CFO Leadership Conference: East

Boston Marriott Copley Place | Boston, MA | June 6 – 8

CFO Leadership
Conference East

June 6 – 8, 2023
Boston, MA

Venue

Boston Marriott Copley Place
110 Huntington Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Staying overnight?

The room block at the Boston Marriott Copley Place and overflow block at the Residence Inn Downtown/South End are currently sold out. You can contact the hotels via their general website or at 617-236-5800 (Marriott Copley) or (857) 776-3000 (Residence Inn) to try to reserve a room outside of the block (at a higher rate).

For those attendees who have to stay at an offsite property, we will provide a $50 Uber gift card to help offset your transportation expenses between the hotels. Thank you for understanding. We are excited to host a record crowd at this year’s event!

Featuring Keynotes from

Andy
Fastow

Former CFO,
Enron Corporation

Aradhana
Sarin, M.D.

Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer, AstraZeneca

Bill
George

Former CEO,
Medtronic

Julie
Swinehart

EVP & CFO,
Fenway Sports Group

ALL SPEAKERS

Why Attend?

3 days of live, in-person collaboration with your finance peers and inspiration from world-class experts. Get ready for the real tactics you need to become the strategic leader in these unprecedented times.

Tackle Critical Issues

Join your finance peers from multiple industries and organizations to tackle the critical issues you need to stay current in your role

Peer-Tested Tactics & Strategies

Gain peer-tested tactics and strategies to help you and your organization accelerate growth and profitability – no matter the state of the economy

Real-world advice & insights

Attend three custom-crafted days of pragmatic, real-world advice and insights from CFOs and world-renowned experts

Discover best practices
& avoid mistakes

Hear directly from experts to help you understand the trends, sort out your options, and discover the key best practices you need to think through more strategically—and avoid mistakes.

92% of attendees are the top finance or accounting decision-maker at their company

Agenda

10 CPEs offered*

Tuesday, June 6

1:30P – 3:00P

Pre-Event Workshop: Women in Leadership, Win When They Say You Won’t

Daphne Jones
Author, Win When They Say You Won’t
Former SVP for Future of Work, GE

Additional registration required. For Conference attendees only.

LEARN MORE

3:30P – 5:00P

Pre-Event Workshop: Foundational Mindset for Elite Leaders

John Rex
Executive Coach
Former CFO, Microsoft North America

Additional registration required. For Conference attendees only.

LEARN MORE

5:00P – 7:00P

Welcome Reception & Exhibit Hall Open

Wednesday, June 7

8:00a – 9:00a

Registration & Networking Breakfast

9:00a – 9:10a

Opening Remarks

Jack McCullough, CFO Leadership Council

9:10a – 10:00a

Keynote: How a World Class CFO Drives Growth in a Complex Environment

Speaker: Dr. Aradhana Sarin, Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer, AstraZeneca

Moderator: Erin L. Scott, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management, MIT Sloan School of Management

Dr. Aradhana Sarin is CFO of AstraZeneca, a global $200 billion pharmaceutical company. Dr. Sarin’s weaves a fascinating story on her journey from medical doctor in India and Africa, through Wall Street and finally to CFO.

But in addition to the inspiring personal story, you’ll be treated to important business lessons from an outstanding CFO. By attending this featured session, you’ll come away with a deeper understanding of:

what it takes to be a CFO of a global company
the role of finance chiefs in developing corporate strategic plans
how to contribute to both organic and M & A growth goals
how to meet the challenge of navigating through a heavily-regulated environment
what it takes to assume the role of corporate leader.

10:00a – 10:50a

Visionary Panel – NetSuite
Beyond KPIs: How CFO “Storytellers” Chart the Road to Profitability

Speakers:
Kevin Galloway, Sales Enablement and Communications Advisor, Oracle/NetSuite

Terry Coelho, CFO, Gamida-Cell,
Board Member, First Wave BioPharma, Inc. & Hookipa Pharma

Melissa Herman, CFO, Login VSI

John Cappadona, CFO, School of Rock

To put your company on the road to profitability, you need to acquire the best data and KPIs. But numbers are not enough. The most successful CFOs today are becoming expert storytellers as they communicate the narrative behind the data.

Join us as we talk with professional storyteller Kevin Galloway to reveal how to acquire and hone this sought-after skill. Kevin is a professional actor, educator, and presenter. He and fellow financial leaders will host a panel that will share insights on:

how to become a key storyteller in your organization,
the three top storytelling skills you need to acquire,
what it takes to make your data more compelling,
how to sell your ideas to lead effectively in a challenging economy,
tips to effectively communicate data insights to drive your strategy forward,
how finance leaders link storytelling to profitability.

