This session will explore the approach panelists used to engage male leaders, make the business case and navigate challenges in successfully implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives in their organizations.

Natalia Ameine of Crypto Chicks and Ron Quaranta, Chairman of the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance will breakdown blockchain and cryptoasset management for the finance & accounting role. This session is focused on removing fear of the unknown while encouraging you to take a more active lead in the area of blockchain technologies.

Today’s reality is that leadership requires people with high levels of awareness and emotional intelligence who can empower, engage and align the team members. In a world of business talk and strategic think, Jeff is a rare voice for a new way of leading. Attendees will connect to a transformational leadership model designed to help anyone improve their leadership skills and enhance their personal and team effectiveness and execution. Attendees leave the session with new communication and accountability tools, team engagement and alignment strategies, and tactics to improve self-accountability and execution. This program is especially value for financial professionals looking to address the critical issues of attracting, engaging and managing teams and people.

Boards 2020: What’s changed over the past several years, what’s expected from a board member, and what you can do to prepare to be board ready.

As the workforce continues to change and the talent race heats up, offering employees meaningful experiences and opportunities to grow, learn and contribute has become more important than ever. Culture either happens by default or is created intentionally, and companies that commit to intentionally developing their cultures are recruiting, retaining and engaging their employees. What does it take to be recognized as a best place to work and to create a culture that draws in and retains employees? In thriving workplace cultures and at employers of choice, employees feel valued, inspired, and connected to their work and coworkers. For employers, engaged, thriving employees means a competitive business advantage, including improved employee engagement and retention, increased creativity and innovation, improved leadership effectiveness, and stronger, more cohesive leadership teams. Sharing lessons and insights from top workplaces, we’ll explore the power supporting the humans behind the numbers.

Legendary business executive Jack Welch said, “Talent management deserves as much focus as financial capital management in corporations.” There are few concepts in business as misunderstood as succession management. For a lot of companies, succession management is an annual event that often happens behind closed doors. A common misconception about succession management is that it’s a quick fix, or a process that happens once per year or on the heels of a change in leadership. Some people understandably believe it’s replacement planning. If you don’t get it right, don’t even think about attracting and retaining millennials and Gen Z’s. This session will provide insights into the business case for succession management and how to build a plan that is simple, comprehensive and serves as a talent retention tool.

Do you feel like a majority of your time is spent managing crises? At the end of the day are you completely drained of energy and unable to accomplish anything of real significance? We live in a time sensitive world where overlapping commitments are the norm and the line between what’s urgent and important are inevitably blurred. This interactive session will help reset your internal compass to manage responsibilities, focus on quality work, and maintain positivity.

The accounting profession continues to evolve and the role that women play in our profession has become more relevant over the years. But the question we should be asking is whether women in leadership roles have progressed in our profession at an acceptable rate. Are women taking their place at the executive levels, and if not, how can we make that happen? We will look at the current gender trends in our profession and explore challenges and strategies to further the goal of women in leadership.

As a woman, leading teams and accomplishing tasks involves confidence, setting expectations and accomplishing the goals set forth by the leader. During this session we will discuss ways in which women today are leading in the accounting industry and how we can help others step up and join the fight for women in leadership positions.

Sales is not something that comes naturally to most CPAs, and unfortunately the skillsets needed to grow a business extend far past the firm leaders. In this session, we will take a look at what you can do to shift the mindset within your organization to build a business development machine. Learning from founders of the companies accepted into the AICPA/CPA.com Accelerator program, and Kim Orlesky, a passionate sales thought-leader – we will dive into what makes organizations successful in building a team focused on growth.