Our finance courses have been in high demand lately and one of our amazing trainers who has been busy delivering so many of these courses is Sarah Hobbs. Sarah’s been part of The Hub Events’ trainer team almost from day one. Along with the increasingly popular finance courses, Sarah is an experienced leadership trainer too. We caught up with Sarah to bring you a deeper insight into her background and experience, and to find out more about how the worlds of finance and leadership intersect and affect the power of an organisation.
Could you tell us a little about your background and how you came to be a Hub Events trainer?
I started my career at PwC as an accountant, which was slightly crazy because I’d studied arts subjects from the age of 16 and did French and German at university. Somehow, I ended up getting a training contract at PwC in London to be a chartered accountant, when Maths was always my least preferred subject! Crazy!!
After qualifying, I transferred to the Corporation Tax department from Audit and was then offered a Training and Development secondment. Funnily enough, I never returned to Tax; I had found my niche! I loved delivering different training sessions for both clients and internally at PwC. This was much more me.
After taking a career break to have my family, my boss at PwC, David Cotton, encouraged me to go freelance as he had done. He introduced me to Christine and Emma at The Hub Events very early on in their journey and I have been working with them very happily ever since, as they are fabulous to work for.
My boss at the time introduced me to Christine from The Hub Events. Around that period, my daughter was very poorly as a baby. PwC were great, but David encouraged me to go freelance so I could manage hospital appointments and have more control. We continued working together. I was introduced to The Hub Events very early on, almost from the very beginning. Within a few months of them starting up, I was training for them.
As a Hub Events trainer, how do you prepare for a course? What do you do differently to set the right tone and environment?
Preparation is about making sure you’ve got everything with you so you’re not panicking. My most important rule is to arrive an hour early to check the tech and set up. That way, I can remain calm and unstressed.
The most important thing for delegates is that you’re present. If your brain is elsewhere because something hasn’t worked, they feel that.
There are always days when, despite your own detailed prep, it still gets tricky. There have been times when you turn up to a company’s offices to deliver training and there’s no one around to let you into the building, there’s no room set up or flip charts, and then the tech doesn’t work. On days like that, you remind yourself that the main thing is that the delegates have a great experience. After decades of doing this, you just roll with the punches.
Whatever happens, you learn you can get through it and still deliver an impactful training experience. You can always pivot and make it work somehow.
Can you tell us more about the financial skills courses you deliver? How did they come about, and how have you shaped them?
A client approached me because the person delivering their finance course for chartered surveyors was retiring. They asked whether I could step in.
I sat in on his course and saw that the young delegates, around 22 or 23 years old, were overwhelmed. It was very high-level and detailed. Afterwards, I asked what they could remember. Not much. It was too detailed and ran over two days.
So I unpicked it and asked: What do they actually need to know to pass their exams? They need to understand what a profit and loss account is, what a balance sheet is, and demonstrate key understanding. They also needed to assess their company’s accounts.
When I first started at PwC, I’d done a two-week intensive bookkeeping course. I genuinely felt like I’d entered a parallel universe (It took a lot of persuading to go back for day two!) Eventually, I realised I was learning a language. And I know how to learn a language. The jargon is the barrier. So, I focus on breaking down the jargon. What story are the numbers telling? Make them a tool, not an impenetrable mass of data.
In the courses, we set up a dummy company with a very simple P&L and balance sheet. I explain that the P&L is about performance and the balance sheet is about wealth. We work through examples, selling products, calculating direct costs, and making it tangible.
Then I make it practical. What happens if prices go up by 10%? What if costs go down? People assume a 10% change leads to a 10% change in profit, but it doesn’t. It’s often far greater.
It’s about helping delegates think practically and apply their knowledge back in the office, working smarter and understanding the profit levers.
How have the finance courses developed over time?
Ultimately, the structure hasn’t fundamentally changed. I update examples and references and make the content relevant to what’s happening in the world today, but the key principles of the P&L and balance sheet haven’t altered.
What has changed is that organisations are recognising the importance of financial skills for many more roles, not just the finance dept. Since the pandemic, I’d say financial understanding has become more relevant across organisations. Often, that knowledge has been traditionally held at the top level in a business. The best organisations I work with ensure everyone understands how their actions impact the numbers. For example, sales teams need to understand the impact of discounting on the bottom line. They can only go so far before they make a loss, even though their sales volume is high. It’s about joined-up thinking across the organisation.
What challenges do you face delivering finance courses to delegates with very different professional backgrounds?
I always try to make the content really relatable. We use supermarkets and other familiar companies to explore business models. I draw on everyday examples, including personal finance, because the principles are fundamentally the same across the board. And I’ve been there too. I had to break it down to first principles for myself to be able to understand it, so I pass that on.
What led to the development of the Power of Cash Flow course, and who is it for?
One of the global businesses I work with wanted to take the Finance for Non-Financial Directors course for their people, but they wanted to make it hyper-practical and focused on cash flow because that is something that is really important for them. So, I shaped something more focused on the day-to-day, moving from the P&L mindset (profit mentality) to the cash flow mindset, because they’re very different. It’s about understanding those key differences and really drilling down into the working capital cycle to see how you can release cash and make that cycle work more efficiently for you.
