The CONNECT Steering Committee consists entirely of your contemporaries, meaning we tackle the trends with potential to make profound impact in the financial domain.
Navigate the many inherent challenges that come with the job. We’ll discuss strategies for diverse boards
and executive teams, auditor selection, changes to GAAP Revenue Recognition, risk identification and
effective GRC management.
High Profile Speakers
20+ CFOs share strategic endeavors and skillful insights as they make way in today’s financial landscape.
People represent the greatest investment opportunity in any company. They’re also the greatest challenge. And the challenges multiply when people work together on teams. Despite the dysfunction of the majority of business teams, teamwork has never been more important for fast-growth companies. In this session, you’ll learn how to accelerate the effectiveness of new teams and new leaders, how to deal effectively with contentious teams and teammates, how to optimize high-functioning teams and navigate change initiatives, and how to develop and retain your high potentials.
Key Takeaways:
How to accelerate the effectiveness of new teams and new leaders.
How to deal effectively with contentious teams and teammates.
How to optimize high-functioning teams and navigate change initiatives.
How to optimize high-functioning teams and navigate change initiatives.
*CPE Credit-Participants will be able to identify the 5 most significant team challenges and share ways to engage these issues and solve them to create dynamic teams and extraordinary outcomes. Field of Study: Personnel/HR
Business is changing and finance must change with it. It is no longer sufficient for a CFO to simply report the news. The finance function, led by the CFO, must now lead in strategic plan development and partner cross-functionally across the business to drive implementation of the strategy to achieve results. The finance team must lead in the creation of actionable and measurable KPI’s to evaluate status. These measurements must be real-time rather than the historic quarterly or monthly updates. The CFO must leave the transition to automation, including deciphering big data, to ensure that analysts have time to add value rather than simply manipulate data into reports. The CFO must be able to identify, develop, recruit, and maintain talent. Due to the new role of finance, many areas within finance are becoming true talent pipelines into other areas of the organization. While this is a great development for young finance professionals looking for broad career opportunities, it further challenges the CFO to ensure the depth of talent is sufficient and career pathing is in place to handle the constantly changing environment. My presentation will include best in class roadmaps and examples of pros and cons to many of these challenges.
Key Takeaways:
Strategic vision
Finance department evolution to strategic business partner
Recruiting, training, and retaining a strong finance team
Finance’s role as a leader throughout the business
Zespri has undertaken material growth through it’s global expansion programme. The expansion has been through Asia / sub continent / Middle East / North and South America. Zespri focus in each country is to get closer to the customer therefore moving further down the value chain. The expansion has driven a large amount of change and has therefore continually changed the risk profile of the business. The presentation will focus on: 1 Finances position in global expansion 2 Understanding and managing risk 3 Developing and implementing a compliance framework 4 Deeper dive into China
Key Takeaways:
Finances position in global expansion
Understanding and managing risk
Developing and implementing a compliance framework
Strategic Financial ManagementEdison Energy - Vice President, Sales
Energy is the largest unaddressed risk faced by most companies, and can exceed foreign currency, interest rate & other operational risks. For many companies, a 10% change in energy costs can impact earnings-per-share by 5% or more.
How likely is this to happen & what could cause it within this business planning cycle, or the next?
Most companies do not allocate the internal resources to quantifying these answers, leaving them exposed to potential impacts. This is an increasingly important area of due diligence, as the markets are going through fundamental changes (e.g. coal retirements, renewable build-out) and utilities are increasingly allowing corporate input on different rate schedules.
Given the rapidly changing energy markets and facility operations, most companies do not yet have a road map of how the organization’s energy cost structure is set to be impacted over the next 5,10, or 15 years. In this session, we will explore how taking a strategic, analytics-based portfolio approach to energy management helps clients increase risk-adjusted return on capital, protect themselves from rapidly changing markets and products, and outperform their competition.
Key Takeaways:
Learn what an energy portfolio is, how the methodology differs from other energy management strategies, and why leading companies are adopting the portfolio approach.
Learn how a comprehensive portfolio approach can bring together different stakeholders
Learn how to educate senior management on the materiality of energy management.
Technology & Transition in FinanceThe IT Effectiveness Group - Founder & CEO
40 years of vast experiences in the IT cost cutting arena – all well documented – has produced an extensive cookbook that is used to reduce IT expenses without cutting headcount. During this session, we will cover the 5 efforts that produce the greatest results. We will also cover why these opportunities exist and most importantly, what needs to be done to eliminate the waste.
