Quickly penetrate to the core of a company

A greater understanding of and a fresher approach to problems can be gained, according to Leendert van Wezel, from the TIAS Executive Master of Finance and Control / Register Controller. He is the Business director at Rabobank Drechtsteden and in this commercial role he reaps a great deal of benefit from the master's broad character.

Why did you choose this program?
This master had been on my wish list for years. The program has a very good reputation on the labor market and is widely applicable within the business community. I think you can only fulfill the role of advisor or controller if you can properly discern how the value chain in your company operates. To do this you need an insight into all the different aspects of the value chain. Everything that a company can be involved in - whether that is tax law, ICT, logistics management or the administrative organization - is dealt with in depth. That makes the program so valuable.

Which modules did you find interesting?
I thought Strategic Management was a good module, because we were given assignments in a smaller group and these have really produced new insights. The Finance & Treasury module gave a good insight into how one can really arrive at the proper valuation of a company. I thought that was absolutely enriching. In the first year, Accounting Information Systems takes one right back to the core of the set-up of a company. Seen from a  controller's perspective, that is a very natural point of departure. Pithy, certainly, and yet I enjoyed it too. 

In what way did you benefit from your interaction with the group?
It was a mixed group of colleagues from all sorts of companies. Maybe that is one of the most valuable aspects of the master. There is always someone who is able to give a practical explanation on a subject, something they just happen to be involved with at his or her company. That enormously increases the practical applicability of the lectures. 

Moreover, within the program you work on assignments with smaller groups. That often gives you the opportunity to visit another company. For instance, last Friday we visited a company that does complex and large-scale job production for a client. While there we held interviews with the production manager and went through the entire production process. You then immediately notice which starting points were used when setting up the process. That results in an interesting discussion about the choices that were made. That was a good experience!

Have you received new insights thanks to the master?
In the past I had been involved a number of times with valuations of the bank's clients. But the way in which here a valuation expert explained how company valuations are done these days, was refreshing for me. I had never before realized so strongly that for instance fluctuations in turnover, or other financial fluctuations within business management, could have such an immediate impact on the valuation of a company. Logical really, from the point of view of statistics and probability theory, but for me that was a new insight.

Doos the program have an effect on your daily work?
There is a new freshness in the approach to problems. I notice that since returning to a commercial position. A controller program helps you to provide your clients with strategic advice. For instance, you can say: we have a tax problem. And then ask yourself: how can I solve it? But the real question is of course: why do you have a tax problem? Why do you for instance manufacture abroad and why do you do it in that way? So, back to the basics. That way of thinking is amply provided during this master. This means that you sometimes dig far deeper into the underlying process, down to causes and solutions. It is a more strategic and more holistic approach.

At what moment will the program be a success as far as you are concerned?
For me it is already a success. I am really looking forward to the lecture days. The lectures are inspiring and you notice that the professors are extremely driven with a view to providing people with a proper program. You can feel that personal drive reflected in the quality of the master. I also think the organization is of top quality. I had done a number of programs previously, but not one of them was so well organized as this master. Everything is always in place, everything is on time. For instance, a teacher was unexpectedly absent and within two weeks that was very well catered for. The rest of that module went perfectly. I am becoming more and more positively assured that this is simply a very good program.

If you had to recommend this master to a colleague, what would you say?
The Master of Finance and Control / Register Controller is of a completely different order than a program focused on administration and control. This master enables you to make a reflective contribution within your company at a strategic level on the direction of a company in the area and to provide very significant appropriate advice. If you are in the controller profession and want to do an excellent program that really strengthens you in your profession, then simply do this one. But also if you hold a consultancy or commercial position, it is of essential importance that you can provide your clients with advice about their strategic development. Then too this master is a good program. Because it gives you tools to help penetrate quickly to the core of a company or company model.

Executive Master of Finance & Control / Register Controller

As a register controller you are more and more a business partner of management. Give substance to this advisory role based on new insights and skills obtained during the TIAS Master of Finance & Control / Register Controller.

Read more about this Master