post about the upcoming MIT Sloan CFO Accelerator contributed by Diane Abbott, Assistant Director, Executive Programs, MIT Sloan, click here. “Attending the CFO Accelerator course was an excellent use of my time. I found all MIT faculty to be engaging. The content was thought-provoking and relevant. The small group setting was beneficial as it allowed for deeper conversations with my peers. Overall, it exceeded my expectations. “ - Kim Eiring, CFO, Mutual Materials Company |
ABOUT THE MIT SLOAN CFO ACCELERATOR FACULTY:
Click here for full bios on the MIT Sloan faculty members.

Pierre Azoulay is the International Programs Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
His current research focuses on empirical studies of the supply of biomedical innovators, particularly at the interface of academia and the biopharmaceutical industry. He also is interested in the topic of academic entrepreneurship, having recently concluded a major study of the antecedents and consequences of academic patenting. In the past, he has investigated the impact of superstar researchers on the research productivity of their colleagues, and the outsourcing strategies of pharmaceutical firms, in particular the role played by contract research organizations in the clinical trials process.
At MIT Sloan, he teaches courses on competitive strategy and innovation strategy to the EMBA students and Sloan Fellows, as well as a PhD class on the economics of ideas, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/pierre-azoulay
His current research focuses on empirical studies of the supply of biomedical innovators, particularly at the interface of academia and the biopharmaceutical industry. He also is interested in the topic of academic entrepreneurship, having recently concluded a major study of the antecedents and consequences of academic patenting. In the past, he has investigated the impact of superstar researchers on the research productivity of their colleagues, and the outsourcing strategies of pharmaceutical firms, in particular the role played by contract research organizations in the clinical trials process.
At MIT Sloan, he teaches courses on competitive strategy and innovation strategy to the EMBA students and Sloan Fellows, as well as a PhD class on the economics of ideas, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/pierre-azoulay

Court Chilton is a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
He has helped large organizations produce business results from learning, coaching, and enterprise-wide change efforts for the last 20 years. His clients have included GE Capital, Deloitte, Fidelity, MIT, Bank of America, Ixis Asset Management, Novartis, Merck, Genzyme, Shire, TJX, Home Depot, Clifford Chance, and Baker McKenzie.
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/court-chilton
He has helped large organizations produce business results from learning, coaching, and enterprise-wide change efforts for the last 20 years. His clients have included GE Capital, Deloitte, Fidelity, MIT, Bank of America, Ixis Asset Management, Novartis, Merck, Genzyme, Shire, TJX, Home Depot, Clifford Chance, and Baker McKenzie.
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/court-chilton

Simon H. Johnson is a British American economist. He is the Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
He has held a wide variety of academic and policy-related positions, including Professor of Economics at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. From March 2007 through the end of August 2008, he was Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund.
He is author, with James Kwak, of the 2010 book 13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown, with whom he has also co-founded and regularly contributes to the economics blog The Baseline Scenario.
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/simon-johnson
He has held a wide variety of academic and policy-related positions, including Professor of Economics at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. From March 2007 through the end of August 2008, he was Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund.
He is author, with James Kwak, of the 2010 book 13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown, with whom he has also co-founded and regularly contributes to the economics blog The Baseline Scenario.
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/simon-johnson

Paul Mende is a Senior Lecturer in the Finance Group at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Mende co-founded, co-owned, and served as director of research from 2002 to 2010 for Fort Hill Capital Management, LLC, a hedge fund specializing in equity derivatives and dedicated to quantitative research, trading, and risk management. Fort Hill actively participated in the launch and success of Bay Hill Fund LP and Bay Hill Capital Management LLC in 2007 as a multi-strategy volatility hedge fund. In 2004, Fort Hill launched Absolute Strategies Fund and Absolute Investment Advisers LLC as an innovative absolute-return fund-of-funds structured as a Securities and Exchange Commission registered mutual fund, with daily liquidity for investors and full position-level transparency from managers.
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/paul-f-mende
Mende co-founded, co-owned, and served as director of research from 2002 to 2010 for Fort Hill Capital Management, LLC, a hedge fund specializing in equity derivatives and dedicated to quantitative research, trading, and risk management. Fort Hill actively participated in the launch and success of Bay Hill Fund LP and Bay Hill Capital Management LLC in 2007 as a multi-strategy volatility hedge fund. In 2004, Fort Hill launched Absolute Strategies Fund and Absolute Investment Advisers LLC as an innovative absolute-return fund-of-funds structured as a Securities and Exchange Commission registered mutual fund, with daily liquidity for investors and full position-level transparency from managers.
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/paul-f-mende

