
CFO Sit-Down - June
Hosted by Factor
- 500 attendees
- 35100 hours
Overview
Digital transformation, economic uncertainty, and political tensions have led to considerable disruption and change. This year, the top challenges for CFOs include managing the risk of a recession, navigating persistent inflation, and delivering successful digital transformation projects. There are also issues with acquiring and retaining top talent, and remaining agile, proactive, and forward-thinking.
What we will cover
- Navigating your business through economic uncertainty A deep dive into the key priorities for finance. At the same time, managing the business risk, and cyber-security.
- Managing cashflow during soaring prices and interest rate hikes Managing and navigating the cash-flow during volatility, and future-proof your business when interest rates rise.
- Taking the next step to finance transformation Ensuring the function is modernised and capable of taking on whatever organisational challenges are ahead.
- Cracking the code on intelligent financial planning Creating an agile finance function as markets evolve and change. How finance delivers against unprecedented pressures.
Agenda
- Registration and Delegate Arrival(CFO Sit-Down - June)
- Welcome address by Sit-Down(CFO Sit-Down - June)
- How large data breaches land at Finance's door.(CFO Sit-Down - June) Australian businesses face a growing threat of data breaches and BEC scams. With high-profile breaches such as Optus, Medibank and Latitude financial, Australia is one the most targeted countries globally. As a result, finance leaders need to be extra vigilant to protect their teams from payment fraud. But what does that entail? Join us in this talk as we dive into the mind of the cyber-criminal and uncover the strategies to safeguard your business and financial assets. We'll explore: What happens to the data on the dark web How these data breaches make their way to Finance's door What Finance leaders can do to protect their business from cyber-crime
- Fireside chat: Managing cashflow during soaring prices and interest rate hikes(CFO Sit-Down - June) Cash flow is the lifeblood of success. The risk is overlooking how interest rates impact capital structure and profitability. This oversight may have serious consequences in terms of increased costs, slowdowns in growth potential, and reduced competitive advantage. Navigating during times of uncertainty and economic flux Tackling the pressures of increased costs and slowdown Retaining a competitive edge through innovation
- Prioritising visibility and data driven planning to pave the way for growth.(CFO Sit-Down - June) Amidst the economic impacts, the political tensions and supply chain challenges over the past year, when we close in on the Australian landscape, specifically in the finance function, our research at Sit-Down shows an interestingly even split yet overwhelming emphasis on organisations tackling: Talent, Retention, Hybrid/Remote Workforce Management Planning & Performance Management Growth and Maintaining Healthy Cashflows. And it’s important to note that a key inhibitor, getting in the way of the CFOs, as they tackle these challenges is lack of visibility and predictability that ultimately lead to less reliable planning. During this session we get together with Willem Boshoff of Tridant to go into a step-by-step guide as to what effective Financial Planning & Analysis looks like and as CFOs what we need to prioritise: Getting your ducks in a row before looking at technologies During the vendor selection process During the implementation process
- Networking break and morning tea(CFO Sit-Down - June)
- Leveraging Process Automation to Transform Financial Operations(CFO Sit-Down - June) Thriving in this modern yet disruptive environment requires leaders to strategise their innovation processes. Therein lies the opportunity for finance leaders to leverage intelligent automation and focus on the broader impact AI, ML and RPA can bring to any organisation. While the rate of adoption is still relatively slow, it is widely accepted that a proactive automation approach can inevitably assist forward thinking finance heads to help: • streamline processes • improve efficiency & accuracy • maximise compliance • reduce costs • improve productivity.
- Fireside chat: Taking the next step to finance transformation(CFO Sit-Down - June) For businesses, the challenge is accelerating profitable growth and driving innovation to deliver stockholder value over the long term. In 2022, Kraft Heinz reported net sales of approximately US$26 billion. This iconic brand is committed to growing its food and beverage brands on a global scale. This conversation explores: Developing best-in-class systems across the company Refreshing the product portfolio alongside improved financial flexibility Driving sustainable growth and, ultimately, leading the future of food”
- How a Financial Close Solution can help achieve your F&A priorities(CFO Sit-Down - June)
- Why diversity matters in the finance space(CFO Sit-Down - June) What do we mean by diversity from a CFO perspective? Why is workplace diversity important in the finance space Which talent management strategies work in a competitive market?
