As our we struggle to balance a multitude of challenges, we need leaders who promote hope, not fear; inspire unity not division. The solution lies within. JD will share stories from tragedy to triumph and the essential qualities required to go deep inside, rise up, and become an authentic, congruent and bold leader for the modern era.

The Biden Administration is settling in and the Congress and Administration have many issues to address. Which issues are front and center and which ones will affect the accounting profession and business community? What role are narrow House and Senate majorities impacting the current congressional legislative agenda? Will the 2021 off-year elections provide any indicators for potential outcomes in the 2022 mid-terms?

Some feel that DEI is only a human resource matter, or the sole responsibility of a DEI professional, however, to be truly effective, DEI must be everyone’s responsibility. McKinsey & Company’s January 2018 and 2020 research reinforces the link between DEI and company financial performance. In this session participants will learn tips and actions that CFO and finance leaders can take to ensure that they are playing a valuable role in advancing DEI within their organization.

During the session we will discuss the updates on the IRS operating status, including the delays that IRS is experiencing with processing taxpayers tax returns, issuing tax refunds, including those that were submitted as tentative refund claims, as well as responding to other taxpayer’s requests. We will briefly touch upon the taxpayer’s advocate report to Congress that identified 10 most serious problems that the taxpayers encountered in their dealings with the IRS. We will discuss how IRS budget impacts IRS enforcement activity and IRS enforcement initiatives for the fiscal 2021 tax year.

Even before the current crisis, digital transformation and new ways of working were having a significant influence on the critical skills and capabilities of the finance function. The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated that need. Barry Payne, Director – External Relations, Management Accounting and panel will share insights on the skills and competencies that will become more prominent in the post-COVID world and tips on developing a measurable roadmap to develop sustainable finance talent. This is an absolute imperative for CFO’s.

The role of both the public and private company CFO has never been more challenging. Living through COVID and navigating the ever-changing expectations of customers, shareholders, creditors, and the community at large has been quite difficult. Yet certain truisms were once again revealed during the last year as it relates to capital structure, relationships with critical constituents and being nimble in the face of changes. Larry will explore some of the lessons learned from the last 12 months and what we might expect of the 12-24 months ahead.

The term "Digital Transformation" has been tossed around in recent years to describe a technology-first means to transform businesses. But what IS digital transformation, really? IT modernization? Process automation? Or a human-focused business imperative?

Today, more and more we are seeing the challenges facing Finance and Accounting professionals. If there is one thing that 2020 has taught us, now is the time for finance to redefine it’s mission to achieve its long-stated goal of becoming a more strategic partner with the rest of the organization.

Terms like mental toughness and a strong mind conjure up images of tough guys who plow their way through obstacles and adversity. That approach might work in football, but not in business or life. Many of us have experienced trauma in different ways in recent months. More than ever, we need positive thinking, resilience, and willpower to find ways to move through adversity and roadblocks.

As a former FBI agent, LaRae believes that while theories are nice, evidence is better. This session will combine her real-life experience with neuroscience and social psychology to help you find new ways to meet the challenges in front of you.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance, reporting and assurance has gained center stage around the world as organizations seek to better understand the needs and concerns of a variety of stakeholders, improve their own performance and better communicate their ability to create long term sustainable value. CPA’s, the CFO organization, and Finance professionals can all play a valuable role in adding value as their organizations, start, evolve, and continuously improve their ESG related activities.