$95/ticket
Exclusive to Conference attendees only. Registration link will be sent in your registration confirmation.
Andy Core, Ph.D. – Resiliency Author/Speaker/Researcher
Today’s CFOs are grappling with unprecedented change and uncertainty. The silver lining is, you don’t need to change your entire life to be more successful under stress. But you do have to change your day. After participating in this program, you will walk away with daily action items that can help you envision a brighter future, see the best in others, and recognize the best in yourself.
Specifically, you will:
Details will be sent in your conference registration confirmation.
Strategy, Teamwork and a Little Texas Grit — Add this high-energy, interactive experience to your conference experience!
Ready to connect with fellow CFOs in a fresh, memorable way? The CFO Challenge is a fast-paced team competition. In just 90 minutes, you’ll tackle a series of light physical and mental challenges—each cleverly tied to the CFO mindset—while exploring a little bit of downtown Austin.
You’ll be grouped with fellow attendees against your peers in challenges like:
Teams will race to collect clues and puzzle pieces before reconvening to complete a final task. It’s a fun, fast-moving experience designed to build new relationships, spark strategic thinking and get you energized for the full conference.
SPONSORED BY:
Jack McCullough, President, CFO Leadership Council
LTC Oakland McCulloch, (Ret.), U.S. Army
Great leaders aren’t born—they’re built through purpose, service and relentless self-awareness. In this energizing opening keynote, LTC Oakland McCulloch (Ret.), a decorated U.S. Army officer and author of Your Leadership Legacy, will share lessons from the battlefield to the C-suite on how to lead with clarity, character and conviction. Drawing from decades of leadership under pressure, he’ll challenge attendees to reflect on your own leadership impact—and you’ll leave inspired to lead more intentionally in every facet of life and work.
Marybeth Gray, Senior Vice President of Health and Welfare Benefits Consulting Trion, a Marsh McLennan Agency
With healthcare costs projected to rise at their fastest pace in 15 years, CFOs are facing tough choices that go beyond just balancing budgets. As the second-largest expense after compensation, healthcare spending directly impacts talent acquisition, retention and overall organizational sustainability. This session will equip CFOs with actionable strategies to address the pressing challenges of healthcare cost management in 2025 and beyond. We’ll help you strike a balance between providing comprehensive healthcare benefits and managing costs without sacrificing your oganization’s ability to attract and retain top talent. It is clear that a “do nothing strategy” with a 10% annual trend will not work.
Join us to explore:
Presented by Tipalti
Alex Cedro, Vice President of Finance, Tipalti
TBA
Presented by Brex
Arthur Akhtenberg, Senior Finance Manager, Brex
How do you really know what sales tactics are working? A finance team that sits at the intersection of revenue planning, incentive design, and frontline execution can bring new clarity to business ROI. In this session, learn how finance teams can better partner with sales leadership to drive growth and improve ROI. We’ll share lessons from scaling Brex, where finance is influencing pricing strategy, managing GTM performance, and unlocking more predictable revenue.
Key takeaways:
Presented by Tipalti
Alex Cedro, Vice President of Finance, Tipalti
TBA
Presented by Brex
Arthur Akhtenberg, Senior Finance Manager, Brex
How do you really know what sales tactics are working? A finance team that sits at the intersection of revenue planning, incentive design, and frontline execution can bring new clarity to business ROI. In this session, learn how finance teams can better partner with sales leadership to drive growth and improve ROI. We’ll share lessons from scaling Brex, where finance is influencing pricing strategy, managing GTM performance, and unlocking more predictable revenue.
Key takeaways:
Cameron Kinloch, CFO, Weights & Biases (a CoreWeave company)
What does it take to guide a company from scrappy startup to strategic acquisition—and do it with both financial discipline and velocity? Cameron Kinloch has helped scale some of the most ambitious companies in tech, driving triple-digit growth, raising eight-figure rounds, and advising CEOs through IPOs and exits. Most recently, she played a central role in the successful acquisition of Weights & Biases by AI infrastructure leader CoreWeave in one of the most closely watched deals in the AI space.
