FALL 2024

CFO LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Monday, October 7

1:30 – 3:00 pm CT

PRE-EVENT WORKSHOP

$95/ticket
Exclusive to Conference attendees only. Registration link will be sent in your registration confirmation.

90-Days to More BOLD Leadership

Presented by Women Leaders Connect, a Chief Executive Group Community

Leigh Burgess, CEO & Founder, Bold Industries Group; Author, Be BOLD Today

By combining the intersectionality of mindset, well-being, and strategy, Leigh Burgess will help you be BOLD to lead your department or organization. Focusing on innovation, team building, and navigating the unique challenge we face as leaders, Leigh will share her unique D-90 model, a defined and measured strategic sprint to achieve the goals you define with your team. Don’t miss this workshop to learn how you can take your leadership and outcomes to the next level.

  • Personalized Strategies: Participants will leave with a clear set of personalized strategies applying the B.O.L.D. framework – Believe. Own. Learn. Design — to your career.
  • Tailored Leadership Skills: Develop leadership skills that address the unique challenges and opportunities women face and using the D-90 Consulting model to tackle challenges with agility and a focus on the highest priorities.
  • Team Building: Insights into building and managing high-performing teams in a dynamic industry setting.
  • Innovation Focus: Emphasize innovation in leadership practices, fostering a culture that supports growth and adaptation.

3:30 – 5:00 pm CT

PRE-EVENT WORKSHOP

$95/ticket
Exclusive to Conference attendees only. Registration link will be sent in your registration confirmation.

Foundational Mindsets for Elite Leaders

John Rex, Executive Coach, Former CFO, Microsoft North America

Most leaders attain a certain level of success and then hit a bewildering glass ceiling they can’t seem to smash. They hear they need to take their leadership to the “next level,” yet no one bothers to explain what that means, much less how to do it.

But laying the foundations of elite leadership is more straightforward than many leaders expect — and you don’t have to change your very nature to achieve it. Fundamentally, reframing how you look at the world – and your place in it – is the surest and fastest way to build the muscle that will catapult you to the ranks of elite leaders.

In this fast-paced, thought-provoking workshop, you’ll learn simple and effective ways to reimagine your success formula while staying true to who you are and avoiding the trap of corporate politics.

  • Learn the two transformational mindset shifts that ensure you’ll make the right calls under fire.
  • Find out how to always show up confidently, even in the face of seemingly impossible odds.
  • Discover the secret to cultivating loyal followership and developing the superpower to influence others at scale.

5:00 – 6:30 pm CT

Registration, Welcome Reception, & Exhibit Hall Open

Tuesday, October 8

8:00 – 9:00 am CT

Registration & Networking Breakfast

9:00 – 9:10 am CT

Opening Remarks

Jack McCullough, President, CFO Leadership Council

9:10 – 10:00 am CT

KEYNOTE

Becoming a Charismatic Connector

Jef Rawls, Corporate Trainer & Executive Producer, JesterZ Professional Services

In the serious business of running a profitable company comes the human aspect of dealing with others. We’ll kick off the conference with a lively, interactive session that will help you unleash the power of your personality as an effective tool with everyone you meet. You’ll learn and laugh in this improv-based education exploring the 10 C’s and what it means to be a “charismatic connector”, allowing you to better connect with those you lead.

10:00 – 10:50 am CT

KEYNOTE

Leadership At the Speed of Light: Navigating Hyper-Growth in a Unicorn Tech Company

Anand Govind, CFO, o9 Solutions, Inc.
Moderated by Dan Bigman, Editor & Chief Content Officer, Chief Executive Group

Join us for an insightful fireside chat with Anand Govind, the CFO of o9 Solutions, one of the fastest-growing companies in Texas. Under Anand’s financial stewardship, o9 Solutions has achieved unicorn status, marking its valuation at over a billion dollars. In this session, Anand will share his unique perspective on leading a rapidly expanding tech company, drawing from his extensive background in investment banking and corporate finance.

With a career spanning over two decades, Anand’s journey from the world of high-stakes banking at J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley to his pivotal role at o9 Solutions offers a rare blend of strategic financial acumen and innovative thinking. His non-traditional approach as a tech CFO has been instrumental in driving o9’s impressive growth and navigating the complexities of scaling a business in the competitive tech landscape.