Key Takeaways:
Top 5 Opportunities for IT cost savings
How these wasteful expenses happened in the first place and what to do to keep the from occurring again
How to discover the waste and eliminate it
An approach to perpetually maximize your IT investments
Technology & Transition in FinanceBed Bath & Beyond - Vice President of Finance
Jason will walk through the steps he’s taken to get FP&A out of the report building business and into the business value creation business by embracing IT. Recent trends have finance and IT coming into much closer alignment especially concerning shared initiatives like business intelligence and data governance. Jason will lay out the process he’s used to navigate the ever changing and sometimes murky waters.
Strategic Financial ManagementTrion Group, a Marsh & & McLennan Agency LLC - SVP Health & Welfare Consulting
Healthcare costs are second to payroll! Learn what Top-Performing companies are doing to control costs while still maintaining robust benefit packages at affordable prices. We will cover the top 5 strategies deployed to beat medical trend more effectively!
Key Takeaways:
State of the Market Overview – what’s driving costs both currently and what is around the corner
Key thoughts on areas we need to focus on for long term cost management
Top 5 strategies proven to reduce medical costs and improve patient outcomes
Speaker
Marybeth Gray
SVP Health & Welfare ConsultingTrion Group, a Marsh & & McLennan Agency LLC
Working together effectively is critical for Corporate Boards and the C-suite, particularly during an organizational transformation where the makeup of the Board substantially changes. GNC recently agreed to a $300 million strategic joint venture with Harbin Pharmaceutical Group, part of Hayao. At closing (expected in second half of this year), Hayao will own 40 percent of GNC on a convertible basis and five Hayao members will join GNC’s board. Tricia Tolivar, CFO of GNC, is working to ensure the upcoming transition is smooth and helping management lead the business and its employees through the change. In this discussion, Tricia will explore the importance of the CFO’s role in business transformation, as well as how CFOs and senior leaders can find common ground in the boardroom.
Key Takeaways:
How to lead in a time of corporate transition
Working with the executive management team to ensure successful boardroom integration
CFO’s role in guiding the business, and setting the tone for the future
Why the board plays a critical role during and after corporate transitions
You have access to the latest technologies—but how do you actually implement them? Although the payments industry is innovating at a rapid pace, the 2017 survey on payment evolution conducted by Capital One and NAPCP showed varying degrees of implementation. The missing piece of the puzzle to introducing new technologies is making the transition from old processes to new ones. With the increased focus on innovation in 2018, working with clients—training, migrating and onboarding—is more critical than ever. Attendees will be able to:
Key Takeaways:
Understand key survey results
Briefly discuss the course of payment evolution over time
Get insight into barriers companies face in adopting new payment technologies, and how to overcome these barriers
Strategic HR and OperationsSIRVA - Senior Vice President, Global Compensation & Payroll Services
We all know that Company sponsored relocations have a cost – but what is the Company getting in “return”? Definition of ROI Why is it the “Holy Grail” of Global Mobility? Defining and Measures Costs Hard Costs Reporting Requirements Soft Costs How/ What to Measure Defining and Measuring “Returns”
Key Takeaways:
Definition of ROI
Defining and Measures Costs
Defining and Measuring “Returns”
Speaker
L. Sean Raney
Senior Vice President, Global Compensation & Payroll ServicesSIRVA
CFO Leadership & InnovationUnit4 - Director of Product Management, Software Development
With expectations for faster response times to more complex questions, and fewer resources to get the job done, we are all under increasing pressure to perform and deliver. How can Self-Driving solutions support you with your Performance Management tasks? And, how can you benefit from the use of Artificial Intelligence? Join us to discuss the current state of the office of the CFO and how to get ahead in the face of tough competition.
Key Takeaways:
Technologies and their impact on FP&A + S&OP
Why AI will be a game changer for FP&A + S&OP
How to leverage AI to your strategic advantage in the face of tough competition
Speaker
Sascha Alber
Director of Product Management, Software DevelopmentUnit4
The session will provide definitive suggestions for implementing finance driven technology tools such as reporting dashboards, payables automation, GL connection tools, time tracking software, capital project analysis, and Excel techniques that drive efficiency.
