HSE Graduate School of Business and Gazprom Neft Corporate University Launch the Second Cohort of the “CFO Academy”
As a result of the training, 70% of graduates from the first cohort and 66% of current participants have successfully expanded their career opportunities.
The second cohort focuses on developing professional competencies and expanding the set of effective management tools for financial executives. Participants study advanced practices in financial reporting, performance and cost management, corporate finance, and risk management. They also gain experience in applying mathematical methods in economics, enhancing their decision-making and investment analysis skills.
A key area of focus is the use of modern information and analytical systems and the application of artificial intelligence to improve the efficiency of financial processes.
The program content is aligned with international certification standards for finance professionals, such as ACCA, CIMA, and CMA.
Aleksey Urusov
Head of the Department of Economics and Corporate Planning, Gazprom Neft
“The program offers our employees valuable opportunities for professional growth. It combines leading Russian and international practices with a focus on how they can be applied in our company. The participants represent a priority talent pool for key leadership roles in economics and finance, having gained not only new knowledge and experience but also expanded their professional networks — an essential factor for achieving success in new positions.”
More than half of the program is devoted to practical work, including the analysis of real Gazprom Neft business cases, making the curriculum highly applied and tailored to real-world business challenges.
Alexander Gabrielov
Academic Director of the Program, Deputy Director of the HSE Graduate School of Business
“What makes this program unique is not only its use of modern educational technologies and customized design, but also the combination of experienced faculty from HSE and top-level finance professionals from Gazprom Neft. Faculty members provide methodological grounding and best practices, while company experts translate the academic content into industry realities, ensuring the program’s practical relevance to business needs.”
Natalia Shumkova
Deputy Director for Corporate Education, HSE Graduate School of Business
“The skills developed in the CFO Academy will help leaders in economics and finance expand their toolkit for solving business problems, accelerate their career growth, and generate additional value for their organizations.”
Natalia Shumkova is confident that by the end of the program, participants will gain valuable knowledge and skills to become more effective leaders in an ever-changing environment.
The program format includes interactive in-person sessions with top managers and experts, inter-module work with learning materials, and a team-based project track.
During the project track, teams, guided by HSE GSB supervisors and mentors from company leadership, work on real business projects. Upon successful defense, these projects can be implemented within their organizations. Project topics are commissioned internally and range from traditional investment initiatives — such as launching a used oil recycling business or advanced chemical technologies — to internal development projects focused on inventory management, equipment utilization optimization, and IT budgeting.
The group project defense will take place in April 2025. Participants who successfully complete the program will be awarded a professional retraining diploma from HSE University in finance and economics.