- Peer Connect | Networking Lunch(CFO Sit-Down - June) Peer Connect 12:40 to 1:10pm Executive Round Table 12:55 to 2:10pm Oracle and Epicor Networking Lunch 1:10 to 2:10pm
- Thriving from COVID and improving organisational resilience through times of change and resistance.(CFO Sit-Down - June)
- Keynote: The playbook for CFO communication – what works and why(CFO Sit-Down - June) Being an effective CFO used to be fairly straightforward: be good at managing capital with accounting knowledge and administrative expertise. These traditional skills no longer guarantee C-level success. The challenge is to establish rapport across the organisation during uncertain times. This hands-on talk explores: · Refining your story-telling skills · Trusting your message and build the rapport · Sharing your story behind the numbers Aiming for clarity and keeping it simple
- Building the synergy between procurement, finance and supply chain – what works and why?(CFO Sit-Down - June)
- Panel discussion: Navigating the finance function through pandemic/external environment pressures(CFO Sit-Down - June) Market uncertainty has dialled up the pressure on CFOs and their teams across the financial planning and analysis (FP&A) functions. CFOs see more demand for insight from financial data, and many worry that finance is too reactive. Creating an agile finance function as markets evolve and change Meeting the demand for information in real-time Giving the business what it needs to support actionable insights Responding to marketplace dynamics through “intelligent finance”
- Fireside chat: Leveraging data to optimise the supply and demand trends(CFO Sit-Down - June) · Managing your planning pricing and trade spend · Improving the demand forecasting accuracy · Predicting and managing the customer churn
- Event Wrap Up and Closing Remarks by Sit - Down(CFO Sit-Down - June)
- Networking drinks(CFO Sit-Down - June)
Speakers
Ajith Abeynaike · Chief Financial Officer, Hallmark Cards ANZ As the Chief Operating Officer for Hallmark Cards Australia and New Zealand, reporting through the UK/ROI/ANZ MD, Ajith has full country management responsibilities for our ANZ operations, including finance, sales supply chain, product, and human resources.
Pablo Montanes · Head of Finance Transformation for ANJ, Kraft Heinz Experienced professional, with over 20 years of experience across the Cosmetics, Medical Devices, Insights and FMCG industries in three different countries. His journey took him through several functions over the years, including IT, S&OP, Market Intelligence, Sales Operations and more recently Finance Transformation. Passionate about getting out of his comfort zone to learn and driving efficiencies to enable teams to perform at their best. Specialties: Transformation | Stakeholder Management
Jyotee Patel · National CFO, Herron Todd White Jyotee is an exceptional leader with excellent interpersonal, communication and organisational skills; expert in finance, budget management, strategy development, and resource allocation. With over 15 years of experience in various facets of local and international businesses from Property, Oil, Information Technology, Banking and Finances industries, Jyotee joined Herron Todd White in 2020.
Harry Marfatia · Telix Pharmaceutical, Telix Phamaceutical Harry is a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA) with 15 years of experience in finance, commercial and senior leadership roles in a diversity of industry sectors including healthcare, telecommunications, IT, automotive manufacturing, and energy. He is a fellow of the Australian Society of CPAs and completed an Executive Master of Business Administration from Melbourne Business School. He joined Telix as a Corporate Finance Director in 2020 and was promoted to the APAC CFO role on May 21.
Sandeep Bordia · Chief Financial Officer, Compare and Connect Sandeep started his career in the cruising industry with P&O Cruises in Sydney, while completing his MBA degree. He spent 8 years with P&O before moving to Fairfax Media and Business Manager, Magazines and Group Planning Manager. After 4 years, an opportunity arose for CFO role in Melbourne with Metro Media Group. Moved to Melbourne in 2012 and never looked back. After 4 years with MMP and then Domain group, moved to City of Melbourne as their Financial Controller. The passion for SME busin
Sharon Li · CFO, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Sharon is a commercially minded and proactive charted senior finance professional with 15 years of experience enabling commercial and for-purpose organisations to optimise strategic outcomes via efficient and effective utilisation of business resources; improving organisations’ sustainability and agility under various external environments; and implementing new business and cultural initiatives. Proven history of strategic leadership, effective financial management, IT transformation, compliance
Marcus Healy · Head of Finance, CUB Marcus has been with CUB for 11 years in a finance and revenue management capacity, He was previously with Coles, as a finance business partner, and analyst. At Coles, he was tasked with managing a project to simplify and improve the Coles monthly board/management reporting. This required him to engage with a broad range of stakeholders/contributors to develop new reports, refine existing data, and remove unnecessary information.Sharon Arasu · EGM - Tax, Treasury, Risk & Systems, Carsales As the Head of Tax, Sharon brings an abundance of practical experience in the areas of direct and indirect taxation across a variety of jurisdictions and has successfully transformed herself into a broader commercially focused finance leader. As Treasurer, she has effectively navigated the challenges of raising debt financing in volatile times and continues to guide the global carsales business through an evolution of its capital management structure.
