Crisis Management
The 2008 Finance Directors’ Forum took place amid turmoil in financial markets and a looming recession. However, delegates remained solidly upbeat, taking valuable lessons from a conference programme packed with great advice for managing in a crisis.
Although the modern finance director can only succeed these days by demonstrating a mastery of “soft” skills – leadership, communication, empathy and persuasion – more traditional attributes come to the fore in times of trouble.
Delegates facing the prospect of scarce capital and a worsening economy showed that level-headedness, discipline and decisiveness remain at the core of the role.
Their commitment to these principles was reinforced at the 2008 Finance Directors’ Forum thanks to a programme that took a positive approach to managing in a crisis.
From keynote speeches that emphasised calmness and integrity under pressure, to seminars covering smart cost-cutting, incident management and motivating teams, the conference did much to equip FDs with the tools to cope in harsh times.