Keynote session sponsored by Workday.

The needs of organizations have changed significantly through the pandemic, requiring CFOs to power up business guidance to thrive in the “next normal”. Finance must not only embrace extreme automation to deliver this guidance effectively, but also take ownership of the finance data model and automate insight generation to become true value partners to the business. Join Workday finance executives and customers as they share the strategies and solutions they have used to prepare for the next evolution in finance. 

By integrating the Risk and Finance information, a firm can understand and derive its current and future financial health more comprehensively.

The risks to a firm are many - financial, operational, reputational, regulatory, and business. Some are easier to quantify than others. The ones that are difficult to quantify are typically addressed with qualitative analysis, adjustments, and overlays.

Financial entities are heavily and increasingly invested in this integrated approach, especially since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Among other things, the GFC exposed the absence of this integration. Since many of these entities were considered globally & systemically risky, many regulations such as BCBS-239, IFRS 17-11, CCAR, ICAAP, etc. were enacted to avert this in the future. Ultimately the goal of these regulations, which continue to evolve, is to force financial institutions to take a more integrated view of risk. Although there were many skeptics, today there is general consensus that these regulations have made financial institutions significantly more sound.

Non-financial firms will benefit from the same approach as well, albeit fine-tuned and adjusted for their individual business environment and operating model.

Why are your best people the ones most likely to leave?  What can you do to "future proof" your organization from the great resignation?  How can we build a cohesive culture when we are scattered and jumbled?  As there are multiple causes, in this fast-paced presentation our speaker will share multiple tactics based on live data from Operations and Human Resources. First, we cover new methods for changing your sourcing and screening to match the modern workforce. Then, we look at keeping the good ones - avoiding turnover and improving engagement in a distributed workforce.

With increased urgency about climate impacts and the widespread embrace of major social issues, there is also increased demand for disclosures on these concerns being made by investors, and other stakeholders, including regulators.

Recent major developments include the formation of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) by the IFRS Foundation, the creation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) in the EU, and in the US, what the SEC has referred to as an “all agency response” to these concerns.

This session will provide an overview of the evolving reporting and regulatory landscape, along with an approach for building an ESG program and managing sustainability performance in your company.

As new cybersecurity threats continue to emerge, the ongoing challenges around proper risk mitigation and incident response remain a dynamic obstacle for both organizational leadership and individual users. Understanding and anticipating both technical and non-technical threats are key to managing the risks associated with a breach of confidential data and how best to respond.

This session will cover the latest cybersecurity threat landscape and the risks and challenges that professionals face in collecting, storing, processing and safeguarding sensitive information along with best practices used when responding to a breach. Topics will include InfoSec governance, current cybersecurity threats/ risks/mitigation, third-party and supply-chain risk, incident response and cyber liability insurance. The session will also include strategies for personally protecting your digital information.

The past two years have spotlighted how the organization's ability to adapt and respond to a rapidly-changing environment impacts its people, operations, and sometimes its very existence.  In this session, we will discuss the CFO's role in building an organization that can adapt and respond quickly to all types of risks (and opportunities) with minimal stress on workflows, operations, and especially its people.

Over the next several years the tax code will continue to change through expiring provisions, provisions with delayed start dates, and Congressional initiatives.  This session will discuss planning implications over the next few years for a dynamic tax law environment. This session includes topics such as section 174 (required capitalization), international considerations, sections 451 enforcement, inventory, and pass-through entity taxes, and other similar topics. 

With vessels lining up off the Coast of several US Ports, inflation, chip shortages, and hard-to-get commodities, the supply chain has become a commonplace conversation. As Port Director and CEO for the Port of Hueneme, Kristin has a close-up view of the nation’s supply chain crisis. She will share her insights on supply chain disruption, discuss the root causes, the economic consequences, and what experts are saying about the future. She will explain how her port and other niche ports present a case for success and offer uncongested solutions for the transport of US consumer goods.

Other topics she will touch on include the Port’s strategies around economic development, infrastructure, innovation, environment, and community.

In 2021, AICPA & CIMA formed a Future of Finance Group. They were charged with how to transform the profession in its broadest context and re-imagine the finance function of the future. In this candid panel discussion with members of the CFO Conference Planning Committee we will discuss the key findings from the Future of Finance Group, how these issues are keeping our panel awake at night and what they are doing to take advantage of these issues and opportunities.

The fast changing business landscape has shifted the focus of finance from a rearview mirror role to a windshield view helping the business navigate in a VUCA world. The shift is from cost and historical information to value and forecasting the future. Are we the chief value officers’ of the future? This session will cover the key take aways from the Future of Finance initiative and key items of the panel’s strategic agenda.

The Finance function is at a tipping point as businesses look to evolve their approach to decision-making. As more CFOs aspire to take on an advisory role in their companies, there’s an ongoing push to automate manual processes, consolidate data, and increase agility. It’s a shift that will enable Finance to focus on the future of the business rather than just reporting on the past.

Our latest Prophix and CFO Dive survey found that an overwhelming majority have plans to automate and upgrade their technology — but there’s also a great deal of work to be done. Join Wayne Slater, Director of Product Marketing at Prophix, as he delves into the survey results and how you can apply them to your business to succeed in this time of transformation.