CFO Conference 2020

Sep 16, 2020 ‐ Sep 18, 2020

The Association is dedicated to removing barriers to the accountancy profession and ensuring that all accountancy professionals and other members of the public with an interest in the profession or joining the profession, including those with disabilities, have access to the profession and the Association’s website, educational materials, products, and services. The Association is committed to making professional learning accessible to all product users. This commitment is maintained in accordance with applicable law. For additional information, please refer to the Association’s Website Accessibility Policy. As part of this commitment, this product is closed-captioned. For additional accommodation requests, please contact adaaccessibility@aicpa-cima.com and indicate the product that you are interested in (title, etc.) and the requested accommodation(s): Audio/Visual/Other. A member of our team will be in contact with you promptly to make sure we meet your needs appropriately. 

Intelligent Automation – Start Smart, Finish Smarter

Preview Available

Intelligent Automation – Start Smart, Finish Smarter

Sep 15, 2020 11:00am ‐ Sep 15, 2020 2:30pm

Identification: CFO20101

This in-depth workshop will provide an overview of intelligent automation and an introduction to robotic process automation. It will include a plan for getting started and best practices for putting an organization on the road to success in this area.

This workshop will also include exercises to help you begin to:

• Identify opportunities within your own organization

• Develop a plan for introducing or expanding the use of automation in your organization

• Establish a framework for evaluating the business case for automation

• Develop a high-level understanding of intelligent automation
• Determine how to get started with RPA
• Learn best practices for achieving success with RPA

• Ms. Kimberlee A. Curley, Senior Director, NTT DATA Services
• Michael Goodman, VP, NTT DATA

Leadership In Times of Uncertainty

Preview Available

Leadership In Times of Uncertainty

Sep 15, 2020 11:00am ‐ Sep 15, 2020 2:30pm

Identification: CFO20102

This workshop will help to familiarize your team with specific roles and responsibilities during an incident, and moreover, how they, as leaders can effectively manage, facilitate, and support the response and recovery operations within your organization.

• Obtain a greater understanding of the five elements of the Crisis Leadership Framework
• Gain a deeper understanding of Sense-making and its importance in effective crisis leadership
• Get a broader understanding of the decision-making and coordination requirements of effective crisis leadership
• Understand the concept of Meaning Making and its importance to effective crisis leadership
• Provide an opportunity for attendees to review the Crisis Leadership Framework as a point of reference to relate their own crisis experiences

• Robert Darling, Harvard Certified in Crisis Leadership, President and CEO, Turning Point Crisis Management-USA

Chief Turmoil Officer - How CFOs are Traversing COVID-19

Sep 16, 2020 12:55pm ‐ Sep 16, 2020 1:45pm

Identification: CFO2002

First and foremost a humanitarian crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic has also disrupted businesses from Main Street to Wall Street. CFOs are under tremendous pressure to take quick, decisive actions to protect their customers, employees and businesses. Across the immediate, short, and medium term, Gartner partnered closely with over 1,000 CFOs to understand and profile their response and offer essential insights to enable success. As CFOs and their teams look to the future and aim to excel in the “new normal,” it is critical that they understand how others are shaping strategies and what will separate winners from losers.

• Learn what actions CFOs took in the early weeks and months responding to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Hear about the challenges that remain top of mind for CFOs who continue to traverse unprecedented circumstances
• Determine what critical steps CFOs should be taking right now to set their businesses up for long-term success

• Mr. Steve Adams, Director, Gartner

Transformational Leadership

Preview Available

Transformational Leadership

Sep 16, 2020 1:55pm ‐ Sep 16, 2020 2:45pm

Identification: CFO2003

Today leading has become increasingly difficult with a multi-generational workforce and pressures on the profession. In this session we will explore how to transform your leadership style ensuring greater alignment with those you lead either directly or indirectly. You will leave this session with several personal leadership strategies you can employ immediately.

• Identify new strategies on leadership and how to be successful moving forward
• Employ a new leadership philosophy to your everyday leadership style
• Make an immediate impact in your organization as a transformational leader

• Paul Leroue, COCPA, Principal/CMO, Wipfli

What to Expect in this Election Year and Issues Impacting the Profession

Preview Available

What to Expect in this Election Year and Issues Impacting the Profession

Sep 16, 2020 3:15pm ‐ Sep 16, 2020 4:05pm

Identification: CFO2004

The 2020 elections are upon us. While the Presidential election is front and center in the news media, Congressional election outcomes also significantly impact the ever-fluctuating agenda in Washington. What might we expect in terms of party majorities and their agendas in the House and Senate? Will Democrats hold the House? Will Republicans hold the Senate?

• Identify which seats are up for election and the potential outcomes
• Assess the implications of the election on business, tax, trade, and other issues of importance to business
• Evaluate the potential impact of these issues with respect to advocacy efforts on behalf of the profession

• Diana H. Deem, CPA, CGMA, Director, Congressional and Political Affairs, AICPA

Work, Laugh, Repeat: How Technology Contributes to a Funnier World

Preview Available

Work, Laugh, Repeat: How Technology Contributes to a Funnier World

Sep 16, 2020 4:15pm ‐ Sep 16, 2020 5:05pm

Identification: CFO2005

In a hilarious, multi-media intensive presentation, renowned business humorist and Chicago Tribune humor columnist Greg Schwem will make attendees howl with laughter as he explores the complex relationship between technology and the changing role of humor in the workplace.

