Download - CEB Finance Service Brochure
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25+ Years of Experience
110+ Countries Represented
10,000+ Participating Organizations
240,000+ Business Professionals
Who We Are
CEB is the leading member-based advisory company. By combining the best practices of
thousands of member companies with our advanced research methodologies and human
capital analytics, we equip senior leaders and their teams with insight and actionable
solutions to transform operations.
This distinctive approach, pioneered by CEB, enables executives to harness peer
perspectives and tap into breakthrough innovation without costly consulting or reinvention.
The CEB member network includes more than 16,000 executives and the majority of top
companies globally.
88% of the Fortune 500
82% of the FTSE 100
56% of the Dow Jones Asian Titans 50
For Midsized Companies
Human ResourcesFinance Information
TechnologyLegal, Risk & Compliance Marketing Sales
Procurement & Operations
CEB Finance Leadership CouncilMembership Program Overview
Membership Features
Research and
Insights
We create unique research and tools throughout the year to help business leaders evaluate
new issues and challenges.
Proven Best
Practices
We derive hundreds of tested approaches to solving business challenges from our network
of leading companies.
Advisory SupportOur experts provide executives and their teams with personalized guidance and project support
for pending decisions, new tactics, internal presentations, and other needs.
Decision and
Diagnostic Tools
Analysis and support deliver customized, actionable views of the most important performance
metrics in your corporate function.
Peer BenchmarksRelevant, quantitative data and analysis clarify the most efficient resource allocation and focus
areas with the highest impact.
Executive
Networking
Peer interaction through live events and online discussion groups provides regular perspective
and validation.
Live and Online
Learning Events
Network and learning opportunities include senior executive–only events, staff training,
and skill development.
CEB Finance provides you and your team with a comprehensive set of resources, services, and training opportunities to lift the
performance of the finance function
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Improve Your Function’s Performance Against Its Most Critical Priorities
Insights, Tools, and Templates on the Activities Midsized Company CFOs Consider Most Critical
3 Ways We Deliver Value to Transform Your Operations
Develop business performance
management and growth
planning capabilities.
Improve and build accounting,
back-office, and FP&A processes.
Reduce the cost of investments
in risk management, finance IT
systems, and finance team
training.
Dashboards, Metrics,
and Operating ReviewsGrowth Strategy
Finance IT Systems
Business Partnering
and Analytics
Back-Office
Process Improvement
M&A Targeting
and Integration
Budgeting and
Forecasting
Cash Efficiency and
Credit Access
Finance Organization
and Talent
Internal Audit, Controls,
and Risk Assessment
Our work is always guided by the needs and requests of our member executives – CFOs and finance teams use CEB resources
to accelerate growth, reduce risk, and drive efficiency with specific focus on 10 key finance priorities.
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Peer Benchmarking
Compare your organization’s SG&A spending with hundreds other midsize companies to find opportunities to drive efficiency and scale your central functions
as your organization grows. Our powerful dataset includes more than 250 midsize companies and provides unparalleled benchmarking capabilities. Work with
one of our advisors to use the data and best practices to identify where you are over- or underinvesting.
SG&A Benchmarking
Benchmark all of your core SG&A functions:
• Finance
• HR
• IT
• Legal
• Marketing
• Sales
Receive custom benchmarks that include:
• Industry
• Revenue Size
• Employee Headcount
• Ownership Structure
• Global Complexity
Identify opportunities to increase value, improve efficiency, and invest in the maturity of your budgeting process. Use CEB’s benchmarks to diagnose the root
causes of budgeting process shortcomings by taking a holistic view of budgeting productivity and maturity to give Finance teams short-term improvement
opportunities and long-term process management road-maps.
Budget Productivity Benchmarking
Benchmark key process productivity attributes:
• Clarity & Insight
• Depth & Transparency
• Timeliness & Accuracy
Receive custom benchmarks that include:
• Overall process maturity level
• Cost savings
• Employee efficiency
• System and automation opportunities
Benchmark your Finance IT architecture to receive unbiased, vendor-neutral data on 13 different finance IT system types and dozens of IT vendors. Use
CEB’s benchmarks to inform where you should make incremental system investments, understand how satisfied your peers are with vendors, and implement
best practices to get the most ROI from your investments.
Finance IT Systems Benchmarking
Benchmark 13 different key system types including:
• ERP
• General ledger
• Business Intelligence
• Billing
• Financial Consolidation
Receive custom benchmarks that include:
• Upfront investment
• Operating costs
• Utilization levels
• Vendor satisfaction levels
• Functionality
Use CEB’s powerful benchmarking services, which are included in membership, to see how your organization stacks up to your
midsize company peers
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Diagnostics and Decision Tools
Use CEB’s custom diagnostic services, which are included in membership, to assess your company, function, and processes
Use CEB’s proven Risk Assessment Diagnostic to identify and prioritize your company’s key risks. We used an efficient survey-based approach based on our
extensive risk catalogue to build a customizable risk survey for your organization. Then we collect and analyze the information to prepare board-ready
presentations to guide your risk management discussions and enable more actionable mitigation plans.
