Lessons in Crisis Leadership: How to Build Business Resilience (Additional Fee, Onsite Only)

May 10, 2023 8:00am ‐ May 10, 2023 10:30am

Identification: CFO23101

How confident are you on your leadership skills in the face of a potential crisis event? Headlines today highlight a number of potential crises that could impact your business, ranging from a cybersecurity attack to a drought, to a landslide from a torrential downpour. As today’s business environment becomes more complex and interrelated, confronting some sort of crisis is almost inevitable. Crises can disrupt your company’s operations as well as threaten its strategic viability. The changing role of the CFO involves understanding how to prevent crises and build a robust crisis readiness strategy.

Through interactive breakout sessions, this workshop will help leaders bridge the confidence gap and build resilience by examining crisis management best practices from world-class organizations.

• Analyze trending topics in cybersecurity and resilience
• Calculate how to prepare for the expected and the unexpected
• Identify preventive approaches to minimize or avert a crisis situation
• Determine strategies for preparation, response and recovery

Economic Update

May 10, 2023 1:10pm ‐ May 10, 2023 2:25pm

Identification: CFO2302

By the time of the conference, the FOMC will likely have raised policy rates another 50 basis points, lifting the fed funds target range to 5.00%-to-5.25%, just a bit below the level hit before the Great Recession in 2007. Meantime, despite some early-year economic momentum, the cumulative impact of 500 basis points worth of tightening should be coming home to roost. At least a mild recession seems likely.

• Identify why inflation is being stubborn and forcing the Fed’s hand. This will help participants better assess the risk of even more rate hikes.
• Analyze why in the face of aggressive Fed tightening, the economy still has offsetting growth supports. This will help participants better assess the risk of a deeper economic downturn.

The State of Capital Markets.

May 10, 2023 3:00pm ‐ May 10, 2023 3:50pm

Identification: CFO2303

Overview of the U.S. Equity Capital Markets in 2023, and how each market is performing.  We will also cover what to consider when it comes to developing a financing strategy, and various execution alternatives to ensure a strong outcome.

• Analyze the current dynamic of the equity capital markets.
• Identify how to raise capital in the context of today's market backdrop

The Emerging Metaverse: More than Blockchain, Bitcoin and Gaming

May 10, 2023 3:00pm ‐ May 10, 2023 3:50pm

Identification: CFO2304

Based on extensive research, executives at Accenture outline how the internet is being reimagined as a continuum where the physical and digital worlds will intersect daily. Rather than viewing digital content, people will live and be present within it.

This continuum is bringing the next major wave of digital change to enterprises, how they interact with customers, how employees interact with each other, how products and services are delivered, and how their business models will evolve.

CFOs must not only be aware of digital currencies, NFTs, and explore various perspectives for determining how the balance sheet will reflect digital assets, leaders need to start making big leaps forward in how they think about their business – today.

This session will provide baseline terminology and explore various future focused scenarios that highlight the emerging metaverse that will revolutionize consumer experiences and business applications.

• Identify & explore the four building blocks of the Metaverse Continuum
• Recognize & analyze a variety of disruptive business scenarios and transformational possibilities for global enterprises
• Identify features of the metaverse that are most relevant to your business and begin to formulate a plan for incorporating these components into your organization strategy

Using Emotional Intelligence to Manage Change

May 10, 2023 4:00pm ‐ May 10, 2023 4:50pm

Identification: CFO2305

In a world that is rapidly changing, it is important to think about how change is impacting and influencing our emotions. Emotions are involved in every decision we make. Emotional intelligence, or EI, is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions, and those of the people around you, and to focus your emotional energy to get things done. EI, is a flexible set of skills that can be acquired and improved with practice. In this session we will discuss how EI can be use to:

• Improve communication,
• Improve problem solving,
• Build relationships, and
• Manage stress.

• Identify emotional intelligence.
• Recognize & understand the how emotional intelligence can be leveraged to manage change.

