Second Cohort of HSE GSB’s corporate program “CFO Academy” successfully completed
CFO Academy is a two-year program designed for senior and high-potential professionals in financial and economic departments—preparing a talent pipeline for leadership roles in Gazprom Neft Group’s finance function. This year, 41 participants completed the program, with many receiving promotions during the course, including appointments as CFOs and heads of finance departments.
The program’s curriculum was based on international financial certifications such as ACCA, CIMA, and CMA, and covered corporate finance, financial reporting and analysis, investment planning, and risk management. A key feature of the Academy was the emphasis on strategic thinking, leadership development, internal communication, and cross-functional collaboration within the company. This cohort also placed special focus on the latest trends in artificial intelligence and its application to financial and business management.
Alexander Gabrielov
Deputy Director, HSE Graduate School of Business
The CFO Academy combines global standards in financial education with deep industry expertise and real business challenges from Gazprom Neft. Over 50% of the program involves working with real cases, and the projects developed have already been recognized by the company as promising. This confirms the effectiveness of the ‘learning by doing’ model—participants not only study theory, but also create tangible value for the business.
The program incorporated a variety of learning formats, including interactive in-person sessions and project-based work. A distinctive feature of the CFO Academy was the use of peer-to-peer learning and “leaders teaching leaders” approaches, blending lectures from HSE GSB faculty with masterclasses and expert sessions led by Gazprom Neft’s top management and finance leaders.
Natalia Shumkova
Deputy Director for Corporate Training, HSE GSB
The role of the financial leader is evolving—today’s CFO is not just a numbers expert, but a strategic business partner. CFO Academy develops such leaders: professionals who think big, manage complexity, and implement innovation, including AI technologies, into everyday management. I’m confident our graduates will make a strong contribution to the company’s financial function. Congratulations to all graduates and best of luck in their future careers!
Head of Economics and Corporate Planning Department, Gazprom Neft
It was important for us that the program deliver not only knowledge to participants, but practical value to the business. Within the Academy, participants developed applied projects—real solutions that are now being considered for implementation in areas such as operational efficiency and digital transformation.
The program also offered an opportunity to expand professional horizons, enhance digital competencies, and build valuable networks with colleagues across departments and senior experts. This helped participants develop a deeper understanding of the company’s operations and become part of a unified professional community, with a stronger grasp of how finance works in a cutting-edge digital enterprise.
This experience has laid the foundation for a major new initiative—the development of a Russian national professional qualification in economics and finance (NAFD), which aims to become a full-fledged domestic alternative to international certifications such as ACCA, CIMA, and CMA.
More than half of the program focused on hands-on, practice-oriented learning, with participants working on real Gazprom Neft cases. These projects addressed current business challenges and ranged from launching new business ventures and technologies to improving operations and developing IT portfolios. Most projects were reviewed within the company, deemed promising, and are now considered for implementation.
The final assessment involved team project defenses, where participants demonstrated their ability to apply their learning to real-world business problems. All participants successfully passed and received a professional retraining diploma in finance and economics from HSE University.