Risk Assessment Diagnostic
Assess your key risk areas:
• Strategic Risks
• Financial Risks
• Operational Risks
• Legal & Compliance Risks
• IT Systems Risks
Receive a board-ready presentation that includes:
• Top 10 most important risks
• High velocity risks
• Risk heat-maps
Benchmark your key back-office finance processes against peer companies Use CEB’s benchmarks to prioritize process improvement opportunities for your
company with minimal time investment required of your team. We provide comparisons to focus your improvement efforts and then arm you with advice and
best practice make your processes more efficient and effective
Finance Process Optimization Diagnostic
Benchmark key back-office finance processes:
• Accounts Payable
• Accounts Receivable
• Accounting Close
• T&E/Payroll
Receive custom benchmarks that include:
• Overall process maturity level
• Cost per transaction/activity
• Employee efficiency
• System and automation opportunities
Use CEB’s Functional Maturity Diagnostic to assess the maturity of your finance function and set the course for improvement. The Diagnostic measures
performance across six objectives and 32 discrete activities to guide and validate your functional development plans. Assessment results provide guidance on
immediate action steps and establish a roadmp to mature the function.
Finance Functional Maturity Diagnostic
Assess your finance function effectiveness: in 19 areas, including
• Accounting & Reporting
• Functional Management & Allocation of Resources
• Strategic Execution & Risk Management
• Securing and Managing Funding
Receive custom analysis that includes:
• Analysis of key strengths
• Areas of potential overinvestment
• Priorities for improvement
• Next steps for advancement of top priorities
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Executive Networking Sessions Reserved for CFOs
Tap directly into the world’s largest network of mid-size company CFOs through our in-person CFO-only executive networking sessions. We use powerful
research on critical topics to spark true peer-to-peer learning, so you walk away with tactical ways to dramatically improve your business and develop your
finance function. Our CFOs routinely tell us that these meetings are the best day they spend out of the office every year.
In-Person CFO Education and Networking Events
Join our monthly, CFO-only Virtual Meetings to stay connected with your peer CFOs without leaving your office. We use powerful data and proven best
practices to guide these highly interactive sessions, giving CFOs an opportunity to learn from and share with peers on important, timely subjects.
Virtual CFO Networking Events
2015 Research Topic – Shaping Business Decision Making: Positioning Finance for Higher ROICFOs recognize an opportunity to improve performance by shaping better decisions and are asking their teams increase their influence across the
enterprise. Unfortunately, most CFOs know that finance is falling short – only 1 in 5 CFOs believe their teams are valued contributors to business plans
and outcomes. To influence enterprise-wide decision making, business partnership must be a mandatory piece of the entire function’s mission. Join us to
learn how the most progressive CFOs mobilize their entire function to exercise influence by:
• Defining where they’ll influence by securing business leader commitment to how Finance will support business decisions,
• Lifting the team by challenging them to influence more decisions, and
• Expanding the reach of reporting to guide independent decision-making.
Join CEB’s highly-interactive and informative in-person and virtual networking sessions reserved for our midsize company CFOs
Q1 Topics
Jan – Elevating the Finance Team
Feb – Building More Influential
Reports
Mar – Business Analytics: Finance’s
Role in the New Technological
Environment
Q2 Topics
Apr – Developing Finance’s
Strategies: Increasing Functional
Maturity
May – Accelerating Finance
Processes
Jun – Prioritizing and Managing
Growth Investments
Q3 Topics
Jul – Driving More Productive
Operational Budgeting
Aug – Translating Strategy to Action
Sep – Building Productive Board
Relationships
Q4 Topics
Oct – Building Competitive SG&A
Capabilities
Nov – Planning for 2016
Dec – Building Sustainable Growth
Capabilities
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2015 Session Dates include: Palo Alto, CA; Chicago, IL; New York, NY; London, United Kingdom
Executive Education for Your Key Staff
CEB’s Process Reengineering cohort provides Controllers and back
office managers with powerful research and support to improve
efficiency of back office processes and scale finance to meet the
changing needs of the business
FP&A Cohort
Provide your Controller, head of FP&A and other key team members with powerful peer learning and networking opportunities,
including unlimited CPE credits for your entire organization at no additional cost
Q1
Establishing the Right Controls Level
Q2
Improving Accounting Close Speed
and Driving Business Value
Q3
Improving Decision-making through
Management Reporting
Q4
Maximizing the Value of Finance IT
Investments
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Process Reengineering Cohort
CEB’s FP&A cohort is specifically designed to raise the efficiency and
effectiveness of your FP&A team, giving your rising leaders a unique
forum to learn progressive practices from peers in similar roles at
other mid-size companies
Q1
Building Influential Management
Reports
Q2
Forecasting for Performance Visibility
Q3
Archetypes of FP&A Functional
Evolution
Q4
Defining Excellence in Business
Analytics
Push your finance function forward by exposing your entire team to powerful research, best practices, and peer insight through our unlimited
CPE-accredited virtual meetings. We hosts CPE-accredited several sessions each week on a wide variety of topics across finance. Our
experienced presenters will teach your team new ways to develop their skills and will provide helpful tools and research to push critical projects
forward. Access a library of hundreds of session replays at anytime through our website.