• Workplace humor is in a very precarious position. Employees want to laugh at work but are often afraid to, fearful of how their laughter might be interpreted. Discover how to find "the funny" and be encouraged to share it, as opposed to being afraid of it.
• Discover and ultimately realize, how stifling laughter in the workplace can also stifle creativity and productivity

• Greg Schwem, President, Comedy With a Byte, Inc.

Finance: Planning for What's Next (sponsored by Workday)

Preview Available

Finance: Planning for What's Next (sponsored by Workday)

Sep 17, 2020 10:00am ‐ Sep 17, 2020 10:50am

Identification: CFO20202

In today's business climate, agility is everything. Companies that can respond to change in real time win big and have a true competitive advantage. And finance holds the key to business agility with modern planning processes that speed better decision making. Using a combination of scenario planning and insights from combining operational and performance data, leading CFOs and their teams are able to explore options, visualize the impact of their decisions, and optimize performance, regardless of what the future may hold. As important, building a modern finance team that can leverage emerging machine learning and intelligent planning technologies is key for today's CFOs and finance leaders.

This session will explore the critical changes that finance leaders must make to deliver the business agility today's organization's need--or risk being left behind. Join us to learn how leading brands are transforming the FP&A process and how they're planning for what's next.

• Discover how to create a culture of agility within your finance team - including re-skilling and hiring
• Transform your FP&A process to a continuous planning process that drives real-time business insights, so you can successfully plan for what's next
• Get a view into new ML technologies that will elevate the role of "what if" scenarios to both make and operationalize decisions faster, translating into a significant competitive advantage

• Kerman Lau, MBA, VP, Finance, Workday

Readiness of Finance for Industrial Revolution 4.0

Preview Available

Readiness of Finance for Industrial Revolution 4.0

Sep 17, 2020 11:00am ‐ Sep 17, 2020 11:50am

Identification: CFO2006

This is a unique time in the evolution of the finance function. IR 4.0 brings significant changes to what is expected from finance and the office of the CFO. CFOs have an unprecedented opportunity to enable their organizations to reimagine their business model by leveraging technology. Finance leaders need to understand and recognize how they can participate in the enterprise transformation by centering their transformation around reengineering the customer experience. Based on their experience and AICPAs research, Brian Dumbill and Ash Noah will discuss a customer centric approach and what CFOs should be doing to prepare themselves and their teams to support their organizations.

• Identify relevant technologies that impact finance operating model
• Appreciate how technology impacts finance processes
• Discuss the application and leveraging of these technologies
• Realize how the enterprise should approach transformation
• Recognize how finance teams should be getting ready for the change

• Brian Dumbill, BA, FCMA, CGMA, SVP & Chief Risk Officer, Volvo Financial Services
• Ash Noah, CPA, CGMA, VP Managing Director, Learning, Education and Development, AICPA

Panel: Diversity in the C-Suite and the Boardroom

Preview Available

Panel: Diversity in the C-Suite and the Boardroom

Sep 17, 2020 12:00pm ‐ Sep 17, 2020 12:50pm

Identification: CFO2007

This panel discussion will focus on why the diversity of gender, race, culture and generation are critical to a well-balanced leadership team.

• Identify the various forms of diversity and the intrinsic value they bring to organizational dynamics
• Recognize the value of diversity within organizational leadership
• Explain where diversity in the C-Suite intersects with organizational performance

• Kimberly N. Ellison-Taylor, CPA, CGMA, ASEC Member and CEO, KET Solutions, LLC
• Jennifer Pohlhaus, PhD, Owner and Chief Operating Officer, Ripple Effect
• Steve Gandara, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Excellent Cultures, Inc.
• Christian Garcia, Former EVP and CFO of Weatherford International

Panel: Unplanned Succession Planning - Lay the Foundation for Success!

Preview Available

Panel: Unplanned Succession Planning - Lay the Foundation for Success!

Sep 17, 2020 1:20pm ‐ Sep 17, 2020 2:10pm

Identification: CFO2008

Preparing for the unexpected. Or in most cases, preparing for what is expected. Either way, leadership change is inevitable. And how you plan for it determines its impact on you and your organization.  Organizations face constant pressure to build a strong, effective, and sustainable leadership pipeline. Like most strategic planning, this is easier said than done. When it comes to the succession planning process, many organizations are challenged to ensure their succession strategy is flexible enough to meet the needs of the organization and their employees. An adequate succession plan prevents organizations from taking a reactive approach vacancy. Instead, it proactively prepares a smooth transition plan to ensure leadership changes do not interrupt major business initiatives. The planning process and the resulting plan also deliver other benefits, including:

· Motivating employees by creating growth opportunities
· Identifying skill gaps and talent development needs
· Adapting the organization to demographic and talent changes
· Transitioning highly specialized skills into key roles
· Preserving institutional knowledge

• Learn how to build strong leadership pipelines to mitigate departure risks
• When departures happen, discover how to have the structure in place to create positive results

• Ms. Joselin R. Martin, CPA, CGMA, CCIFP, Owner/CEO, True North CFO LLC
• Rod Bench, Principal, Pillar International Insurance Advisors
• Sandy Sloyer, CPA, CGMA, MBA, Chief Financial Officer, Treliant, LLC