Our Finance Leadership Programme is designed to help finance professionals develop leadership skills and achieve their full potential. We’re excited to announce two new programmes starting in September, one in Norwich and one in Ipswich.

Each programme will be made up of four sessions run by Karen Saunders, a coach, mentor, facilitator and HR consultant, and owner of KS Coaching and Consulting. The sessions are sponsored by Larking Gowen, and will be held at their Norwich and Ipswich offices.

What will Karen’s sessions cover?

They’ll include:

• the ‘why’: a chance to delve into your personal purpose and values. Take a look at the remit of your role and learn how to lead with authenticity
• explore the characteristics of high-performing teams. Discover which leadership frameworks build trust and psychological safety
• influence and engagement: find out how to use effective communication to build influence and engagement. Difficult conversations might not be as difficult as you think
• resilience and role modelling: motivating people and organisations to thrive is possible in good times and bad. See what resilience means and how role modelling can make a difference.

The dates

Each programme has four dates. When you sign up to one, you’ll take part in all four sessions.

• Norwich – 25 September, 22 January, 26 March and 11 June at Larking Gowen’s Norwich office.
• Ipswich – 26 September, 23 January, 27 March and 12 June at Larking Gowen’s Ipswich office.

Getting to know Karen

Karen is inspired by helping people be the best they can be, and seeing them grow and develop. She specialises in helping high-potential professionals, new managers and developed leaders achieve personal growth and business success. She works with both individuals and teams to:

• build trusted relationships
• communicate effectively
• work towards common goals
• get results.

Karen’s background is in HR, and she’s spent time on leadership teams and as an executive coach. Her areas of expertise include developing leaders, managing change, organisational development and design, influencing and conflict resolution. She’s also trained and certified on the DISC personality assessment, a widely used behavioural assessment tool.

Why are these sessions a must for finance professionals?

Karen’s passionate about seeing people develop and grow in their careers. For her, these sessions are vital because they create a space for aspiring professionals to learn something new. They also allow people to feel more connected with their peer group.

‘Connections like these could last for the lifetime of our careers. So they’re a valuable part of our development,’ Karen tells us. ‘As an executive leadership coach, I’ve worked with many finance professionals, and I recognise their challenges. Quite often the initial focus is on building their technical skills through professional qualifications. But if they can complement their development with leadership skills and behaviours, they’ll become even more valuable to their organisations as they grow in their careers. That’s what this programme will do.’

What will people who attend take away?

The programme will explore the behavioural aspects of leadership. Karen will share tips and frameworks to help people become the leaders they want to be – to develop their own style.

‘I’m excited to help individuals step into the leadership space as their own person, rather than feeling they have to be all things to all people,’ Karen says. ‘I aim to help them explore authentic leadership and consider how they want to “show up” as a leader.’

Thinking about joining the programme?

‘There are two parts to this programme,’ Karen says. ‘“Content” and “connections”. The content is about helping people understand how to show leadership by developing skills which complement typical finance roles. We’ll also look at case studies and leadership frameworks to bring learning to life, and reflect on the leaders we want to be.

‘The second part, “connections”, is about giving people a peer network. This will then give them a space to grow together.’

We’ll also be donating the fees from the programme to charity – the money from the Norwich programme will go to Leeway, and to SARS for the Ipswich programme. That means that as well as getting a great return on investment for personal development, attendees will be giving back to the wider community.

A message from Karen

Karen’s keen to emphasise how interactive the sessions will be. ‘They’ll be peppered with case studies, frameworks and reflective questions. I’ll encourage everyone to share experiences and learn from each other. And there will be a healthy dose of pragmatism and humour!’

‘I’m delighted to be running all four sessions,’ she says. ‘It’s a great opportunity to get to know everyone well, and watch them grow throughout the programme. I can’t wait to get started!’

Book your ticket

Places are going quickly – to get yours, sign up here:

• FLP Norwich
• FLP Ipswich

If you have any questions about any of our development programmes, email events@prs.uk.com.