CPE-Accredited Virtual Meetings For Your Entire Staff
Recent sessions include:
• Accounting: Accounting Productivity in a Judgment-Based Era
• Audit: Intelligent Internal Controls and Compliance
• Back Office Process Management: Improving AP Efficiency
• Corporate Finance: Enterprise Cost Management
• FP&A: High-Impact Performance Metrics
• Strategy/Corporate Development: Accelerating M&A Value Capture
• Tax: US Tax Reform Update
• Treasury: Improving Cash Flow Forecasting
Tactical Tools and Resources
Prevent your team from spending unnecessary time building new excel-based model and tools by working from the best practice examples of your peers. CEB
Finance Tools Warehouse houses over 80 downloadable tools and templates you can edit to complete a wide variety of finance tasks more efficiently and
effectively.
Finance Tools Warehouse
Give your accounting team the tools and research to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently using CEB’s Technical Accounting Center. CEB displaces
thousands of dollars of fees by providing members access to proprietary accounting databases, rules libraries and tools.
Technical Accounting Center
Standardize, update or build new accounting policies without taking up the valuable time of your accounting staff. CEB’s Accounting Policy Library includes
over 400 member-donated accounting policies that you can download, copy and edit. These policies cover a huge range of topics to prevent your team from
starting with a blank sheet of paper every time they create a new policy.
Accounting Policy Library
Popular topics include:
• Account reconciliation policies
• Derivatives and hedging policies
• Transfer pricing policies
• Fixed asset accounting policies
• IT and software policies
• Revenue recognition policies
• Approval & authorization policies
• Travel & expense policies
Use CEB’s tactical finance tools, accounting resources and policies to save your team hundreds of hours annually and displace
thousands of dollars in costs
Popular tools include:
• Internal Controls Self Assessment – Assess the effectiveness of your internal controls infrastructure.
• Investment Evaluation Tool – Accurately compare the value of competing growth and capital investments.
• M&A Discounted Cash Flow Valuation Tool – Quickly and easily model the strategic value of potential acquisition targets.
• Finance Competency Model Builder – Build a standardized finance competency model to guide your finance talent development.
Popular resources include:
• AICPA Accounting Research Tool – Unlimited access to FASB codification and authoritative guidance.
• 10-k Wizard – Unlimited access to all electronically filed forms and EDGAR archives .
• GAAP and IFRS Disclosure Writers – Targeted search by accounting topic, industry, form type or disclosure.
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Finance Team Resources
CEB Finance provides your team with a wide array of tools and resources to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their
day-to-day work
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CONTROLLERSHIP
Controller Name: _______________________
CFO
Finance Staff and Spend Benchmarking
CFO–Board Relationship Resource Center
Enterprise Risk Assessment Diagnostic
Four imperatives of the Strategic CFO Research
Going Public Insight Center
Growth Strategy Resource Center
Investor Relations Insight Center
Job Description Database
M&A Resource Center
High-Impact Performance Management Research
Strategic Plan Creation Tool
Talent Management Resource Center
FINANCIAL PLANNING & ANALYSIS
CFO Name: ____________________________
CFO–Only Monthly Virtual Meetings
Finance Capabilities Diagnostic
CFO-Only Peer Group
CFO-Only In-Person Meetings
Controllers Peer Group
10-k Wizard
Back Office Process Improvement Center
CPE Electives
External Audit Fee Benchmarking Tool
GAAP Disclosure Writer
Process Map Creation Tool
Process Reengineering Cohort
SOX Resource Center
Policy Library
XBRL Resource Center
AICPA Accounting Research Tool
IFRS Resource Center
AP Benchmarking & Maturity Models
Accounting Close Insight Center
Head of FP&A Name: _______________________
Cost Management Insight Center
Analytics Learning Center
Capital Budgeting Resource Center
CPE Electives
Dashboards & Metrics Resource Center
Forecasting Resource Center
FP&A Peer Group
Investment Evaluation Tool
Metrics Selection Guide
FP&A as Business Challenger Research
Planning Assumptions Toolkit
SG&A Benchmarking Service
Business Partnering Resource Center
FP&A Performance 360 Diagnostic
Business Portfolio Assessment Tool
Budgeting Process Improvement Center
Finance IT System Benchmarking
Finance Team Resources - Continued
CEB Finance provides your team with a wide array of tools and resources to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their
day-to-day work
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CPE Electives
Effective Tax Rate Benchmarking
Transfer Pricing Insight Center
Global Tax Provision Software Provider
Profiles
International Corporate Tax Guide