10:50a – 11:20a

Break

11:20a – 12:10p

Breakout Sessions

Boost Your ROI by Using Tech as a Competitive Advantage

Speakers:

Jason Quinn, CFO/COO, Vendr

Steve Isom, CFO, Bloomerang

Michelle McComb, CFO, Bluecore

In this challenging business environment, finance leaders look to differentiate their company from their rivals. Now they are enlisting software as a competitive tool. The outcome promises to be a better return on investment.

This interactive session will demonstrate how to:

evaluate current systems,
replace outdated tech with a cost-effective software stack,
lower expense, improve productivity and enhance customer relationships.

How Finance Leaders Can Unlock Capacity to Enhance Business Performance

Speakers: Vin Messina, VP and Global Head of Transformation, BlackLine

Finance and accounting (F&A) teams are navigating increasing complexity with a growing list of priorities, including expanding business roles and managing talent and labor challenges. To thrive, leading organizations are identifying their most pressing challenges and using technology to adopt best practices, free up time, and build agility.

Join this session to explore new ways of approaching finance process optimization and hear how top organizations are empowering their teams to support more strategic and value-added work.

Learning Objectives:

Explore why manual work limits F&A’s ability to deliver in an environment of expanding roles
Learn a more holistic approach to optimization that focuses on end outputs
Understand leading practices that save time and reduce risk for accounting teams

Cash Management Crossroads: The CFO Role in a Volatile Banking Landscape

Speaker: Jeremy Klaperman, CFO of Rho

As banks continue to face increasing uncertainty and volatility, middle-market CFOs are left with a critical decision to make: how to balance the importance of maintaining valuable banking relationships while also safeguarding cash reserves. What does effective cash management look like and what does the CFO’s role amid recent bank failures and economic uncertainty? In this session, Rho CFO Jeremy Klaperman will tackle these questions, sharing insights on:

How to balance banking relationships & cash concentration avoidance
How recent bank failures impact a CFO’s responsibility
How the treasury function has benefitted from automation

Best Practices in Leveraging Global Strategy to Accelerate Growth & Finance Transformation

Speakers: Michael Tannenbaum, COO & Former CFO, Brex

Today companies are hiring across the globe from the outset, yet executing a successful global strategy is easier said than done. In this session, we will discuss best practices and pitfalls to avoid when it comes to scaling global teams to drive business outcomes. We also invite participants to share use cases for assessing and implementing new technologies to advance finance transformation across key areas for global businesses, including payments, ERP, payroll, HRIS, talent management, end-to-end processes, and more.

12:15p – 1:15p

Networking Lunch

1:15p – 1:45p

Networking in the Exhibit Hall

1:45p – 2:35p

Visionary Panel – Imagine360
Flip the Script: Turn Employee Benefits from Cost Burden to Competitive Edge

Speakers:
Steve Kelly, Chairman and Co-founder, Imagine360

Rebeccah Randles, National Director of Business Development, Imagine360

Jason Hamelin, Director of Financial Planning and Analysis, Werfen

Bill Harju, CFO, USA Hauling & Recycling

Healthcare represents one of a business’s largest, most unpredictable, and growing expenses. As costs continue to rise, companies have been forced to pass those costs onto their employees in the form of higher deductibles and premiums.

During this thought-provoking, interactive panel discussion, you will acquire these value-packed takeaways to turn healthcare benefits into a competitive advantage:

How to utilize data in planning benefits strategy
Why price transparency is vital
Which cost containment practices work best
What to expect in terms of recruiting and retention outcomes

2:35p – 3:20p

Keynote: Overcoming Obstacles to Global Expansion

Speaker: Julie Swinehart, EVP & CFO, Fenway Sports Group

Moderator: Ben Shields, Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management

How does a CFO strike a balance between its current operations and future growth plans as well as manage its financial resources effectively to secure its long-term stability and sustainability? And how can you adapt these solutions to your own situation?

You’ll find out in this insightful discussion with Julie Swinehart, CFO of Fenway Sports Group (FSG), a leading sports conglomerate with a range of sports teams, venues, and media properties. She will offer an inside perspective on the financial and strategic challenges as FSG continues to expand globally. Julie will be joined by Ben Shields, a senior lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management and a renowned expert in sports, media, and entertainment.

Don’t miss this groundbreaking presentation. Learn how Julie Swinehart and her team manage costs, maximize revenue, and reduce risk through financial planning and analysis.

By attending this program, you can return to the office with these valuable takeaways:

How to overcome financial and strategic challenges in leading a global business
How to balance the desire of fans to “win now” with the responsibility of running a financially responsible global enterprise
How to use modern technology to maximize revenue growth, field a competitive team on the field, and optimize the fan experience
Proven recommendations to protect and grow the brand in a financially responsible way.
How to value and protect the integrity of the brand in the competitive world of global athletics
Ways to use key financial and non-financial metrics that determine company success

3:20p – 3:40p

Break

3:40p – 4:30p

Breakout Sessions

Boost Your ROI by Using Tech as a Competitive Advantage

Speakers:

Jason Quinn, CFO/COO, Vendr

Steve Isom, CFO, Bloomerang

Michelle McComb, CFO, Bluecore

This interactive session will demonstrate how to:

evaluate current systems,
replace outdated tech with a cost-effective software stack,
lower expense, improve productivity and enhance customer relationships.

