Professional Master’s in Finance Control and Auditing | Interview with Marco Maria Mattei
4 August 2023The Professional Master in Finance, Control and Auditing at BBS aims to provide companies with tools to monitor economic performance and sustainability and to strategically manage the financial area. These elements guide businesses toward more informed decisions in a global context of increasingly intense competition. We asked the Scientific Director, Marco Maria Mattei, to tell us how acquiring these skills can be essential for tomorrow’s managers.
What essential skills can participants acquire during the Master’s in Finance, Control and Auditing, and how do these skills meet the current needs of companies?
The Master’s degree in FCA enables participants to learn the most popular and advanced methodologies for measuring and reporting the performance of companies. Both how to evaluate the business as a whole and measure the performance of specific portions such as product lines, geographic areas or business units are explored. In addition, it is worth pointing out that today’s “performance” means economic and financial results and the enterprise’s sustainability. In fact, in January 2023, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive came into force, obliging many European companies to prepare a sustainability report along with their annual financial statements. And this obligation comes on top of a growing consumer and financial market focus on sustainability. Companies of all sizes are therefore increasingly interested in measuring and communicating their financial performance and environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.
How does the program adapt to evolving accounting regulations and international financial standards? How are participants prepared to meet the challenges of an industry that is as strategic as it is complex?
As mentioned, it is a time of significant change in corporate communications. European legislators and international standard-setters are hard at work developing guidelines for companies to follow in measuring their sustainability performance. Important decisions have been made, but much work remains to be done. The Master’s program aims to provide its students with the tools to understand the changes taking place and operate professionally in companies, or in support of companies, in managing this delicate transition. In fact, competition among companies is no longer based solely on economic-financial results-which also remain fundamental but also on the impact of business activity on the community and the environment.
What opportunities are offered to program participants to put what has been learned into practice? How do collaborations with partner companies and proposed projects allow for applying the skills acquired during the course?
The opportunities to use the skills acquired during the Master’s program are countless, starting with the curricular internship that typically turns into a professional opportunity for all our students. The professional figures that characterize our training – such as controller, auditor and consultant – are particularly in demand by companies, even in periods of lower economic growth. In addition, continuous exchanges with partner companies make it possible to align course content with market needs, and this is a significant advantage for those who attend our Master’s program, who can simulate classroom situations typical of the working world. Finally, I like to recall what Dr Marco Bizzarri, former President and CEO of Gucci, said at our Business School’s last graduation: Bizzarri began his extraordinary career precisely as an auditor for an extensive international network. Only those who learn to interpret numbers and information correctly can effectively manage a business!