Tax Director Peer Group
Tax Director Name: ______________________
TAX
Growth Strategy Resource Center
M&A Resource Center
M&A Project Accelerator Toolkit
Macroeconomic Dashboards
Enterprise Risk Management Resource
Center
Strategic Plan Creation Guide
Head of Strategy Name: _________________
STRATEGY
Bank Negotiation Playbook
Capital Structure Insight Center
Cash Efficiency & Credit Access
Resource Center
Credit Facility Benchmarking Report
Finance Calculators
Derivatives and Hedging Insight Center
Treasurers Peer Group
Working Capital Benchmarks
Treasurer Name: ________________________
TREASURY
INVESTOR RELATIONS
Board Resource Center
Investor Analyst Hotspots
Investor Relations Insight Center
Investor Relations Tools and Templates
Going Public Resource Center
Investor Relations Peer Group
Executive Compensation Tools
Head of IR Name: _______________________
Audit Committee Reporting Templates
Audit Plan Guides
Audit Plan Hotspots
Crisis Management Center
Enterprise Risk Management Center
External Audit Fee Benchmarking Tool
Internal Controls Assessment Tool
Quarterly Emerging Risk Update
RFP Generator
Risk Assessment Diagnostic
Risk Migration Center
Internal Audit Peer Group
SOX Compliance Center
SOX Tools and Templates
Internal Auditor Name: __________________
INTERNAL AUDIT
Cash & Credit Forecasting Tool
CPE Electives
Strategic Progress Tracker
Business Portfolio Assessment Tool
Strategy Offsite Planning Guide
Growth Strategy Resource Center
CPE Electives
Meet with your account manager to:
■ Generate on-demand access for
you and your team and
■ Outline service needs and
priorities for the year.
Take our Process Optimization
Diagnostic to assess
opportunities for back-office
process improvement.
Introduction to
membership
Review your Process Optimization
results and recommended best
practices with a CEB research
director.
Learn and discuss innovative
operating approaches at a live
or virtual CFO-only meeting.
Nominate a member of your team
to participate in our quarterly
Process Reengineering Cohort
to learn practitioner approaches to
implement change.
Strengthen team skills through
online learning, tools, and
templates from our member-only
website.
Customized Support Plans for Your Priorities
Enable GrowthTransform the
DepartmentReduce RiskIncrease Efficiency
Your dedicated account manager and our research support team will work with you to plan out a successful year of membership
and will align our tools, training, resources, and custom service to advance your key priorities
Sample Member Service Plan to Increase Back Office Process Efficiency
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Member Value Example – Lastar Inc.
Tasked by the board with finding operational efficiencies, Lastar’s finance team needed an efficient way to compare the
company’s cost base to that of peer organizations. Using our SG&A Benchmarking service, Lastar was able to
identify opportunities to cut costs and enable more productive conversations about funding future growth plans.
CEB’s custom SG&A Benchmarking and research helped Lastar’s finance team cut more than $150,000 of unnecessary cost
and reallocate resources to higher value areas
Member Challenge
Reactive and Incremental Planning Process Inhibited
Growth• Relied on internally driven assumptions about overhead efficiency
• Questioned whether spending allocation was in line with peers
• Needed a mechanism to drive planning discussions to areas of
strategic focus
CEB Solution
CEB SG&A Benchmarking Services• Used our customized SG&A benchmarking report to compare relative
spending and staffing across corporate center functions with 120 peer
companies
• Employed insight from peer finance executives to validate planning
assumptions (e.g., GDP and compensation) and build confidence in the
finance team’s strategic guidance for the business
• Used our SG&A benchmarking to produce a presentation that provided
financial and operational recommendations to the executive team
Results
Improved Strategic Resource Planning Process• Focused executive- and director-level conversations on decisions about
• strategic trade-offs instead of debating internal assumptions
• Identified areas of spending where over- or under-funding could prevent
• Lastar from achieving its strategic objectives
Identified Resource Cost Savings and Resource Reallocation Opportunities• Uncovered over $150,000 of potential savings in the HR department
• Refocused IT resource planning on long-term solutions instead of short-term work-around fixes
that could increase IT risk
• Identified that the sales function was overfunded relative to peers,
• potentially hindering conversion and rep productivity
“We use the CEB SG&A report
in our executive planning session
each year to deflate tension in the
room and force tough conversations
about areas of strategic importance.
It helps the finance team develop
recommendations for the board.”
Michael Caruso
SVP Finance
Client Testimonial
Situation
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