Robert C. Pozen is currently a Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management and a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.
In 2012, he won acclaim for a popular book entitled Extreme Productivity: Boost Your Results, Reduce Your Hours. In the Spring of 2021, he will be publishing a new book on productivity when working remotely, entitled, Remote Inc.: How to Thrive at Work…Wherever You Are.
In 2004, Bob became the executive chairman of MFS Investment Management, which now manages over $400 billion for mutual funds and pension plans. Between 2004 and 2011, MFS’s assets under management nearly tripled from a base of $130 billion.
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/robert-c-pozen
In 2012, he won acclaim for a popular book entitled Extreme Productivity: Boost Your Results, Reduce Your Hours. In the Spring of 2021, he will be publishing a new book on productivity when working remotely, entitled, Remote Inc.: How to Thrive at Work…Wherever You Are.
In 2004, Bob became the executive chairman of MFS Investment Management, which now manages over $400 billion for mutual funds and pension plans. Between 2004 and 2011, MFS’s assets under management nearly tripled from a base of $130 billion.
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/robert-c-pozen

Antoinette Schoar is the Stewart C. Myers-Horn Family Professor of Finance at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
An expert in corporate finance, entrepreneurship, and organizational economics, Schoar researches venture capital, entrepreneurial finance, corporate diversification, governance, and capital budgeting decisions in firms. She has received the Fellowship of the George Stigler Center, 1997–1999, and the ERP Doctoral Scholarship of the German Ministry of Trade, 1995–1997.
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/antoinette-schoar
An expert in corporate finance, entrepreneurship, and organizational economics, Schoar researches venture capital, entrepreneurial finance, corporate diversification, governance, and capital budgeting decisions in firms. She has received the Fellowship of the George Stigler Center, 1997–1999, and the ERP Doctoral Scholarship of the German Ministry of Trade, 1995–1997.
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/antoinette-schoar
CFO ACCELERATOR AGENDA:
Opening/Orientation: We will prepare for the program with introductions and discussion of a short pre-reading whose theses will be threaded throughout the program.
- take a wider view of their situation, i.e. markets, companies, and the evolving role of a CFO
- approach issues with a “design thinking” mindset
- frame issues in ways that benefit not just the financial viability of the organization but the whole enterprise
Economic Outlook/Insights
Formerly chief economist for the IMF, Simon Johnson will draw from his latest writing on the U.S. economic situation: Jump Starting America. He will focus on how companies and governments can work together in the wake of COVID to jumpstart innovation and the American economy.
Strategy & Disruption:
As business and operating models are being transformed by digitalization and fast moving new companies, Pierre Azoulay, a noted innovation economist and strategy professor, will present a framework that can help CFOs move from relying on “technology forecasting” (a very unreliable activity) and move toward a more agile approach to playing offense and defense vis a vis “disruption.”
Entrepreneurial Finance: How to Allocating Capital like a VC
Antoinette Schoar, an expert in entrepreneurial finance, will help CFOs think about how the capital structure of their companies, as well as their decisions on where/how to allocate capital. Too often investment decisions are driven primarily by ROI metrics…which in many cases are misleading and short term. Antoinette will share insights about the approaches and metrics VCs use to decide how and how much to support early stage companies and projects that might not succeed right away.
Two Company Virtual Visits:
We will visit with the management teams of two companies – one a hardware company the other a services company (AVA Robotics and Lola Corporate Travel respectively) to learn more about how they frame problems and, in one case, how they needed to completely revisit their business models in the wake of COVID. These will also be good opportunities for participants to network with each other.
MIT Campus Experiences and Insights:
We will take a virtual tour of MIT and other centers of innovation around the institute in order to learn more about the various problem-solving approaches and innovation culture of MIT. This will also be another good opportunity for participants to network with each other.
Boards and Governance:
Bob Pozen, formerly the COO for Fidelity Investments and a prominent author and board member, will help CFOs improve their relationships with boards by looking at two cases…one involving a proposed merger and another involving a sale of a business that has two different offers and term sheets.
Finance IPO, M&A:
Paul Mende will help CFOs think about the special challenges of mergers and acquisitions…many CFOs think of just the “financial engineering” aspects of these situations but there are other considerations such as synergy and ongoing financial flexibility that are important to anticipate as well.
Leading Change:
The CFOLC faculty director, Court Chilton, will help CFOs think about how to frame the problem of organizational change and then take actions that increase the odds of being successful and decrease the cycle time to success. He will conclude by helping CFOs think about how they themselves need to show up in the middle of company efforts to make innovation and transformation happen.
“MIT Sloan Executive Education is delighted to be collaborating a second time with the CFO Leadership Council to provide development opportunities within CFO Week in Boston. Together, we have created a unique and exclusive executive education program designed to help CFOs lead their companies through disruption and rapid change. This year the program is meant to help CFOs move further toward mastery in the arenas of strategy, economics, finance, board management/governance, and organizational change. MIT’s approach in the classroom is driven by rigorous research, a diverse set of learning methods, and highly interactive. Our goal is to help you apply insights, tools, and frameworks that extend your and your firm’s ability to create, capture, and deliver sustainable value. The MIT Sloan faculty and staff look forward to joining you virtually Nov 5, 9, 10, 16,17 2020!”
~ Peter Hirst, Senior Associate Dean, MIT Sloan Executive Education
~ Peter Hirst, Senior Associate Dean, MIT Sloan Executive Education