How Finance Leaders Can Unlock Capacity to Enhance Business Performance

Speakers: Vin Messina, VP and Global Head of Transformation, BlackLine

Join this session to explore new ways of approaching finance process optimization and hear how top organizations are empowering their teams to support more strategic and value-added work.

Learning Objectives:

Explore why manual work limits F&A’s ability to deliver in an environment of expanding roles
Learn a more holistic approach to optimization that focuses on end outputs
Understand leading practices that save time and reduce risk for accounting teams

Cash Management Crossroads: The CFO Role in a Volatile Banking Landscape

Speaker: Jeremy Klaperman, CFO of Rho

How to balance banking relationships & cash concentration avoidance
How recent bank failures impact a CFO’s responsibility
How the treasury function has benefitted from automation

Best Practices in Leveraging Global Strategy to Accelerate Growth & Finance Transformation

Speakers: Michael Tannenbaum, COO & Former CFO, Brex

4:30p – 4:40p

Break

4:40p – 5:30p

How to Embrace the AI Revolution

Speaker: Glenn Hopper, CFO, Eventus Advisory Group, LLC

Moderator: Dan Bigman, Editor-In-Chief, Chief Executive & Corporate Board Member

According to a recent study by KPMG, nearly two thirds of executives believe that AI will have a significant impact on their business, yet the same study finds 60% are still one to two years away from implementing their first generative AI solution. Don’t fall behind the curve! Join this session to gain a better understanding of what generative AI is – and isn’t, how it can be applied for finance and accounting, risks to avoid when it comes to ChatGPT, and more. It’s time to lean in before you’re left out.

5:30p – 5:40p

Day 1 Recap

Michael Bayer, CFO, Wasabi Technologies

5:40p – 7:00p

Networking Reception

Thursday, June 8

8:00a – 9:00a

Networking Breakfast

9:00a – 9:10a

Opening Remarks

Jack McCullough, CFO Leadership Council

9:10a – 10:00a

Keynote: Be the Leader Who Inspires Your Team to Greater Accomplishments

Speaker: Bill George, Former CEO, Medtronic

Moderator: Dan Bigman, Editor-In-Chief, Chief Executive & Corporate Board Member

It’s time to step up to be the leader your organization wants and needs. It’s not just about talking up vision. It’s about showing the way to make everyone else better and able to achieve their job goals and company objectives. How? By leading with purpose and by inspiring and coaching your teammates and fellow leaders. In this keynote, Bill George, former chairman and CEO of Medtronic will highlight key points from his latest bestseller, Emerging Leader Edition of the “True North” bestseller.

You will learn to:

Become a moral leader who leads with EQ, self-awareness, compassion, values, and courage by following their North Star.
Become a coaching leader who cares, aligns, organizes, challenges and helps their teams.
Discover your True North, turning your crucibles into inspiration to accomplish extraordinary things
Lead through today’s challenges, creating inclusive cultures, and leading through crises.

10:00a – 10:50a

Visionary Panel – Robert Half and Protiviti
Guide to Achieving Long-Term Business Growth

Speakers:
Jim Dinneen, Managing Vice President Managed Business Services at Robert Half

Andrea Vardaro Thomas, Managing Director at Protiviti

Michael Bayer, CFO, Wasabi Technologies

Loretta Keane, CFO, Arcadia.io

Current economic conditions, including inflation, have forced many organizations to adopt a near-term, tactical strategy. But long-term growth is within the grasp of most firms if they adopt a more agile style and perspective.

In this session, you will learn:

how to overcome a short-term fixation,
why agile firms achieve better financial results,
what practical steps you should take to get team members to think strategically,
how to connect the dots between talent, technology, data, and analytics.

10:50a – 11:20a

Break

11:20a – 12:10p

Breakout Sessions

Build a Resilient Team to Achieve Financial Goals

Speakers:
Anna King, CFO, Mesh Payments

Asaf Hanegby, Director of Finance, Mesh Payments

Today the role of finance goes well beyond processing transactions and updating accounting books, to providing data and intel that will position your company to achieve its financial goals.

Heads of finance need the best metrics and most talented teams to meet change head on— that means minimize risk and take advantage of growth opportunities. But developing finance talent is easier said then done.

CFO Anna King and Asaf Hanegby, Director of Finance at Mesh, will share their perspectives and insights on talent optimization. The session will provide these key takeaways:

what to look for in key hires, from controller to bookkeeper,
how to develop and maintain a remote team structure for the finance team,
ways to streamline workflows,
how to achieve better outcomes and a highly-engaged team.

