Controllership Course Student Testimonials

Mary Kadomoto - Director Information Technology, Cisco Systems Inc. (Fall 2011 Attendee) "I moved from Finance to IT a few years ago.  I want to stay up to date on current developments in the field of accounting and finance and continue to meet CPE requirements. I found the IMA Peninsula – Palo Alto Chapter’s Controllership program to be a good way to accomplish these goals.  The program was convenient, spread over a number of weeks, one evening per week.  It was very reasonably priced.  I liked that there were a number of topics and presenters in each session, which kept it engaging.  Overall a great program!"

Jane Chik- Corporate Controller (Fall 2010 Attendee) " I just love every minute of the Fall 2010 controllership program! The controllership program not only covered many core topics which are important for today's controllers, but also the current and emerging topics that matters to the controllers today. I Love the topics covered and the dynamite speakers! They are very impressive leaders from either the "Big 4" CPA firms or industry leaders. I felt the controllership program is a great refresher course for me and helps me to keep myself current on the hot topics. In addition, I felt this is a great program which would help the finance professionals be prepared to be a controller in the future! Many kudos and hats off to Ana Maria for the wonderful job !"

Lance Bassett- Corporate Controller, Anritsu Company (Fall 2009 Attendee) " As the Corporate Controller for a mid-sized company in the South Bay Area, I found the Controllership Training Program to be valuable and enjoyable. This program is applicable for small to mid-sized controllers wanting a refresher course to learn about new ideas or for those preparing to become a controller who want to understand the responsibilities of a controller. Our instructors, did an excellent job of reviewing the highlights of the study material while discussing current topics and applying them to everyday problems and situations. Instructors had a great voice and presentation skills that kept me engaged and interested in the discussion each night. The program is well-organized and user-friendly with opportunities to meet and network with others."

Almer Mendoza- Controller (Fall 2009 Attendee) "IMA Peninsula Chapter's Controllership course not only covered the core responsibilities of the controllers but also provided techniques and tools to deal with the challenges occurring on a daily basis. What I really liked about the series is the special guest presentation on the hot topics on each one of the days. These guest presentations such as current position of IFRS, Year-end GAAP update, and XBRL are very relevant to what I do at work. If you are looking for cost effective and best value for your dollars, IMA Peninsula Chapter events are the right venue for you. What I also liked about the sessions is relaxed environment in which I was able to network and meet other controllers, brainstorm ideas and best practices. IMA Peninsula chapter is the premium provider of the controllership course and I strongly believe is a must attend series."

John Fabrro- Finance and Operations Manager, Olympus Medical (Spring 2009 Attendee) " We had a very engaged and knowledgeable instructors for the Controllership course. The instructors extensive experience working with small businesses added quite a bit to the class. The text accompanying the class is great reference material, but it could take a long time to sort through. The instructors knew which chapters and sections were the most valuable for the Small Business Controller, and focused the class discussions on those areas. They gave numerous examples of real life applications for the principles. Besides covering a significant portion of the text, the instructors led the class through some interesting discussions of scenarios and what-if hypothetical cases. The class was able to ask questions and share personal experiences with the relevant topics. I felt the class was richer due to the instructor's excellent guidance and first-hand knowledge."

John Joice- Controller; FP&A Director(Fall 2008 Attendee) "If we want to be promoted or gain additional responsibilities we need to be prepared. It is one thing to learn accounting rules and applications and another to understand some of the workplaces situations for their applications. The Controllership Course is a must attend series for all accountants,financial analysts, or accounting managers. There is no structured training provided for controllership duties such as this one offered by IMA. As the course evolves and reaches maturity over the next few years I am confident that many of the local companies will send their finance and accounting professionals for this training before giving them internal promotions. The best part about the series is the ongoing connectivity with the rest of the students in the class to exchange ideas and maintain a professional networking forum. Come prepared to ask questions about how to develop and to apply leadership skills to become a part of the management team."

Susan Finch- Director,Benchmark Solutions(Fall 2008 Attendee) For IMA Members aspiring to acquire a Controllership skill set, the IMA-Palo Alto Chapter Controllership Program is an excellent pre-requisite.The Program's instructors covers all the key topics and illustrates each topic with examples and humor. The Controllership Program requires an investment of time and tuition, but provides a valuable return for those who are seeking Controllership responsibilities in companies of all sizes.