Chris Ellis · Director, Solutions Engineering | APAC, Nintex Chris Ellis, Director, Solutions Engineering at Nintex, gained invaluable experience in SharePoint, Office 365 and the Nintex Platform as a pre-sales solution specialist within the partner network. Hailing from Aberdeen in Scotland, his work with the Nintex Platform exposed him to the full lifecycle from analysis and requirement gathering to delivery, support and training, contributing across a spectrum of projects in various industries and in some interesting places.
Gavin Levinsohn · Chief Growth Officer, eftsure After post-graduate studies in Finance, Gavin spent 21 years in marketing communications leading businesses for global communication groups WPP and Publicis. In 2018 he reconnected with his long held passion for all things digital and joined eftsure where he is Chief Growth Officer.Nilesh Gardre · Head of Supply Finance, planning and control ANZ, PZ Cussons Nilesh is an experienced finance professional who adds value across local and global operations with complex reporting structures. He has demonstrated agility in working across multiple industries, while partnering with senior executives, and influencing business decisions. He has a proven track record of navigating the team through ambiguity, especially during change and transformation.
Williem Boshoff · Executive Director, Corporate Performance Management, Tridant Willem Boshoff is an Executive Director of Tridant and leads the Performance Management practice, focussed on improving FP&A and S&OP. Willem has combined his passion for technology and interest in finance, recognising the need for organisations to respond faster, particularly in recent times, to help them do more with less, ensuring that the solution set for senior finance stakeholders addresses optimisation in their monthly finance cycle.David Meadway · Client Executive, BlackLine
Partners
- Tridant www.tridant.com.au
- eftsure Eftsure is a leader in fraud detection and payment protection. Our pioneering fraudtech solution brings financial controls into the digital age and helps organisations of all sizes mitigate the risk of incorrectly processing (EFT) payments, whether as a result of cybercrime, fraud or human error. Eftsure’s unique approach allows its customers to cross-reference payment information in real-time, immediately prior to processing them, against an ever-expanding network of over 2.5 million Australian organisations. In a world in which scammers are actively adopting new fraud tactics, such as social engineering, phishing and Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks, Eftsure helps supports organisations to remain secure. With Eftsure, organisations acquire peace of mind knowing that EFT payments are being directed to the intended recipient and that they’re avoiding the growing risk of human error and digital fraud.
- Nintex Nintex is the global standard for process intelligence and automation. Today more than 10,000 public and private sector organisations across 90 countries turn to the Nintex Platform to accelerate progress on their digital transformation journeys by quickly and easily managing, automating and optimising business processes. Learn more by visiting www.nintex.com and experience how Nintex and its global partner network are shaping the future of Intelligent Process Automation (IPA).
- Epicor
- Oracle Make every customer interaction matter by connecting all your business data across advertising, marketing, sales, commerce, and service. Oracle Advertising and Customer Experience (CX) offers a connected suite of applications that goes beyond traditional CRM to help you create, manage, serve, and nurture lasting customer relationships. Build a complete view of your customer and their every interaction—no matter how, when, where, or with whom they engage. Empower your entire business to deliver exceptional customer experiences—from acquisition to retention—and everything in between.
- BlackLine
- SAP Concur SAP® Concur® is the world’s leading brand for integrated travel, expense, and invoice management solutions, driven by a pursuit to simplify and automate these everyday processes. The highly-rated SAP Concur mobile app guides employees through business trips, charges are directly populated into expense reports, and invoice approvals are automated. By integrating near real-time data and using AI to analyse transactions, businesses can see what they’re spending and avoid possible blind spots in the budget. SAP Concur solutions help eliminate yesterday’s manual tasks, make today’s work easier, and support businesses to run at their best. Learn more at concur.com.au
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