CFO Leadership Conference: East

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

Additional registration required. For Conference attendees only.

Pre-Event Workshop: Foundational Mindset for Elite Leaders

Additional registration required. For Conference attendees only.

Welcome Reception & Exhibit Hall Open

Registration & Networking Breakfast

Opening Remarks

Jack McCullough, CFO Leadership Council

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.

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

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

Terry Coelho, Board Member, First Wave BioPharma, Inc.

Melissa Herman, CFO, Login VSI

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.

Break

BOOST YOUR ROI BY USING TECH AS A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Speaker: Jason Quinn, CFO/COO of Vendr

In this challenging business environment, finance leaders look to 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.

Networking Lunch

Networking in the Exhibit Hall

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

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

Break

BOOST YOUR ROI BY USING TECH AS A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Speaker: Jason Quinn, CFO/COO of Vendr

In this challenging business environment, finance leaders look to 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.

Break

CFO Roundtables and Closing Remarks

Networking Reception

Networking Breakfast

Opening Remarks

Jack McCullough, CFO Leadership Council

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:

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

Visionary Panel – Robert Half
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

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.

Break

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.

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.

Break

Closing Remarks

Exhibit hall closed