The Right Technology Can Help Finance Unlock Working Capital and Increase Agility

Speakers:

Liz Alderman, Director, Product Marketing at Coupa

Rohit Anand, Senior Director of Finance & Controller, Tectonic Therapeutic, Inc.

The past year has been a demanding balancing act as companies face economic uncertainty, supply chain disruption, and pressure to remain profitable as costs rise. In a recent survey of over 600 CFOs, 93% shared that automation would better help them respond to these external forces. During the session, the panel will discuss the following topics:

Perspectives on how macro volatility (interest rates, inflation, supply chain issues) has added complexity to finance teams
The role of technology in finance organizations and how that has evolved in the past few years
Looking to the future and the opportunities that exist for finance to deliver strategic insights and results to the organization leveraging technology

Tackle Volatility and Drive More Value From Your FP&A & Analytics Teams

Speaker: Milosh Nedic, SVP of finance & strategy, Avalara

There’s a “once a century event” happening every other year – it’s just a different event each time bringing new sources of volatility to impact your planning. CFOs need to adjust their forecasting and strategy design as part of a disciplined approach to long-term vision, all while continuing to run an efficient and compliant business with less budget and fewer resources. On top of that, we are seeing finance roles becoming harder to fill, with less people entering the field as a career – that means automating key finance tasks wherever possible is going to become a necessity. Hear how one global finance executive is evolving his value creation plan from one year to five year, improving FP&A processes, and using analytics to help his high-growth organization glean better insights to control recurring costs while driving growth. Don’t miss this interactive discussion with your peer finance executives to explore:

Pros and cons of different FP&A and analytics organizational structures to drive maximum insights and efficiencies
Key metrics for defining your FP&A and analytics teams’ success
Automation to get more sophisticated with data

12:15p – 2:00p

Lunch Keynote: The CFO’s Ultimate Cautionary Tale:
Lessons from Enron’s Former Finance Chief

Speaker: Andy Fastow, former CFO, Enron

Legal and regulatory risk continues to plague CFOs in every size company and industry. In this special session, former Enron CFO Andy Fastow will demonstrate—

red flags that signal legal and finance pitfalls ahead…and how to avoid them,
how the ambiguity and complexity of laws and regulations breed opportunity for problematic decisions,
what actions corporate officers should take to not only follow the rules, but uphold the principles behind them to minimize risk.

Fastow represents the ultimate cautionary tale for chief financial officers and their teams. He was once recognized as one of top CFOs in the country, and an innovator in his field. The Enron bankruptcy was the biggest in history at the time, costing thousands of jobs, while wiping out over $40 billion in shareholder value and retirement savings. Fastow plead guilty to two counts of securities fraud and served six years in a federal prison for his role in the bankruptcy. His presentation will be a candid retelling of the Enron bankruptcy, and he will offer his insights on the financial and other business scandals today.

2:00p – 2:30p

Break

2:30p

Closing Remarks

Exhibit hall closed

*Pending NASBA approval on final agenda. | Full agenda will be posted soon.

Pre-Event Workshops

Limited to 50 seats | $99 each

Must register for conference for more info

Women in Leadership,
Win When They Say You Won’t

Tuesday, June 6 | 1:30pm – 3pm ET

Daphne Jones
Author, Win When They Say You Won’t
Former SVP for Future of Work, GE

Daphne E. Jones was told by her career counselor that Black girls don’t successfully make it in college, but should instead go to secretary school. She followed his advice, but today she’s a corporate board member who has held CIO and other leadership positions at Fortune 500 companies including IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Hospira (now Pfizer) and General Electric. She defied everyone’s expectations and went from the bottom to the top of the white male dominated field of STEM. What can you learn from her success? Believe you can win.

In our Women in Leadership Workshop, Daphne will share a framework to help you achieve the career of your dreams, based on key takeaways from her new book, WIN WHEN THEY SAY YOU WON’T: Break Through Barriers and Keep Leveling Up Your Success.

The interactive workshop will allow you to work through a four step “EDIT” methodology — Envision, Design, Iterate, and Transform – so you can transform your mindset to win. Join a group of high-achieving female executives to help each other on your career journeys. Discussion topics will include:

How women can win in the absence of support
How to not get caught in the trap of responding without a strategy
How to work smarter, not harder
How to think and behave like an active project manager of your career—calling your own plays and not watching your career from the sidelines
How to become a better contributor at work by using the W.A.I.T. method (Why.Am.I.Talking?)
The 4 Cs approach that helped Daphne learn when to receive, reject or respond to feedback

Foundational Mindset
Workshop for Elite Leaders

Tuesday, June 6 | 3:30pm – 5pm ET

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.