The Astutely Way
training with
bottom line impact
Astutely are a financial and leadership training consultancy who work with senior leaders across the UK and globally.
We are dedicated to developing financially, commercially and emotionally astute leaders who can bring about a tangible impact within their organisations. Through a combination of group training, individual coaching and bespoke online learning, we deepen their emotional intelligence, build their financial literacy and give them the skills to communicate more effectively and build stronger teams.
Let us know how we can help you!! We’re looking forward to supporting you and your organisation.
strategic finance workshops that give your team the edge
In a post-pandemic world, time is always at a premium, and our training is designed with that in mind: we cut to the chase and minimise the fluff.
All our workshops are designed with a commercial and strategic aim in mind so that you will see a sustainable difference quickly
high quality, high impact delivery
We offer a small range of workshops in key target areas so that we can concentrate on high quality, high impact delivery.
Our key areas are leadership, culture, team dynamics as well as financial and commercial know-how.
Our belief is that if you can align your people behaviours with your strategic aims your organisation will be unstoppable!
a wealth of experience across a range of sectors
Over the past twenty years we have had the privilege to work with organisations across a multitude of sectors, from FTSE 250 companies and household names such as Great Portland Estates plc, Honda, Knight Frank and PwC, to charities like the Royal Shakespeare Company and smaller family run businesses such as Site Equipment Hire Ltd to public sector bodies including the NHS, HMRC, the Trade Remedies Authority and East West Rail Co.
We look forward to working with you too!
“Here’s something I didn’t think I’d ever say: I’m looking forward to reviewing my company accounts, but this time in a new light.”
what sets Astutely apart
commercially astute
We promise a bottom-line impact that will help you to move forward in alignment with your organisation’s strategic goals.
personable
Stuffy formal lecturing is not our style. We want you to have fun as you learn and to provide support as you do so.
inspiring
We keep up-to-date with current leadership thinking to ensure that you are inspired by fresh ideas and new ways of working.
a highly astute team
We work with a small band of hand-picked associates to ensure that you get the very best of the best. Many have Big Four experience and all combine professional expertise with a practical and interactive mindset.
Each member of our team has real depth of experience in all sizes of organisation and at all levels of seniority. They are also approachable, authentic and committed to creating the best learning environment that they can.
MEET OUR FOUNDER
Sarah Hobbs, founder of Astutely
Astutely was founded by Sarah Hobbs, a “shit-hot leadership consultant and financial expert” - and that is a quote!
A creative and incisive talent for translating the complex into simple and easy-to-understand language, Sarah has enabled hundreds of directors and senior managers to become better leaders, understanding how to master themselves, their teams and their company’s bottom line.
Sarah has spent over thirty years in the leadership development and coaching sector, holding up the mirror to senior leaders and managers so that they can understand how they can make a more positive and inspiring impact on the teams they work with.
Sarah’s other area of expertise is finance. She is a Chartered Accountant who trained with PwC, gaining years of experience in their Audit and Corporation Tax departments before moving into their Learning and Development team. She gained valuable knowledge and insights into all types of industry sector and size of company during her time there, from prestigious futures firms and international banks, to retail organisations like the Arcadia Group and Selfridges, from large manufacturing companies to small museums such as the Royal Academy. This breadth of experience is what enables her to very quickly get to grips with the finances of her clients’ organisations and to help leaders to see the challenges and opportunities they present.
“All our workshops start with “Why”? There has to be a real business need that drives the learning journey. We deliver common sense learning for forward-thinking leaders. ”
What people are saying
“Hugely instructive, well-paced and interesting.”
- Toby Morrish, Marketing Director, Sony
“Thank you so much for this two-day training course - it was really informative, and entertaining as well as educational! It has definitely helped to plug the gaps.”
- James Tadman, Honda
“You put the fun into finance!”
- KNIGHT FRANK manager
a positive impact
As part of our work with leaders of well respected and global organisations, we are well aware of the privileges that we have and encounter in this space and the responsibility we feel to tackle inequality in all its forms.
All at Astutely wish to actively continue their education understanding the privilege we have been born with.
A percentage of our profits are donated to Clean Water, an amazing charity set up by Scott Harrison, to ensure that something we take so much for granted here in the UK can be enjoyed by much poorer communities across the world.
We are also committed to diversity and inclusivity at Board Level. This is our little patch of the corporate landscape where our work can have the most impact and influence.
We, in conjunction with our sister organisation, Hoskin Hobbs, donate to a programme that enables women to become financially independent where that is not a given right.
We believe that if women are educated and have independence, then they have the opportunity to positively impact their families, their communities, and ultimately their countries and the world.