Written by the IPA Finance Policy Group, this qualification has been created to give future industry leaders an education in agency finance, to help with those important client conversations and to build the understanding that you need to create great work that delivers a great profit.

AUDIENCE

Primarily for Senior Account Manager and Account Director level (or equivalent), the qualification is also suitable for any staff that want to raise their commercial nous and get a better understanding of the commercial factors influencing agencies and clients

FORMAT

Eight hours of online learning, culminating in a 30 minute online exam.

• Gain a full understanding of the roles, responsibilities and processes in the finance department.
• Get to grips with KPI’s and fee payment structures.
• Understand by example the financial processes within different agency departments including media specific issues.
• Discover a new found confidence when negotiating or complying with the terms of a contract
  
• Build better relationship with your clients by understanding the financial terminology they use.
• This Certificate also awards 1 MIPA Star towards personal accreditation.

Reminder: to achieve IPA CPD Agency Accreditation 10% of your staff must hold either LegRegs or the Commercial Certificate or both.

The IPA Finance Policy Group has generated the content, and drawn on input from Kingston Smith for the section about clients’ financial affairs. The qualification is made up of seven sections, which will each form a learning path in the online programme:

The Language of Finance

This learning path introduces the roles and responsibilities within a finance department as well as the key stages within the financial planning and reporting process.

KPIs – The Key Numbers for Agencies

This learning path looks at KPIs including the different KPIs that can be used to measure any number of metrics across an organisation and their importance.

Fees – How Agencies are Paid

Here we explore how fee payment structures have evolved over recent times as well as both the advantages and disadvantages of various models of payment.

Finance and Production

Finance is a key element of everybody’s role within a creative agency because how an agency handles finances is essential for success. This learning path looks at some of the financial processes adopted within a creative agency including the new business process, scope of work and payment process. It also examines a typical TV production process and the stages and tasks that need to be completed to ensure a TV commercial is delivered successfully.