Prague hosted the second Clairfield Academy meeting
Employee training generally improves performance, motivation and the ability to adapt to change. It helps companies grow, improve services, and remain competitive. Investing in employee training shows that the company values its employees and increases employee satisfaction, while well-trained and motivated employees provide better services.
At Clairfield, investing in our people is one of the most important decisions we can make for the future. Our commitment to developing talent is why we established the Clairfield Academy Structured Training (CAST) program.
The second part of the four-part CAST II programme took place from 17-19 September 2025, with 29 analysts from partner offices around the world attending. The programme offered a combination of professional seminars, practical workshops and opportunities for face-to-face meetings and experience sharing.
Inspirational opening
The meeting began on Wednesday evening at the charming Essence Hotel on Senovážné Square. In addition to internal speakers Milan Bílek from Patria Corporate Finance and Kim Rizvi from Clairfield, we had a wonderful guest, Carnine Rodi Falange, who gave a truly inspiring lecture on how even financial figures can be presented in an engaging story. This was followed by two days of intensive training led by the excellent lecturer James Wolfe. During this two-day seminar, participants honed their skills in the areas of guarantees and indemnities, earn-outs, shareholder agreements, equity term sheets, working capital adjustments, cash flow topics, process management, and, of course, one of the most essential skills in mergers and acquisitions and in life: relationship building. Thursday evening was a bit of a mystery, as colleagues tried their hand at an outdoor escape game in an effort to uncover an ancient Illuminati secret.
Clairfield Academy Training and Development was established with the specific aim of expanding the knowledge and skills of junior analysts from Clairfield's partner offices around the world. Its mission is to provide training on important and relevant topics and ensure that our team is well prepared for challenges in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic consulting. The Academy emphasizes a comprehensive approach that includes practical training in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic advisory, with a strong emphasis on honing both technical and soft skills. We also facilitate networking opportunities around the world, enabling the exchange of skills and knowledge on a global scale.
In recent years, our program has evolved into three distinct pillars: 1. Clairfield Academy Structured Training (CAST) 1. Clairfield Academy Structured Training is a specially designed program conducted in collaboration with external financial training experts. The main objective of the CAST program is to provide participants with structured and comprehensive training over a period of two years. It includes four on-site meetings, with two meetings held each year. This cyclical structure ensures that a new group of analysts starts the program every two years, with the same analysts continuing throughout the two-year cycle. Participants should be permanent junior employees with a maximum of two years of experience. The program is structured to increase in complexity over the two-year duration.
2. Clairfield Academy Online (CAO) Clairfield Academy Online serves as a dynamic and flexible platform both for those analysts who are unable to attend CAST programs and prior CAST participants who need to refresh or practice old and new skills. It consists of short videos on CAST topics and 19 quizzes and exercises that self-check for understanding. It also includes scheduled follow-up calls with a trainer for questions and answers. CAO is available to all Clairfield team members. Whether your goal is to complete the entire program or you just want to explore specific areas of interest or strengthen existing skills, CAO offers a tailored and convenient platform.