Key Takeaways:
Tips on evaluating and implementing AP automation solutions
Are you keeping up with an evolving risk landscape or is it keeping you up at night? Accounting scandals are not just headlines of the past, they are happening every day. Your organization is constantly exposed to risk; you cannot operate with a business-as-usual mentality. Change is constant and the stakes are high. Leveraging technology enables your accounting and finance department to reduce their overall risk exposure. Your organization has the opportunity to automate repetitive tasks, eliminate data entry errors, gain workflow visibility and accountability, and strengthen the overall control environment.
Key Takeaways:
Recognize risk as a factor that consistently impacts organizations whether they are experiencing rapid growth, increasing in complexity, resistant to change, or are working to implement best practices.
Identify common practices and processes that can expose organizations to fraud.
Review departmental and organizational process improvement opportunities by leveraging technology to reduce risk, challenge current processes, and utilize your team’s time and their skill sets to reduce your organization’s risk exposure.
Technology & Transition in FinanceProphix Software Inc. - VP, North American Customer Sales
AI has already made inroads into many industries. But the Office of Finance is already proving to be an early adopter and ripe for disruption. The ability to analyze data, calculate risks and quickly inform decision-making is crucial to finance’s role in the organization. Finance runs on data. Historically, finance leaders have had to pour through data in time-consuming ways. There’s immense value to be had in automating planning, budgeting, forecasting and reporting. Join Neal as he details how he sees the future changes in the finance world and offer advice how the Office of Finance can prepare for the next evolution in FP&A.
Key Takeaways:
How AI & innovation is transforming the finance function and the evolving role of the CFO as a key strategic player
Learn about how machine learning and natural language progression (NLP) produce deep learning
Leveraging financial innovation to transform the business and drive results
Speaker
Neal Khan
VP, North American Customer SalesProphix Software Inc.
The flexibility afforded by a company’s capitalization is critical to its growth. Management and Boards are best served by taking a long term strategic view in managing the evolution of the company’s capitalization. There is a balance between short term financing requirements and the longer term implications of these decisions. A company’s capitalization table will dictate the financing alternatives available to it over time thereby enabling or preventing its growth. Trust relationships between investors, management, and the Board members matter. Through the discussion of a case study, attendees will gain an appreciation of managing cap tables strategically to best position a company for growth.
Key Takeaways:
A company’s capital structure enables or prevents its growth
Financing alternatives are determined by the company’s performance and prospects
Stakeholders (Investors, Board members, Management, Employees) do not necessarily have the same incentives
Governance, Risk Management & ComplianceLarson Design Group - Vice President of Finance
The purpose of this session is to highlight how risk assessments can go from merely being a concept to becoming a critical component of any organization. A successful risk awareness culture is one in which employees at all levels of the organization recognize it as such. Too often, organizations’ risk assessment and risk management initiatives die prematurely because there is a lack of ownership and/or committed responsibility over the process. Interestingly, this absence of commitment to the process exists because the question “what then do we do with it?” is unanswered. This session will answer that question.
Banking and Capital Markets PricesAFMS - Founder & CEO
EXPERT Carrier Contract Negotiation advice, Including Auditing Ideas to reduce your shipping costs.
A lot of changes are happening today with UPS and FedEx and the levels of complexity surrounding today’s contracts. Get valuable information to better manage your ongoing transportation pricing contracts and carrier contract changes. How you, can have best-in-class pricing and reduce overall shipping costs by 15-25%. You will walk away from this informative session with a new perspective on how to negotiate with the carriers.
Key Takeaways:
What has created these pricing changes? The data capture technology carriers use today has allowed them to bill for services and extra costs they physically couldn’t charge for a few years ago.
What can a shipper do to offset these new charges? Gain a better understanding of the impact these changes are going to have on your company; How much of your transportation spend is in accessorial charges or base rate charges. Tips to negotiate better discounts from former UPS and FedEx VP’s and pricing managers.
How to establish shipping costs benchmarks prior to beginning any carrier negotiations. Ways to reduce the impact of accessorial charges and other not so obvious contract fee’s.
How auditing your shipping can actually save you an additional 1-4%. Parcel (FedEx, UPS, DHL), both domestic and global shipping solutions.