As CFO, Cameron brings sharp financial acumen and operator-level instincts to the high-growth journey. In this fast-paced, insight-packed keynote, she’ll pull back the curtain on what it takes to scale a company in the AI era—including how to prepare for a strategic transaction while still running full speed ahead.
You’ll hear how CFOs can lead with speed, precision, and vision—while building finance teams that are future-ready, tech-savvy, and deeply aligned with product and go-to-market strategy. She’ll also reflect on the unique demands and lessons of being deal-ready while scaling fast.
Key takeaways:
Jack McCullough, President, CFO Leadership Council
Shelagh Glaser, CFO, Synopsys
What happens when a CFO helps steer a $70B AI-driven acquisition, leads at the intersection of strategy and execution, and brings 30 years of experience from companies like Intel and Zendesk to one of the world’s most influential technology enablers?
You get Shelagh Glaser.
As CFO of Synopsys—the global leader in software and silicon IP for chip design—Shelagh is helping drive the transformation of the semiconductor industry from behind the scenes. With deep operating experience in both hardware and SaaS, she brings clarity to complexity and turns financial planning into a strategic scorecard.
In this keynote, Shelagh outlines how modern CFOs must step up as cross-functional leaders, investment strategists, and enterprise accelerators. She’ll also share what she’s learning as a public company board member and how those external perspectives sharpen internal decision-making.
Key takeaways:
Chad Wonderling, CFO, Zone & Co
Joan Bottarini, CFO, Hyatt
As CFO of Hyatt, Joan Bottarini has helped steer one of the world’s most iconic hospitality brands through a period of rapid evolution — from navigating the global disruption of COVID-19 to expanding into new guest segments to the importance of being a purpose-driven company. In this fireside chat, she’ll share her perspective on how today’s CFOs can lead beyond the numbers—balancing financial strategy with bold reinvention and a strong cultural foundation.
Join us to discuss:
This conversation will offer a candid, forward-looking perspective on what it takes to lead with impact in a world where financial decisions are inseparable from people, purpose and innovation.
Presented by TravelBank
How do you move forward with change—whether it’s implementing a new tech solution or rolling out a policy—without disrupting operations? In this session, Tory Passons, SVP of TravelBank Product and Partnerships at U.S. Bank, discusses how finance leaders can overcome the biggest barriers to organizational change by:
Leanna Rossmann, CFO & Head of Strategy, SXSW
What does it take to help steer one of the world’s most influential cultural brands into its next era?
As CFO and Head of Strategy at SXSW, Leanna Rossmann sits at the intersection of finance, creativity, and innovation. With a career spanning The Walt Disney Company, Warner Music Group, and 20th Century Fox, she brings world-class experience to an organization that thrives on reinvention.
In this keynote, Leanna shares how financial leadership and strategic vision come together to shape the future of an iconic institution. From streamlining legacy processes to cultivating forward-looking partnerships, she’ll offer CFOs a roadmap for driving meaningful change—even in environments where tradition runs deep.
Attendees will get a rare look behind the curtain at how one of the most celebrated events in culture, tech, and music is evolving—and the role finance plays in making that transformation real.
Key takeaways:
Exhibit hall closed
10 CPEs offered, pending NASBA approval on final agenda.
The CFO Leadership Council is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN, 37219-2417. Website: www.nasba.org
Instructional method: Group-Live
Recommended CPE Credits: Up to 12 Credits
Experience Level: Basic
Prerequisites/advance preparation: None
For CFOLC CPE credits, one credit hour equals 50 minutes according to NASBA guidelines. Some state boards may differ on how many minutes constitute a credit hour. Contact your state board for more information. Questions or comments? Contact Nancy at nancy@cfolc.com
