IIM Calcutta Chief Financial Officer Course Reviews From Past Participants

The IIM Calcutta Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Programme is designed for experienced finance professionals, business heads, CXOs, and senior leaders preparing for broader financial leadership responsibilities. Offered by IIM Calcutta, the programme covers strategic finance, business strategy, leadership, AI, digital transformation, and corporate governance. These reviews provide firsthand participant perspectives on the programme’s learning value, peer experience, and practical relevance.

IIM Calcutta

Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Programme

9 months

Blended

IIM Calcutta Executive Education Alumni Status

Last Date to Apply: 30 Oct 2026

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IIM Calcutta Chief Financial Officer Programme Reviews

The following IIM Calcutta Chief Financial Officer Programme reviews highlight how participants experienced the programme’s strategic finance curriculum, faculty-led discussions, peer learning, campus immersion, and practical relevance for senior finance leadership.

CXO-Level Perspective for Strategic Finance Roles

For Arihant Bothra, the programme helped build the thought process required for CXO-level roles, while the campus immersion added a wider perspective on business situations.

“This programme has helped unleash the thought process required when entering CXO levels. The structure and scope of the programme are designed to align with market needs, and this programme being offered by IIM Calcutta, was the icing on the cake. Other programs were limited to a particular subject like Analytics or Strategic Thinking, but this programme has a mix of all, so it stands out. Further, the classes taken by Prof Ashok Banerjee and Prof Kaushik Roy were so exciting that we used to wait with excitement. Finally, the campus immersion gave us a 360-degree view of how to look at the same situation from multiple points of view.”

—Arihant Bothra, CFO

Strategic Decision-Making With a Holistic CFO View

Kalyanaraman Gopalan highlights how the programme supported structured thinking, strategic perspective, and exposure to case studies, projects, simulations, and faculty guidance.

“It gives me immense pride to announce that I have successfully completed IIM Calcutta’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Programme. It was an exciting journey with experienced and dynamic leaders across different industries, coming together to work on multiple case studies, projects, along with the guidance of top IIM Calcutta faculty. This programme helped me in building a more structured approach to topics and critical issues, with a strategic and holistic approach. The programme had an array of modules, from competitive strategy to portfolio management, venture capital to value creation, and corporate governance, along with a simulation exercise. This programme truly prepares the participants to take up the role of a CFO. I would like to thank IIM Calcutta, my co-participants, and the faculty for their continued support and guidance.”

—Kalyanaraman Gopalan, Head of Finance (Projects)

Faculty-Led Learning for Modern CFO Priorities

For Daulat Roy, the faculty and training modules stood out for their quality, clarity, and relevance to the changing priorities of CFOs.

“The faculty and training modules were of exceptional quality, incorporating modern methodologies that were clearly and effectively conveyed. The curriculum was thoughtfully designed, reflecting the evolving dynamics of the global market and aligning well with the strategic priorities of a CFO.”

—Daulat Roy, Senior Manager Commercial Finance

Enterprise-Level Finance and Leadership Perspective

Sachin Parab describes the programme as a strategic finance and leadership experience that sharpened his perspective on governance, value creation, digital transformation, and enterprise-level decision-making.

“The CFO Programme at IIM Calcutta was a transformative experience that blended strategic thinking with real-world financial leadership. Beyond technical finance, the programme sharpened my ability to align financial strategy with business outcomes, strengthen decision-making in governance and value creation, and navigate digital transformation, AI-led disruption, and macroeconomic complexities. The rigorous faculty-led learning, practical case discussions, and insights from 90+ senior finance professionals made the experience deeply enriching and significantly enhanced my leadership perspective at the enterprise and board level.”

—Sachin Parab, Associate Vice President (Finance)

Practical Finance Learning With Greater Confidence

Gursharan Chawla highlights the blend of in-person classroom sessions, interactive online learning, faculty insights, and structured assessments.

“One of the best aspects of the programme was its effective blend of in-person classroom sessions and highly interactive online learning, delivered by experienced faculty who brought strong academic and practical insights. The programme provided several actionable ideas for strengthening finance practices while building confidence through easy-to-understand modules, engaging discussions, and structured assessments that made learning both practical and impactful.”

– Gursharan Chawla, Senior Director (Finance)

Explore how the IIM Calcutta CFO Programme supports strategic financial leadership for professionals preparing for C-suite roles.

About the IIM Calcutta Chief Financial Officer Programme

The IIM Calcutta Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Programme is a nine-month executive education programme designed for professionals with a minimum of eight years of work experience. It includes live online sessions with IIM Calcutta faculty, three hours per week, along with a seven-day campus immersion at IIM Calcutta across two visits.

The programme is designed for new and emerging CFOs, senior finance professionals, business heads, CXOs, and financial leaders involved in strategic decision-making. It helps participants examine finance beyond traditional reporting and budgeting, with attention to value creation, business strategy, digital finance, leadership, and enterprise growth.

Key Curriculum Areas

The programme covers the following curriculum areas:

• Applied economics: Economic growth, inflation, fiscal policy, exchange rates, and interest rate risk
• Competitive and business strategy: Competitive advantage, business strategy for CFOs, platforms, and ecosystems
• Financial strategy: Capital structure, cost of capital, mergers and acquisitions, divestments, and risk management
• Leadership and organisational behaviour: Team leadership, conflict management, negotiations, organisational design, and boardroom management
• AI and digital transformation: AI use cases in finance, AI ROI, data storytelling, GenAI, Agentic AI, and responsible AI
• Deep finance: Fintech trends, digital disruption, and emerging finance opportunities
• Corporate strategy: CFO leadership, growth strategy, multinational corporations, family businesses, and uncertainty management
• Design thinking: Design thinking principles, practical applications, and CFO-focused use cases

Program Outcomes You May Expect

Participants may expect to:

• Strengthen financial decision-making through value-creating strategies and stronger business judgment
• Understand digital finance transformation and its role in improving insight, productivity, and trend identification
• Link finance with business value by examining key business drivers and their impact on growth
• Build risk-aware capital strategies that align expansion goals with financial discipline
• Apply financial criteria to operations through stronger business models and decision frameworks
• Develop leadership capability for team growth, collaboration, and business transformation

Upon successful completion, eligible participants receive a completion certificate and IIM Calcutta Executive Education Alumni Status, subject to the programme’s completion criteria.

The IIM Calcutta Chief Financial Officer Programme reviews reflect how participants value its strategic finance curriculum, faculty-led learning, peer interactions, and practical relevance for senior finance roles. Download the programme brochure to understand the programme structure, curriculum, eligibility, and learning outcomes in detail.