Leadership & Learning DevelopmentUltimate Software - Pre-Sales Director of SaaS Technology and Innovation
Companies are struggling to respond to the rapid pace of change and the associated effects on their employees. More than ever, people want a more personal, humanwork experience. Three pivotal forces are converging that will transform the near-term future of work. First, advances in artificial intelligence reach beyond the automation of tasks, to help leaders understand their people in new and deeply human ways—augmenting and amplifying their natural capabilities. In addition, today’s employees crave connection and purpose with an environment that fosters their progress and nurtures their growth—rejecting one-size-fits-all management in favor of hyper-personalized leadership. Finally, breakthrough Diversity and Inclusion creates a workforce culture in which all people can feel they belong and be themselves—where unique perspectives foster greater innovation, sustainability, and cultural competence. Doing so ensures work works for everyone.
Key Takeaways:
Be familiar with the widening perception gap between employees and managers at work and steps HR leaders can take to coach managers to personalize their leadership approach
Know how to use smart technologies such as AI, machine learning, and natural language processing, to help managers know and understand their people on a deeply human level, empowering them to achieve more.
Discover proven new ways to ensure diversity and inclusion programs actually drive positive changes for the organization.
Understand what it takes to create a culture in which leaders help their people achieve meaningful, purposeful, and productive work and careers, such that all employees feel included, respected, and empowered.
Help HR Leaders identify and prioritize HR practices which foster these objectives.
Speaker
Keith Webb
Pre-Sales Director of SaaS Technology and InnovationUltimate Software
Technology & Transition in FinanceRamco Systems - AVP – Solution Advisory & Presales
The evolving marketplace has made it imperative for technologies to become light and easily accessible. Businesses today are no longer tied down by the traditional boundaries of space and time. Work is 24/7, inter-connected and constantly on the move. Consequently, ERP solutions too need to break free from the clutter of excessively complicated technicalities to become simple, easy-to-use and scalable. The world is moving towards a leaner, efficient and contextual information delivery model, with embedded analytics. Spruce this with an element of Chatbots and Voice and you encounter a whole new world of Finance. This seamless experience is complemented by the availability of easy to use intuitive self-service on mobiles (Android/iPhones), tablets (iPad/Android tabs) and of course desk top and laptops. While a typical commoditized financial & accounting solution can at best remain a transactional reporting system, the future is all about building an API-economy where applications integrate and interact with each other seamlessly.
Key Takeaways:
ERP solutions need to break free from the clutter of excessively complicated technicalities to become simple, easy-to-use and scalable
A futuristic Finance system is all about building an API-economy where applications integrate and interact with each other seamlessly
Systems are moving towards Voice UIs, BOTs, Self service on Mobile and Tablets
CFO Leadership & InnovationJust Born - Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
The idea of the strategic CFO is often thrown around without tangible actions and strategies finance leaders can adopt in their own organization. While becoming active in strategy and less involved in numbers is a great goal – these words are empty if CFOs do not become proactive in value-creation and execution of business efforts in outside functions. Finance must adapt the way they traditionally think about value-creation. In this session, I will share experiences and lead an interactive session on innovative ways that CFOs can create business value, including: – Managing resources from internal teams – strategic finance within your organization – Leveraging relationships with outside partners – Improving performance of your Sales and Marketing departments – the role of finance
Key Takeaways:
CFO Leadership
Creating Value as the CFO
Team Integration
Making Finance Invaluable to your Company
Speaker
Ronald Izewski
Senior Vice President & Chief Financial OfficerJust Born
Leadership & Learning DevelopmentTravis Credit Union - Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
If you promote someone from a manager to an AVP, or from an AVP to a VP, what’s the difference? In many companies, it’s a matter of tenure. However, if there are not distinct differences in performance expectations from one level to the next that can be effectively articulated, measured and enforced, you will be setting yourself up for ER issues, leadership gaps, succession gaps and poor knowledge management.
Key Takeaways
Overview of leadership categories based on performance standards
Setting clear performance distinctions between levels
Identification of who does/doesn’t fit within these levels
Key leadership imperatives to help identify leadership at various levels
Speaker
Arthur Schwartz
Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources OfficerTravis Credit Union
I will discuss the “where to play” and “how to win” questions in the context of the Finance function and how innovation plays an essential role in answering the “how to win” part of the strategy. Through the use of examples drawn from my experience, I will present how to determine where to play and where not to play (the need to make choices) consistent with and in support of the firm’s strategy. In answering the how to win question, I will talk about assessing requirements, capabilities and the role innovation can play in winning. Beyond the role innovation plays in winning, I’ll talk about what innovation means and how to think about innovating in an environment that is resistant to change.
