Executive Assistants to C-Level Jobs are generally considered the most senior EA jobs. If you aim to work as an Executive Assistant to the CEO, CFO or similar level of management, you will encounter the requirement for an awareness and knowledge of Finance. This is because the C-Level will attend many meetings containing financial reports. Additionally, many C-Levels will communicate via email about financial reports and similar managerial packs. Therefore, if an Executive Assistant aims to synchronize their role with their manager at the C-Level, they will need to gain greater commercial awareness together with the ability to think strategically. The basis of this is often from financial knowledge.

How can Executive Assistants build financial knowledge?

An Executive Assistant at the C-level will likely require knowledge of financial reports. The main financial reports are the Balance Sheet, P&L, Cashflow Statements, Budgets, Forecasts, CAPEX reports, etc. You do not need to be a finance expert but, you need a sound awareness of the key financial terms and be able to interpret the main financial reports. This capability will help you align your strategic thinking to feel more like a partner in the C-Level environment you are working in. The best EAs can think strategically and try to synchronize themselves with their manager’s thought process.

Become a better Executive Assistant

This can assist you in many areas of your role, such as prioritizing emails, ensuring your manager’s diary is prioritized to meet the main business requirements and communicating strategically with management. These are all very important in order to become an effective Executive Assistant at C level.

An Executive Assistant who understands finance can also assist their manager in editing and preparing management packs for meetings. Some organizations even have their Executive Assistant take minutes at key managerial meetings where they discuss financial themes. If you do not understand these themes, it will not be easy to take minutes accurately.

Job Enrichment

It also makes you feel more confident and part of the executive arena. This is because you were able to converse more on the managerial topics that are the key focus for your managers. This can give you greater confidence to vocalise and become a more proactive member of the team and also, help you raise your professional profile. You may also feel more confident as you understand the key big-picture concepts that lead to good decisions. Additionally, executives may be more comfortable allowing you to be their deputy. When you want to manage upwards or even push back and say ‘no’, a more commercially aware response is often more effective.

Our Finance for an Executive Assistant Course provides a one-day overview of the main finance reports and aims to build financial terminology. These skills will help to build your career and make you feel more confident in managerial meetings. Our trainers are experts in training non-financial professionals and have done so at some of America’s most prestigious employers. Additionally, the course holds an international CPD Standards accreditation.