This session promises to deliver valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities of managing financial strategy in a high-growth environment, the importance of strategic planning and operations, and the innovative ways Anand has leveraged his banking experience to support o9’s mission of transforming business planning through AI-powered solutions.

Gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to lead a tech unicorn from a finance leader who is redefining the role of the CFO in today’s digital age.

10:50 – 11:20 am CT

Networking Break in the Exhibit Hall

11:20 am – 12:10 pm CT

Breakout Sessions

Presented by ZIP
Colin Glazier,
VP – Procurement Solutions, Zip
Long Dinh, CFO, Ada
 

In an era where financial leaders are expected to drive more than just bottom-line results, procurement has emerged as a strategic lever for organizational growth and sustainability. Finance executives are now more involved than ever in shaping their organization’s purchasing processes to drive efficiency, mitigate risk, and ensure compliance.

In this session, Zip’s Lead Solution Engineer, Justin Baines, and Long Dingh, CFO at Ada, will discuss the impact of integrating procurement processes into the broader financial strategy and the three essential ingredients of a robust procurement process. You’ll learn how each component contributes to a streamlined, audit-ready purchasing function and how finance and procurement teams can partner together to drive strategic impact to their organizations.

Presented by Imagine360
Louis Caron,
President, Printing Industries Association, Inc.
Jamie Lagarde, Chief Information Officer & Senior Advisor, Goodwill Central Texas
Matt McCuen, National Marketing Executive, Imagine360
 
Every year, your health plan costs increase 6, 7, 8% or more. By now, it’s the 2nd or 3rd largest line item in your annual budget, yet it’s the one aspect of your business where you have the least visibility and control. To top it off, your priorities rarely match those of HR, employees, and your broker.
 
However, there are proven ways to align your need for cost controls while maintaining (and improving) employee satisfaction and keeping your HR team happy.
 
Join Imagine360 for a compelling case study with two business executives,  Jamie Lagarde, Goodwill Central Texas, and Lou Caron, Printers Industry Benefit Trust, as they demonstrate how they saved over $6M in health plan costs while improving employee satisfaction – in one year. You’ll also leave with five keys to partnering with your broker and five critical questions to ask as you enter your next renewal season.
Presented by Navan
Galen Grady, VP, Expense Strategy & Operations, Navan

Managing travel expenses can be a financial team’s nightmare if there is a lack of control and visibility into employee spend. But future-proofing your finance tech stack to leverage automation can become a strategic lever. Join your peers to explore ways to save time, reduce costs, streamline workflows and eliminate friction, while reducing spend leakage and improving forecasting.  Moreover, we’ll tackle the challenge of increasing compliance while simultaneously enhancing employee satisfaction with actionable tactics to ensure regulatory adherence while nurturing a culture of empowerment.

Presented by Brex
Erik Zhou,
Chief Accounting Officer, Brex
 
As the world of business becomes more interconnected, there is a borderless finance revolution underway. The most successful companies are able to spend smart anywhere, anytime — and their finance teams make it easy. To capture the biggest opportunities and cost-efficiencies today and in the future, CFOs must be ready to enable and manage spending across countries, currencies, and entities seamlessly and in real time. 
 

Join this session for actionable insights on how just a few key changes can ensure that your approach to global spending will lead your company to greater efficiency, growth, and cost savings. We’ll discuss how to enable global, distributed teams to spend wisely, how to overcome the logistical challenges of global spend management, and game-changing finance automations that will make your whole company more efficient and productive on a global scale. 

12:15 – 1:15 pm CT

Networking Lunch

1:15 – 1:45 pm CT

Networking in the Exhibit Hall

1:45 – 2:35 pm CT

VISIONARY PANEL

Unifying Your Tech Stack to Unlock Sustainable Growth

Chad Wonderling, CFO, Zone & Co

Over the last 18 months, several companies have made incremental cuts within their cost base to right-size their expense footprint to meet desired operating margins. Ultimately, such actions aren’t sustainable. That is why it’s critical to develop operational practices that align with a company’s tech stack and functional strategy around driving productivity and efficiency.

