PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
AI adoption inside the enterprise has outpaced the governance structures meant to contain it. Employees are experimenting with AI tools — sanctioned and unsanctioned — faster than most finance and risk functions can write policy for them, while token-based usage costs, once a rounding error, are becoming a real and growing line item on the technology budget. At the same time, AI has expanded the cybersecurity attack surface in ways many finance leaders have not yet fully priced into their risk models.
This panel discussion brings together finance, technology, and security leaders to address the questions CFOs increasingly can’t afford to leave to IT alone: What does responsible AI governance actually look like in practice? How should finance budget for and forecast unpredictable, usage-based AI costs? What written policies does the organization need — and who should own them? And where does AI meaningfully change the organization’s cybersecurity risk profile?
Rather than a theoretical discussion, panelists will share practical, hard-won lessons from building AI governance frameworks in real organizations — including where they got it wrong. Attendees will leave with a clearer view of the questions they should be asking internally, and a starting framework for the policies, budget controls, and cross-functional partnerships their organization needs now.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Understand the CFO’s role in AI governance — clarify where finance should own, co-own, or simply have visibility into AI governance decisions alongside IT, legal, and security.
- Budget for rising token and usage-based costs — anticipate how consumption-based AI pricing behaves differently from traditional software licensing, and build forecasting and cost-control models to match.
- Identify what a written AI policy actually needs to cover — acceptable use, data handling, approved tools, vendor vetting, and accountability, along with who should be responsible for maintaining it.
- Recognize how AI expands cybersecurity risk — understand new exposure points such as data leakage through AI tools, prompt injection, and third-party model risk, and how they differ from traditional IT security concerns.
- Ask sharper vendor and partner questions — know what to demand from AI vendors and partners around data privacy, security certifications, and model transparency before signing a contract.
- Build cross-functional accountability — establish clear ownership between finance, IT, security, and legal so AI governance doesn’t fall into a gap between functions.
- Prioritize what to tackle first — leave with a practical short list of immediate next steps for organizations that don’t yet have formal AI governance in place.
SPEAKERS
Dennis Fowler | Partner | The Baldwin Group
Dennis Fowler is a Partner at The Baldwin Group, where he works with organizations to develop innovative employee benefits strategies aligned with their business and workforce goals. With more than 14 years of experience in the insurance and human capital space, Dennis specializes in helping employers navigate healthcare costs, benefits strategy, and risk. He is passionate about creating more sustainable, transparent, and effective approaches to employee benefits.
Dr. Kimberly “KJ” Haywood | Principal Chief Executive Officer (CEO) | Nomad Cyber Concepts
Dr. Kimberly “KJ” Haywood is a cybersecurity, governance, risk, and compliance executive with more than 25 years of experience across the finance, technology, healthcare, and government sectors. She is the Principal Chief Executive Officer of Nomad Cyber Concepts, LLC, where she leads cybersecurity, governance, risk, compliance, and emerging-technology initiatives. She also serves as the Global Chief AI Governance & Education Advisor for AI CONNEX and as cybersecurity faculty at Collin College. Dr. Haywood has worked with and advised organizations including USAA, Google, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, CBRE, Deloitte, and L3Harris Technologies. Her work focuses on cybersecurity governance, responsible AI, risk management, compliance, and helping organizations securely adopt emerging technologies. She is also an author, speaker, and researcher in AI governance.
Yeshwant Muthusamy, Ph.D | Owner and Principal | Yeshvik Solutions, LLC
Dr. Yeshwant Muthusamy is an AI technologist by day and gourmet chocolatier by night. He is Owner and Principal at Yeshvik Solutions LLC, a boutique AI consulting firm based in Allen, Texas and The Chef at The Blissful Gourmet, specializing in premium, handcrafted chocolate truffles in eclectic flavor combinations. He has extensive experience in the
consumer electronics, wireless telecommunications, and semiconductor industries, having held leadership positions at companies like Immersion Corporation, Toyota North America, Samsung Research America, Nokia, and Texas Instruments.
At Yeshvik Solutions LLC, he helps clients with customized AI solutions, expert AI training and coaching, and intellectual property advisement in AI (including serving as an expert witness). He is the current Chair of the AI Working Group in the Government Blockchain Association (GBA). He is a frequent speaker on topics such as Responsible and Ethical AI, and the convergence of AI, blockchain, and quantum computing.
Dr. Muthusamy has seven issued patents and over 35 peer-reviewed publications. He holds a B. Tech from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in India and a Ph.D. from Oregon Graduate Institute, both in Computer Science and Engineering. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and was named to the Dallas Innovates 2025 AI 75 List, selected from more than 800 nominees.
Rajeev Pathak | Principal Chief Executive Officer (CEO) | Nomad Cyber Concepts
Rajeev Pathak is the Co-Founder and CEO of Hyperbots, an AI-powered finance technology company focused on transforming finance and accounting operations. He has more than 30 years of experience building technology products and businesses for global markets. Prior to Hyperbots, Rajeev served as General Manager and Vertical Head at Wipro, where he managed a technology business exceeding $100 million. He also founded and led an education-focused AI venture, which was later acquired by a Fortune 100 company.
At Hyperbots, Rajeev focuses on applying AI and automation to the Office of the CFO, including finance and accounting workflows. He regularly engages with CFOs and finance leaders on AI adoption, finance transformation, automation, and the practical business implications of emerging AI technologies. His recent work and discussions have focused particularly on AI adoption in finance, agentic AI, ROI, and how CFOs can approach AI strategically rather than simply as a technology initiative.
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SPONSOR PARTNERS
Thank you to our valued Sponsor Partners. This event is open to members, sponsors, and special guests.