Supercharging the CFO Office with AI

May 10, 2023 4:00pm ‐ May 10, 2023 4:50pm

Identification: CFO2306

In this session, we will discuss how A.I can be used in finance for forecasting and prediction. Excel has traditionally been the modeling tool of choice for financial professionals. We tend to overgeneralize the relation between various data points, and it frequently produces erroneous predictions. . On the other hand, AI can create a formula based on historical data trends that can be paired with leading indicators to enhance modeling results.

• Identify A.I for finance opportunities, limitations
• Recognize A.I use cases, Finance data strategies

Future of Finance: Closing the Skills Gap

May 10, 2023 5:00pm ‐ May 10, 2023 5:50pm

Identification: CFO2307

Fundamental to all organizations is finding and retaining talent with the skills needed to address the challenges facing their business. Our conversations with leading finance executives continue to show that the need for new competencies in on the rise.

As businesses are increasingly interconnected, and digitized, the demands that the finance leaders of today and tomorrow must demonstrate expertise in data analysis and insights, technology, as well as the mindset and behaviours needed to succeed in a digital environment, in addition to core finance and management accounting skills.

This session will cover the challenges in today’s fast-paced economy, and how companies are striving to address this skills gap.

• Analyze emerging themes, trends, and challenges facing business today
• Identify key skills needed in finance functions to meet these challenges
• Determine & develop a plan for addressing the skills gap in your organization

How Web-Technology is Changing Small Business Accounting, presented by Acumatica

May 11, 2023 7:00am ‐ May 11, 2023 7:50am

Identification: CFO23SS01

Discover how modern accounting applications are improving collaboration, helping remote workers, and enabling a new breed of accountants to run small and medium sized businesses. In this session, you'll gain an better understanding of how the accounting system becomes the single source of truth for sales, inventory, payroll, marketing, support, and more without heavy investment in infrastructure.

• Indicate the architectural advantages of a web-based software solution
• Recognize best practices for collaboration between accountants and internal employees as well as external vendors and customers
• Identify the pricing models associated with modern cloud systems

Forward-Looking Risk Management to Enable Fast Growth

May 11, 2023 9:25am ‐ May 11, 2023 10:15am

Identification: CFO2309

Small and medium businesses drive economic growth in the United States and are primary targets for acquisitions. However, a substantial percentage of small businesses fail and do not reach their full potential. Forward-looking risk management is key to enable emerging businesses to grow sustainably and maximize their value. During this presentation, we will discuss how to implement a forward-looking risk management mindset in your business, why proactive investments in growth capabilities lead to long-term benefits, and the keys to achieve Advanced Analytics maturity to enable effective risk management and smart business decisions.

Small and medium businesses drive economic growth in the United States and are primary targets for acquisitions. However, a substantial percentage of small businesses fail and do not reach their full potential. Forward-looking risk management is key to enable emerging businesses to grow sustainably and maximize their value. 

• Identify & understand the importance of effective risk management to enable fast growth.
• Analyze how to implement a forward-looking risk management mindset in your business.
• Determine why proactive investments in growth capabilities lead to long-term benefits.
• Identify the keys to achieve Advanced Analytics maturity to enable effective risk management and smart business decisions.

Agile Finance Transformation: You must be M-A-D!

May 11, 2023 10:45am ‐ May 11, 2023 11:35am

Identification: CFO2310

One of the recurring themes cited by CFO’s in today’s fast past business environment is the ongoing need for accelerated finance transformation. CFOs are increasingly becoming considered to be CVOs, or “Chief Value Officers,” in their organizations. In successful organizations, creating value is driven by value-based decisions. Value-based decisions are based on high quality data and analysis. High quality data and analysis are delivered by finance professionals that have a growth mindset.

Attend this interactive session to learn about the practical application of key business process improvement techniques and find out why you need to be M-A-D to succeed in a Finance Transformation (Mindset-Agile-Digital).

• Recognize the importance of a growth mindset
• Identify how to empower your team to develop agile ways of working
• Recognize the tools and processes available to implement Agility in Finance