Professor Desai is the Mizuho Group Professor of Finance at Harvard Business School and Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He has been teaching for nearly twenty years to varied student populations, including senior executives from around the world, MBA students, undergraduates, and lawyers. He has published more than 25 case studies, a casebook, and has testified before the U.S. Congress on policy issues.
Leading with Finance is designed for leaders who need to look at their business from a deeper financial perspective and who wish to gain the skills and confidence needed to make and convey better financial decisions. This course is also for finance professionals who wish to update their knowledge of finance in order to grow their career.
“Financial literacy is critical for leaders as they grow, and this program gives participants the foundation they need by demystifying the theory and practice of finance,” said Desai. “Most people out there think finance is inert, formulaic and intimidating, but this course is attached to the real world and is designed to be intuitive and accessible.”
In this six-week program, participants will gain a deep appreciation for and understanding of finance practice and theory. In addition to learning how to analyze a company’s profitability and cash flow, they will explore how value is created and measured as well as how to decipher key levers that drive financial performance. The program also examines how capital markets operate and how they help shape business decisions.
Participants in Leading with Finance learn first by exploring key financial concepts through interactive teaching tools such as a spreadsheet emulator along with short, highly-produced videos. Then, in keeping with the HBS tradition of case-method teaching, which depends upon discussion and shared peer insights, they practice what they have learned through multimedia case studies focusing on a wide variety of companies which feature prominent CFOs, hedge fund managers, private equity professionals and equity research analysts who provide an understanding of the full capital markets landscape. Finally, participants apply their learnings to their own lives and organizations.
“HBX was launched two years ago with a vision toward expanding the reach of Harvard Business School,” said HBX Executive Director Patrick Mullane. “Today, we build on that vision by adding Leading with Finance to our catalog. This step is particularly exciting as finance is such an important ingredient in the success and sustainability of any organization.”
HBX is currently accepting applications for the first cohort of Leading with Finance, whose students will begin their studies in November. Applications for the November program are open until October 19th. Successful applicants must have approximately 10 years or more of professional work experience and an undergraduate degree, or have successfully completed HBX CORe. The program is priced at $1,200, a 20% introductory discount. Visit the HBX website to learn more.
