Finance Academy

Client: Outokumpu

Outokumpu, a global stainless steel manufacturer, faced a significant challenge with €1.2 billion in debt and a finance function that was fragmented and transactional. The company's CFO aimed to transform the finance team into a unified, strategic business partner. To achieve this, 6 Group collaborated with the CFO and the Learning & Development team to create a two-day "Finance Academy" program. The program was designed to embed critical transformation behaviours and bridge the gap between the CFO's vision and daily, actionable steps for employees.

The Finance Academy was rolled out globally, engaging more than 300 finance professionals across seven countries. The program featured several innovations, including large-scale virtual learning, real-world case studies, and a leadership narrative that translated the CFO's vision into a simple, actionable framework. It also focused on empowering individuals with a "license to act," fostering psychological safety and accountability.

The initiative led to a significant shift in the finance function, which had previously been one of the lowest-performing groups in the company. Following the academy, positive responses on employee surveys increased across key areas: Change Understanding and Acceptance rose from 56% to 72%, Psychological Safety and Communication increased from 59% to 72%, and Management Transparency improved from 54% to 72%. The company also successfully reduced its €1.2 billion debt to zero and achieved record profitability. The CFO was recognised as European CFO of the Year, with the Finance Academy cited as a key factor in the function's success.