Given the current economic climate, pressure on cash flow is intense. It’s relevant for everyone, particularly manufacturing businesses with inventory, but also service businesses dealing with debtors. It’s about asking: where is your cash locked up, and how can you release it?
Your expertise is also in leadership as well as financial acumen. Tell us a bit more about the leadership course: Refresh and Reboot for Directors, and how it helps leaders in organisations.
I love this workshop! It gives directors two days out of the office to work on the business, not in it. It creates space to step away from firefighting and look at the organisation from a helicopter perspective.
We’ve had a big mix of experience levels. Even senior leaders can get pulled back into operational detail because that’s their comfort zone. Generally, people are promoted based on operational competence. Leadership can feel uncomfortable because there’s no rulebook.
It’s about stopping and: A) Being aware of that pattern, B) breaking out of it, and then C) consciously stepping into what leadership really means. Delegating and freeing up your time to spend on strategic matters rather than always being dragged down into the operational. Sometimes it can be unavoidable, but if you go about things more consciously, you can develop your people rather than doing things for them. And in turn, you’re freed up to focus on what’s important for the organisation.
This sounds a lot like the case of the accidental managers, something we’ve discussed before. How does that relate to your leadership training?
People are often promoted based on competence and find themselves managing by accident. If they don’t build core leadership skills early, unhelpful habits can persist. There’s nothing wrong with deciding leadership isn’t for you. I once coached a senior civil servant who chose to step back into a specialist legal role because she preferred that. But if you are leading, you’re there to provide vision, inspire people, and deliver results. We focus on modern leadership approaches and on helping senior teams work together effectively.
What’s your favourite part of delivering training?
The lightbulb moments. On the cash flow course last week, someone punched the air and said, “Yes! I get it now.” That’s the bit I love. Seeing the penny drop.
I also love the interaction. Every group is unique, and The Hub Events delegates are always great. The breadth of experience in the room is powerful, and it’s really important to encourage learning between different industry sectors. It’s rewarding to help someone understand something in a way that makes it easier for them.
And we have fun. That’s important.
Do you think financial courses carry a stigma of being serious or a day of ‘number crunching’?
Yes, they can be, but they don’t have to be! When I was designing mine, I sat in on a few other courses to see what was already out there. I saw some frightening examples, accounting courses being delivered by people who weren’t qualified accountants, even incorrect explanations being given in some cases! Finance can feel dry if it’s delivered without humour or engagement. But it doesn’t have to be.
What do you feel are the most important characteristics a trainer needs?
I’d say there are four. You need to have empathy with the delegates and the challenges they’re facing. You need curiosity and a genuine interest in them. You must turn up with energy; that’s your responsibility. And you need the flexibility to pivot, whether it’s tech failing or content needing adjustment, you’ve got to be able to roll with the punches. It’s not about reading from a script. Sometimes I completely change direction if that’s what the room needs.
What are your top tips for delegates attending a Hub Events course?
Just like the trainer will bring energy, come with energy and an open mind. Many people arrive at a course feeling exhausted; that’s the pace of business today. I would say always come ready to learn. Don’t assume you know what the course will be before you get there. Stay curious.
What trends are you seeing in leadership and finance this year?
I think what I’m seeing is that cash is a strong focus. But also spreading the understanding of finance throughout the organisation, not just keeping the knowledge at the top. There are two reasons: one is that a lot of the corporate scandals arise because it’s being manipulated at the top, and there isn’t enough understanding and challenge. The more knowledge people have, the more empowered everybody is. The other is that everybody operationally will understand their impact on financial results. If you’ve got everybody aligned around the numbers, you’re on to a winner.
Strong leadership shows in the numbers. Stable leadership teams drive consistent performance.
One big gap I see is a lack of critical reflection time. Leaders rarely step back to ask, “Do we still need to do this?” I worked with a healthcare team that freed up hours of nursing time by questioning the need for an unnecessary report that no one ever used.
Sometimes, we do things because we’ve always done them. Leaders need space for critical reflection. That’s what Refresh and Reboot provides. There’s also a workshop I delivered called The Essentialist Leader, focused on critical thinking and making meetings purposeful.
Leaders need time to think. It bears repetition: leaders need to carve out space in their diaries to give themselves that all-important reflection time!
Sarah delivers a number of finance courses here at The Hub Events, including Finance for Non-Financial Managers and Finance for Non-Financial Directors, and has pioneered a new course this year, The Power of Cash Flow: Strategies for Financial Strength. Her leadership courses include Director Refresh and Reboot and Essentialist Leadership: Cultivating a mindset of effortless simplicity.
To find out more about how The Hub Events can help your organisation learn, inspire and thrive, get in touch today! You can find out more about Sarah and our other amazing trainers here on our meet the trainers page and also get in touch with our team to find out about shaping leadership and finance training for your organisation.
