Ashton Edwin, Deputy Director Finance Business Partner talks about tailoring ICAEW's finance business partnering training to meet a local authority's needs.
Questions
Why did you choose the programme?
The Department for Transport’s finance team operates in a complex stakeholder environment, where influencing, clear communication and effective business partnering are essential. While many team members already had a strong foundation from previous training delivered in 2019, there was a need to refresh and reinforce best practice, ensure consistency across the team, and further develop confidence in presenting insights, influencing decisions and building effective relationships with stakeholders.
There was also a requirement for any development activity to be highly relevant and practical, building on what was already embedded rather than repeating familiar content.
Did you have any reservations about joining the programme?
No hesitation given the immensely positive impact the first time.
How has the programme impacted you?
ICAEW delivered a tailored Finance Business Partnering training programme designed specifically for the Department for Transport finance team. The sessions were adapted to reflect the team’s existing knowledge and experience. We were able to focus on practical application rather than theory alone.
The training placed a strong emphasis on influencing and stakeholder engagement, helping participants strengthen their ability to build effective relationships and shape decision making. It reinforced the importance of streamlining messages to enable a clearer and more impactful communication. The sessions also supported structuring insights in a way that drives effective decision making, while building greater confidence in professional judgement and communicating insights to stakeholders.
Participants responded positively to the trainer’s engaging style and expertise, with feedback consistently highlighting how well the content aligned with their day to day roles and challenges.
What aspects did you find useful/most interesting?
The blend of memorable and easy-to-grasp theory coupled with plenty of time for practice helped the team to learn quicky and retain the training much better.
What has been your biggest takeaway from FBP?
Feedback across both days of training was consistently strong, as the programme helped reinforce core finance business partnering principles. We were provided practical tools the team could immediately apply in their work.
One participant commented: “Great session, super engaging. I would not change anything.”
Others highlighted the value of the practical takeaways, including influencing stakeholders, effective communication and when presenting insights to senior leaders “less is more”.
Overall, the training refreshed best practice, strengthened confidence, and supported a more proactive and consistent approach to stakeholder engagement across the team.
Would you recommend FBP to others?
Absolutely, this is about helping your team on any journey from being competent finance professionals to being truly trusted advisors to the business.