By attending this visionary session, you will learn how finance leaders can: 

  • Use the order-to-cash process as a strategic differentiator within business operations

  • Streamline and automate business/finance processes to increase profitability and cash flow

  • Improve customer satisfaction and data quality while breaking down operational silos and fostering stronger alignment between finance and sales teams 

2:35 – 3:25 pm CT

KEYNOTE

Transformative Leadership: Finance and Business Innovation in a 130 Year Old Company

Devina Rankin, Executive VP, CFO, WM (FKA Waste Management)
Moderated by Jack McCullough, President, The CFO Leadership Council

With over 20 years of dedicated service at Waste Management (WM), Devina is a rare example of long-term leadership in today’s fast-changing corporate landscape. Her extensive experience and deep understanding of the company have been pivotal in transforming WM from its old-school reputation into a forward-thinking leader in the renewable energy sector.

WM, a company with a history spanning over 130 years, originally focused on garbage collection. However, under Devina’s financial stewardship, the company has undergone a significant transformation. Today, WM is not just about collecting trash; it is a key player in the renewable energy space, driving sustainability and innovation in waste management.

In this session, Devina will share her journey at WM, highlighting the strategies and initiatives that have led to the company’s modern evolution. She will discuss the challenges and opportunities of leading a long-established company through a transformative phase, the importance of embracing sustainability, and how WM is pioneering new approaches in the industry.

Attendees will gain valuable insights into the intersection of finance and sustainability, learning from Devina’s experience in steering WM’s transformation. This session is a must-attend for anyone interested in corporate leadership, business transformation, and the future of sustainable practices in waste management.

3:25 – 3:40 pm CT

Networking in the Exhibit Hall

3:40 – 4:30 pm CT

Breakout Sessions

Presented by Imagine360
Louis Caron,
President, Printing Industries Association, Inc.
Jamie Lagarde, Chief Information Officer & Senior Advisor, Goodwill Central Texas
Matt McCuen, National Marketing Executive, Imagine360
 
Every year, your health plan costs increase 6, 7, 8% or more. By now, it’s the 2nd or 3rd largest line item in your annual budget, yet it’s the one aspect of your business where you have the least visibility and control. To top it off, your priorities rarely match those of HR, employees, and your broker.
 
However, there are proven ways to align your need for cost controls while maintaining (and improving) employee satisfaction and keeping your HR team happy.
 
Join Imagine360 for a compelling case study with two business executives,  Jamie Lagarde, Goodwill Central Texas, and Lou Caron, Printers Industry Benefit Trust, as they demonstrate how they saved over $6M in health plan costs while improving employee satisfaction – in one year. You’ll also leave with five keys to partnering with your broker and five critical questions to ask as you enter your next renewal season.
Presented by Navan
Galen Grady,VP, Expense Strategy & Operations, Navan

Managing travel expenses can be a financial team’s nightmare if there is a lack of control and visibility into employee spend. But future-proofing your finance tech stack to leverage automation can become a strategic lever. Join your peers to explore ways to save time, reduce costs, streamline workflows and eliminate friction, while reducing spend leakage and improving forecasting.  Moreover, we’ll tackle the challenge of increasing compliance while simultaneously enhancing employee satisfaction with actionable tactics to ensure regulatory adherence while nurturing a culture of empowerment.

Presented by Brex
Erik Zhou,
Chief Accounting Officer, Brex
 
As the world of business becomes more interconnected, there is a borderless finance revolution underway. The most successful companies are able to spend smart anywhere, anytime — and their finance teams make it easy. To capture the biggest opportunities and cost-efficiencies today and in the future, CFOs must be ready to enable and manage spending across countries, currencies, and entities seamlessly and in real time. 
 

Join this session for actionable insights on how just a few key changes can ensure that your approach to global spending will lead your company to greater efficiency, growth, and cost savings. We’ll discuss how to enable global, distributed teams to spend wisely, how to overcome the logistical challenges of global spend management, and game-changing finance automations that will make your whole company more efficient and productive on a global scale. 

4:30 – 4:40 pm CT

Transition

4:40 – 5:30 pm CT

KEYNOTE

Breaking Barriers: The Journey of Ogilvy’s Trailblazing CFO

Stacey Ryan-Cornelius, Global CFO, Ogilvy
Moderated by Dan Bigman, Editor & Chief Content Officer, Chief Executive Group

We are excited to host a fireside chat with Stacey Ryan Cornelius, the dynamic Chief Financial Officer of Ogilvy. Stacey’s remarkable career trajectory exemplifies resilience, innovation, and a deep understanding of both the art and science of finance. As one of the few Black women to hold a CFO position at a major global company, she is not just a leader but a trailblazer in her field.

