Financial Storytelling: Turning Financial Clarity into Leadership Advantage

No finance background needed. A story-led session that helps leaders read the balance sheet with confidence and make sharper decisions
About this Event

About this event

Every day, leaders make decisions that shape revenue, cost and performance. Yet the moment finance enters the conversation, many of us quietly step back, telling ourselves we're "just not numbers people." The truth is, it was never about ability. It's how finance has always been taught: through jargon, formulas and statements that feel built to intimidate.

This session changes that.

Inspired by Prof. James C Foo Leong's Amazon bestseller Once Upon a Balance Sheet, Financial Storytelling reframes the balance sheet as something you can actually read, question and use, told through story and visual frameworks rather than spreadsheets. It's interactive, practical, and designed for people who lead, not for accountants.

What to expect

This is a hands-on, story-led session, not a lecture. You'll work through real financial ideas in plain language, see how everyday decisions ripple through the numbers, and leave with a way of thinking you can apply the very next day.

By the end, you'll be able to:

• Read a "complex" balance sheet with genuine confidence
• Understand how your own decisions move the numbers that matter
• Make sharper calls on revenue, cost and resources
• Speak a shared financial language that keeps your team aligned

Who it's for

Leaders, managers and HR and L&D professionals who want to build a more commercially aware, financially confident team. No finance background required. Just bring your curiosity.

About the speaker

Prof. James C Foo Leong is an Adjunct Professor at the National University of Singapore, a former Fortune 500 regional finance head, and the founder of Financial Storytelling and Visions.One Consulting. A Fellow Chartered Accountant and Certified Speaking Professional, he blends corporate leadership with storytelling, visual thinking and gamification to make finance genuinely engaging. He is the creator of the Financial Storyverse®, an International Impact Book Award winner, and a 2026 Spirit of Enterprise Award Honouree.

Reserve your place and start turning financial clarity into a leadership advantage.

Agenda

🕑: 06:00 PM - 07:00 PM
Arrival & Mingling with Small Bites.

Info: This is the best time to strike up a conversation with someone. Bringing people together to collaborate is what we love doing.

🕑: 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM
Session by Prof. James Leong

Info: Prof. James C Foo Leong is the mind behind this session. An Adjunct Professor at the National University of Singapore and a former Fortune 500 regional finance head, he now helps leaders read the numbers with confidence through Financial Storytelling. Drawing on his bestseller Once Upon a Balance Sheet, he'll show you how story and visual thinking turn the balance sheet from intimidating into something you can actually use.