Key Takeaways:
What does strategy look like for a Finance Function
Steps to assess current strategy or in the absence of one, how to create one
How to integrate innovation into a Finance Department’s Strategy
CFO Leadership & InnovationHarley Marine Services Inc. - CFO
Capital allocation is, perhaps, the most important function of a CFO. A high return on capital has been shown to be the most highly correlated factor to high stock returns for public companies and fundamental to successful private ones. This session will cover some tips for enhancing M&A and capital projects models, identify pitfalls in capital allocation decisions and suggest methods for avoiding them, offer suggestions for building a consensus with the CEO, Board and other Executives, identify areas where CFO leadership in the process can make substantive differences to the outcome and emphasize the importance of team building to improve analytical assumptions.
Key Takeaways:
Traditional finance teachings overemphasize modern portfolio theory variables
Building a cohesive, multi functional team can avoid most pitfalls in capital allocation
Certain behavioral traits are roadblocks to team building in capital allocation
Providing “smell test” summaries can drive better multi departmental input and marry corporate strategy with analytical analysis
Speaker
Sterling Adlakha
CFOHarley Marine Services Inc.
Executive Steering Committee
Experienced financial leaders work with us to focus our program on the developments that will move the needle at your company.
Dave SackettSenior Director of Finance & Administration
ULVAC Technologies, Inc.
Craig HallCFO
Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council
Kevin KreseCFO
Buckingham Doolittle
Gloria SalazarDeputy CEO
San Joaquin RTD
Geraldine HolmesCFO
Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association
Tracy HarrisCFO
The Bullis School
Don PittmanCFO & EVP
NTS Communications
Angela AstleEVP Finance
Chugach Alaska Corporation
Eric SeetonCFO
API Technologies Corp
Weng HorakCFO
Stray Rescue
David TurkCFO
MidCountry Bank
Benjamin ReynoldsCFO
AMPCO Contracting Inc.
David RistowCFO
Qumu Corporation
Brett ScholzCFO
Boxer Property
Amir YunusCFO
Genysys Works
An Esteemed Audience
Over 80% of the Fortune 100 joins us each year for what has been voted the “most effective trade show” for over a decade. Use our tools to demonstrate ROI to your C-Suite.
CONNECT CFO is an invitation-only trade show for executives working in finance. It bridges you to the most profitable solutions and information for your crowning priorities.
Have Questions?
We’ve answered a few FAQs to get you started. For any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
he cost of producing CONNECT CFO is underwritten by our sponsors, who are more than willing to make the investment in such an exclusive audience. Your pass includes:
Personal concierge and custom schedule
Access to all programming and speakers
Overnight hotel accomodations
5 star onsite catering
$200 travel voucher
Personal meetings with leading solution providers of your choice
The most important thing you can do is take the time to complete your registration. Your registration is the basis for all of our methods of personalizing your experience. The more accurate and complete your registration is, the easier it is for us to select opportune sessions and schedule private meetings for you.
Flight reimbursement is limited to 2 attendees per company for those traveling over 100 miles to attend. A check is delivered to you personally at the end of the event, after you have completed your schedule of research meetings with exhibitors.
Based on the details of your registration, we carefully select up to 10 best-fit exhibitors for you to meet with. You’ll have the opportunity to approve both your sessions and meetings schedule before the event. Each meeting is 25 minutes long and focused on solving a specific priority you have a listed.
There is a strong focus on enterprise and midmarket organizations at the Connect CFO Leadership Summit. We quantify midmarket companies as 100-1,000 employees and/or $50M – $1B in annual revenue. We quantify enterprise companies as 1,000+ employees and/or $1B+ in annual revenue.
We are looking for executives with genuine needs for new solutions and buying influence or authority. Invitations are extended to Controllers, Directors of Finance, VPs, SVPs and C-level Executives. There is a strong focus on enterprise and mid-market organizations at the Connect CFO Leadership Summit.
Our Schaumburg hotel accommodations boast stylish design and luxurious comfort. Located in an accessible hub with a sophisticated collection of retail and culinary options such as Sam & Harry’s and Woodfield Mall, this Schaumburg, Illinois hotel serves as an indigenous ambassador for entire Chicagoland area…and a gateway for the entire Midwest.
Accommodations must be booked through the conference organizers and not through the venue directly. We cover the first night and offer a discounted rate. Spouses welcomed. For reservations please contact:
The nearest airport is Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), which is less than 15 miles away. Alternatively, you may fly into Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW). This hotel does not provide shuttle service. Taxis are readily available at the airport.
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