Stacey’s journey from early-career roles in basic bookkeeping and small CPA firms to the highest levels of corporate finance is nothing short of inspiring. Her unique approach to finance goes beyond traditional number-crunching; she sees the creativity in financial problem-solving and strategic planning. This innovative perspective has been instrumental in her role at Ogilvy, where she manages the financial health and strategic direction of the company while collaborating with high-profile clients like Dove, Coca-Cola, and IBM.

In this session, Stacey will share her experiences and insights on navigating the challenges and opportunities of leading financial strategy in a creative industry. She will discuss how her diverse background has shaped her approach to financial management and the importance of fostering diversity and inclusion in corporate leadership.

Attendees will gain valuable lessons on the integration of creative thinking in finance, strategic problem-solving, and leadership from Stacey’s rich professional journey. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from a visionary leader who is redefining the role of the CFO in today’s dynamic business landscape.

5:30 – 7:00 pm CT

Networking Reception

Wednesday, October 9

8:00 – 9:00 am CT

Networking Breakfast

8:00 – 8:50 am CT

Breakfast Roundtable

Presented by Robert Half | Protiviti

Eric Williams, Managing Director, Protiviti

Joe Fisher, Sr. Regional Director, Robert Half

With an increasing number of priorities to balance amidst ongoing disruption and change, how do you accelerate transformation of the finance function to keep pace with the demands of internal and external stakeholders? Start by crafting a strategy rooted in data and analytics which can ultimately enable innovation, agility, and the ability to achieve sustainable growth. 

Presented by American Express Global Business Travel

Terri Buscemi, VP, Business Development SME, American Express Global Business Travel

9:00 – 9:10 am CT

Opening Remarks

Jack McCullough, President, CFO Leadership Council

9:10 – 10:00 am CT

KEYNOTE

The Intersection of Strategy, Finance and Technology: Insights from HP Enterprise’s CFO

Marie Myers, EVP & CFO, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Moderated by Jack McCullough, President, The CFO Leadership Council

Marie Myers, CFO at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is the epitome of a modern financial leader, seamlessly blending strategy, finance, innovation, and technology. Her visionary approach to financial transformation has positioned her as a key figure in driving HPE’s success and evolution in the tech industry.

Marie’s career is marked by her exceptional ability to integrate strategic financial management with cutting-edge technological innovation. At HPE, she has been instrumental in leading initiatives that not only enhance financial performance but also foster a culture of innovation and forward-thinking. Her unique perspective and expertise make her a driving force in the financial transformation of iconic companies.

In this session, Marie will delve into her experiences and insights on leading financial transformation at HPE. She will discuss the critical role of innovation in finance, the challenges and opportunities of steering financial strategy in a rapidly evolving tech landscape, and her approach to leveraging technology to drive business success.

Attendees will have the opportunity to gain valuable insights from Marie’s extensive experience in finance and technology, learning how to apply innovative strategies to their own organizations. Don’t miss this chance to hear from a leader who personifies the future of financial leadership and transformation.

10:00 – 10:50 am CT

VISIONARY PANEL

Utilize Healthcare Data to Spur Tomorrow’s Organizational Growth

Patty Starr, President & CEO, Health Action Council
Kevin Gregory, Vice President, Business Solutions, Health Action Council

Employers focus on the ever-increasing costs of employee healthcare benefits as a financial line item that needs to be controlled. Healthcare data can pave the way for culture and process changes that improve resource allocation and employee productivity to drive organizational growth. By understanding your population, setting expectations, and evaluating data on a macro and micro level, you will learn:

  •  How to identify challenges in the health of your population and use root cause analysis to address them.
  • The role of a fiduciary and ways to protect the organization and yourself.
  • Strategies that can help avoid potential claims, increase productivity, and strengthen bottom line results.

10:50 – 11:20 am CT

Networking in the Exhibit Hall

11:20 am – 12:10 pm CT

Breakout Sessions

Presented by Airbase
Aneal Vallurupalli,
CFO, Airbase
 
How much risk, frustration, and waste is built into your procurement process? Most companies are stuck in a reactive mode, with siloed, confusing processes and time wasted on fire drills and manual efforts that fall short of real impact.  
 
A healthy spend culture flips the script and is proactive, collaborative, and strategic. 
 
In addition to happier employees, the benefits of a successful spend culture drop straight to your bottom line. These come in the form of real dollars saved on wasted spend, better terms and prices, and lower overhead costs for running the full procure-pay-close process.
 
Join Aneal Vallurupalli, CFO at Airbase, to learn how to build a successful spend culture with spend orchestration software. 
 
What you will learn: 
 
  • The benefits of a healthy spend culture. 
  • How spend orchestration automates a collaborative, integrated approach to spending.
  • How spend analytics provides you with the reporting and insights you need to become proactive and strategic.  
Presented by Planful
Matt Sledge, Senior Product Marketing Manger, Planful
Barrett Gilley, VP of Finance, Orion Group Holdings

This session will dive into how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing finance by enhancing accuracy, streamlining operations, and enabling more strategic decision-making. Join Planful’s Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Matt Sledge, and VP of Finance for Orion Group Holdings, Barrett Gilley, to discover practical applications of AI: automating forecasting, financial close, analysis, reporting processes, and how to free your teams to focus on higher-value tasks. Along with real-world examples of successful AI implementation in finance functions, this session will explore how these technologies are being used to transform traditional finance roles and optimize operational efficiency.
Additionally, the session will offer insights into emerging AI advancements that are poised to reshape the finance landscape in the near future. From predictive analytics that can anticipate financial outcomes to AI-driven tools that enhance compliance and risk management, attendees will learn about the cutting-edge innovations set to further enhance how finance teams operate. The session will also cover the challenges associated with adopting AI, providing guidance on how to successfully integrate these technologies into existing systems.

Presented by Prophix
Anurag Yagnik,
Chief Technology Officer, Prophix
JJ Pace, CFO, Service Pros Installment Group
Melissa Hurrington, CFO, Premier Claims
 

The next generation of finance leaders are now consistently faced with decisions involving technology investments and their impact on organizational value. While finance professionals aren’t typically technologists, they are able to deliver a pragmatic and results-based perspective when assessing and (often) expanding and unwieldy enterprise tech stack. That said, when it comes to taking measure of the technology portfolio at use in their own offices of finance, CFOs can and should seek knowledge from their CTO counterparts, who can provide practical intelligence and integration expertise, and act as a critical sounding board when faced with the never-ending technology hype cycle.

This session will provide attendees with:

  • Strategic advice from the office of technology for evaluating and restructuring the technology portfolio used by the office of finance;
  • Tips for measuring the value and the return on investment for IT expenditures across an organization;
  • Key considerations for investing in next-gen finance technology, including FP&A, budgeting, financial consolidation and reconciliation and other complex financial processes.

12:10 – 12:15 pm CT

Transition

12:15 – 2:00 pm CT

LUNCH KEYNOTE

Game Changing Growth Drivers

David M. Moffett, Former CFO, U.S. Bancorp
Moderated by Dan Bigman, Editor & Chief Content Officer, Chief Executive Group

David Moffett, who currently serves on the boards of CSX and PayPal. David previously served as vice chairman and CFO of US Bancorp from 2001 to 2007, following its merger with Firstar Corporation where he served as vice chairman and CFO of it and its predecessor from 1993 to 2001.

Today, David is going to walk us through a framework for transformative growth – one that goes beyond conventional wisdom and fosters real value, heightened accountability and diminished risk. He is going to share the tangible steps you can take to deliver actual value through a focus on business operations, while also increasing transparency and accountability throughout the organization. 

2:00 pm CT

Closing Remarks

Exhibit hall closed

10 CPEs offered, pending NASBA approval on final agenda. 

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Stacey Ryan-Cornelius

Global CFO, Ogilvy

Anand Govind

CFO, o9 Solutions, Inc.

Marie Myers

EVP & CFO, Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Devina Rankin

Executive VP, CFO, WM (FKA Waste Management)

Jef Rawls

Corporate Trainer & Executive Producer, JesterZ Professional Services

David Moffett

Former CFO, U.S. Bancorp

SPONSORS